Population and Demographics of Mali
A very young population · 46.14% under age 15 in 2024
Children under 15 make up 46.14% of Mali's population, and the 65-plus group accounts for 2.38% of residents. Compared with 2000, the 2024 population is 111.8% larger, showing the scale of the longer shift. That context matters for the outlook: the 2050 medium projection is 46.15 million, 88.5% higher than in 2024.
Population Over Time in Mali
The 2000 to 2024 record shows Mali moving from 11.559M people to 24.479M, a 111.8% increase. For 2050, the medium projection is 46.154M. That is a difference of about 21.68 million people from the 2024 estimate. The chart connects dated reference points only and should not be read as an annual interpolated series.
Age Structure and Sex Balance
Looking beyond the headline population number, Mali's 2024 age structure is very young. Under-15s account for 46.14% of residents and people 65+ for 2.38%, leaving 51.48% in the broad 15 to 64 range. The age balance is weighted toward younger residents.
Population by broad age group
In the World Bank 2024 series, females account for 49.5% of Mali's population and males 50.5%. Males exceed females by 1.0 percentage points.
Female and male population share
Males made up 50.5% of the population in the World Bank's 2024 series, compared with 49.5% females.
What Is Shaping Population Change
Mali pairs a 2024 annual population rate of +2.98% with fertility of 5.5, beside an age profile led by 51.48% in the 15-to-64 group.
Over the longer record, Mali changed +111.8% from 2000 to 2024, and the projected 2024-to-2050 movement is +88.5%; a separate component dataset would be needed to explain how much comes from natural change or migration.
2024 estimate for Mali. The world comparison value is 2.25 children per woman.
Mali vs. World
A same-year comparison shows Mali at +2.98% annual growth, 5.5 children per woman and a median age of 16, against world values of +0.87%, 2.25 and 30.6.
| Indicator | Mali | World | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Annual population change | +2.98% | +0.87% | 2024 |
| Total fertility rate | 5.5 | 2.25 | 2024 |
| Median age | 16 | 30.6 | 2024 |
This comparison avoids mixed-year arithmetic by keeping Mali and the world on the same 2024 harmonized demographic table.
Key Takeaways
The 2024 total is 24,478,595 people. Annual change in the same harmonized table is +2.98%.
The 2024 age structure is 46.14% under 15, 51.48% aged 15 to 64 and 2.38% aged 65 or older.
The World Bank 2024 sex-share series is 49.5% female and 50.5% male.
The 2050 medium projection is 46.154M, 88.5% above the 2024 estimate.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the population of Mali?
The 2024 harmonized population estimate for Mali is 24,478,595 people.
Is the population of Mali growing or declining?
In the 2024 estimate, Mali's population is growing, with annual change of +2.98%.
What percentage of the population of Mali is aged 65 or older?
People aged 65 or older account for 2.38% of Mali's 2024 population in the UN WPP-based broad age data.
What is the projected population of Mali in 2050?
The UN World Population Prospects 2024 medium projection puts Mali's 2050 population at 46,154,079.
What is the fertility rate in Mali?
The 2024 harmonized fertility estimate for Mali is 5.5 children per woman.
Sources & methodology
This profile uses United Nations World Population Prospects 2024 as the primary framework for globally comparable population, age, fertility and projection data. The World Bank is the primary source for the female population share. Some country values were accessed through secondary retrieval interfaces that republish or organize UN data; those interfaces are identified below as secondary and are not treated as the original statistical publishers.
View sources used for this page
Primary global framework for the population estimates and projections.
Harmonized 2024 country table based on UN World Population Prospects 2024.
Harmonized broad age shares based on UN World Population Prospects 2024.
Harmonized reference for the 2000 population point.
Harmonized 2050 country projection based on UN World Population Prospects 2024.
Used for the 2024 female share; the male share is calculated as the remainder to 100%.