Armed forces personnel in Mali
Mali: Armed forces personnel was 41,000 in 2020. ▲ Rising
Armed forces personnel in Mali, 1985–2020
Source: The Military Balance - International Institute for Strategic Studies, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
Mali recorded 41,000 for armed forces personnel in 2020. That is the highest value across all 33 years on record.
The figure is up 95.2% on the previous year and up 237.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, armed forces personnel in Mali peaked at 41,000 in 2020 and was at its lowest, 4,900, in 1985.
Mali ranks 79th of 173 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 33 years of available data.
Armed forces personnel in Mali, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1985 | 4,900 | — |
| 1989 | 8,000 | +63.3% |
| 1990 | 13,000 | +62.5% |
| 1991 | 13,000 | +0.0% |
| 1992 | 12,000 | -7.7% |
| 1993 | 12,000 | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 12,000 | +0.0% |
| 1995 | 15,200 | +26.7% |
| 1996 | 15,200 | +0.0% |
| 1997 | 15,150 | -0.3% |
| 1998 | 15,150 | +0.0% |
| 1999 | 15,200 | +0.3% |
| 2000 | 15,200 | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 15,200 | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 15,200 | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 12,200 | -19.7% |
| 2004 | 11,000 | -9.8% |
| 2005 | 12,000 | +9.1% |
| 2006 | 12,000 | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 12,000 | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 12,000 | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 12,150 | +1.2% |
| 2010 | 12,150 | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 12,150 | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 7,800 | -35.8% |
| 2013 | 11,800 | +51.3% |
| 2014 | 13,800 | +16.9% |
| 2015 | 15,800 | +14.5% |
| 2016 | 17,800 | +12.7% |
| 2017 | 18,000 | +1.1% |
| 2018 | 21,000 | +16.7% |
| 2019 | 21,000 | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 41,000 | +95.2% |
Mali compared with similar countries
- Mali's 41,000 is above the median for low income countries, which is 35,000, 1.2× the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Mali's 41,000 is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 16,000, 2.6× the median. (47 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Armed forces personnel in Mali changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | +95.2% | 21,000 | 41,000 |
| 1989 | +63.3% | 4,900 | 8,000 |
| 1990 | +62.5% | 8,000 | 13,000 |
| 2013 | +51.3% | 7,800 | 11,800 |
| 2012 | -35.8% | 12,150 | 7,800 |
| 1995 | +26.7% | 12,000 | 15,200 |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 6,450 | 4,900 | 8,000 | 2 |
| 1990s | 13,790 | 12,000 | 15,200 | 10 |
| 2000s | 12,895 | 11,000 | 15,200 | 10 |
| 2010s | 15,130 | 7,800 | 21,000 | 10 |
| 2020s | 41,000 | 41,000 | 41,000 | 1 |
Countries ranked near Mali
More reference data data for Mali
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.3081 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 9.25 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 11.03 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.4025 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 11.03 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 1.03 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 0.4728 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 39.47 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 47.61 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 2.19 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is armed forces personnel in Mali?
- Armed forces personnel in Mali was 41,000 in 2020, according to The Military Balance - International Institute for Strategic Studies, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest armed forces personnel recorded in Mali?
- The highest recorded value was 41,000 in 2020.
- What is the lowest armed forces personnel recorded in Mali?
- The lowest recorded value was 4,900 in 1985.
- How does Mali rank for armed forces personnel?
- Mali ranks 79th out of 173 countries with data for 2020.
- Is armed forces personnel rising or falling in Mali?
- Over the last ten years it is up 237.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Mali data come from?
- The figures come from The Military Balance - International Institute for Strategic Studies, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Armed forces personnel. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 33 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Armed forces personnel are active duty military personnel, including paramilitary forces if their training, organization, equipment, and control suggest they may be used to support or replace regular military forces.