Share of population living in urban areas in Mali
Mali: Share of population living in urban areas was 47.1% in 2020. ▲ Rising
Share of population living in urban areas in Mali, 1950–2020
Source: European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for share of population living in urban areas in Mali is 47.1%, measured in 2020. That is the highest value across all 15 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 10.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of population living in urban areas in Mali peaked at 47.1% in 2020 and was at its lowest, 29.0%, in 1950.
Mali ranks 211th of 236 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 15 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 29.1% | 29.0% | 29.3% | 2 |
| 1960s | 29.9% | 29.7% | 30.2% | 2 |
| 1970s | 31.2% | 30.7% | 31.6% | 2 |
| 1980s | 31.7% | 31.6% | 31.9% | 2 |
| 1990s | 33.5% | 32.4% | 34.7% | 2 |
| 2000s | 38.6% | 37.3% | 40.0% | 2 |
| 2010s | 43.7% | 42.7% | 44.8% | 2 |
| 2020s | 47.1% | 47.1% | 47.1% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Mali
- 208 Niger 49.4% compare
- 209 Burkina Faso 49.4% compare
- 210 East Timor 49.4% compare
- 212 Papua New Guinea 46.3% compare
- 213 Dominica 42.9% compare
- 214 Madagascar 42.9% compare
More reference data data for Mali
- Spring temperature anomalies 0.9068 °C (2026)
- Summer temperature anomalies 0.636 °C (2026)
- Temperature anomalies by month 1.26 °C (2026)
- Universal right to vote in practice 0 (2025)
- Autumn temperature anomalies 0.268 °C (2025)
- Winter temperature anomalies -0.234 °C (2025)
- Consumer price index 135.34 2010 = 100 (2025)
- Universal right to vote 2 (2025)
- Competitive elections 0 (2025)
- Men's universal right to vote 1 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of population living in urban areas in Mali?
- Share of population living in urban areas in Mali was 47.1% in 2020, according to European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of population living in urban areas recorded in Mali?
- The highest recorded value was 47.1% in 2020.
- What is the lowest share of population living in urban areas recorded in Mali?
- The lowest recorded value was 29.0% in 1950.
- How does Mali rank for share of population living in urban areas?
- Mali ranks 211th out of 236 countries with data for 2020.
- Is share of population living in urban areas rising or falling in Mali?
- Over the last ten years it is up 10.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Mali data come from?
- The figures come from European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of population living in urban areas. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 15 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Estimated share of the population living in urban areas (the sum of cities and towns and suburbs). Urban areas are identified using satellite imagery and population data, applying the same definitions across countries.