Military personnel in Mali
Mali: Military personnel was 21,000 people in 2022. ▲ Rising
Latest (2022)
21,000 people
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
95th
of 194 countries
All-time high
21,000 people
in 2021
All-time low
2,000 people
in 1961
Years of data
63
1960–2022
Military personnel in Mali, 1960–2022
Source: Correlates of War – National Material Capabilities Version 7.0 (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in people.
Analysis
In 2022, military personnel in Mali stood at 21,000 people. That is the highest value across all 63 years on record.
The figure is up 200.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, military personnel in Mali peaked at 21,000 people in 2021 and was at its lowest, 2,000 people, in 1961.
That places Mali 95th out of 194 countries with data for 2022, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 63 years of available data.
Military personnel in Mali, year by year
| Year | people | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 3,000 people | — |
| 1961 | 2,000 people | -33.3% |
| 1962 | 3,000 people | +50.0% |
| 1963 | 5,000 people | +66.7% |
| 1964 | 8,000 people | +60.0% |
| 1965 | 8,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1966 | 7,000 people | -12.5% |
| 1967 | 5,000 people | -28.6% |
| 1968 | 7,000 people | +40.0% |
| 1969 | 7,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1970 | 8,000 people | +14.3% |
| 1971 | 8,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1972 | 8,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1973 | 8,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1974 | 8,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1975 | 8,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1976 | 8,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1977 | 7,000 people | -12.5% |
| 1978 | 8,000 people | +14.3% |
| 1979 | 5,000 people | -37.5% |
| 1980 | 7,000 people | +40.0% |
| 1981 | 8,000 people | +14.3% |
| 1982 | 8,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1983 | 8,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1984 | 8,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1985 | 8,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1986 | 8,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1987 | 8,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1988 | 8,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1989 | 8,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1990 | 13,000 people | +62.5% |
| 1991 | 13,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1992 | 12,000 people | -7.7% |
| 1993 | 12,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 12,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1995 | 12,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1996 | 10,000 people | -16.7% |
| 1997 | 10,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1998 | 10,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1999 | 10,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 7,000 people | -30.0% |
| 2001 | 7,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 7,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 7,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 7,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 7,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 7,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 7,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 7,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 7,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 7,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 7,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 7,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 7,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 3,000 people | -57.1% |
| 2015 | 4,000 people | +33.3% |
| 2016 | 6,000 people | +50.0% |
| 2017 | 8,000 people | +33.3% |
| 2018 | 10,000 people | +25.0% |
| 2019 | 10,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 13,000 people | +30.0% |
| 2021 | 21,000 people | +61.5% |
| 2022 | 21,000 people | +0.0% |
Mali compared with similar countries
- Mali's 21,000 people is below the median for low income countries, which is 33,000 people, 64% of the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Mali's 21,000 people is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 14,000 people, 1.5× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 5,500 people | 2,000 people | 8,000 people | 10 |
| 1970s | 7,600 people | 5,000 people | 8,000 people | 10 |
| 1980s | 7,900 people | 7,000 people | 8,000 people | 10 |
| 1990s | 11,400 people | 10,000 people | 13,000 people | 10 |
| 2000s | 7,000 people | 7,000 people | 7,000 people | 10 |
| 2010s | 6,900 people | 3,000 people | 10,000 people | 10 |
| 2020s | 18,333 people | 13,000 people | 21,000 people | 3 |
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 military personnel in Mali?
- Military personnel in Mali was 21,000 people in 2022, according to Correlates of War – National Material Capabilities Version 7.0 (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest military personnel recorded in Mali?
- The highest recorded value was 21,000 people in 2021.
- What is the lowest military personnel recorded in Mali?
- The lowest recorded value was 2,000 people in 1961.
- How does Mali rank for military personnel?
- Mali ranks 95th out of 194 countries with data for 2022.
- Is military personnel rising or falling in Mali?
- Over the last ten years it is up 200.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Mali data come from?
- The figures come from Correlates of War – National Material Capabilities Version 7.0 (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Military personnel. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 63 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Troops under the command of the national government, intended for use against foreign adversaries, and held ready for combat as of January 1 of the given year.