Burkina Faso vs Mali: Share of population living in rural areas
Burkina Faso
50.6%
in 2020
Mali
52.9%
in 2020
Burkina Faso rank
28th
Mali rank
26th
Share of population living in rural areas over time
- Burkina Faso
- Mali
How they compare
Mali currently reports 52.9% against 50.6% in Burkina Faso, a difference of 2.3%.
The two have swapped places 1 time across 15 shared years of data; in 1950 it was Burkina Faso ahead.
Burkina Faso ranks 28th and Mali ranks 26th of 236 countries.
Across the 8 decades both report, Burkina Faso averaged higher in 3 and Mali in 5.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Burkina Faso | Mali | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 75.1% | 70.9% | 4.2% | Burkina Faso |
| 1960s | 74.2% | 70.1% | 4.1% | Burkina Faso |
| 1970s | 72.5% | 68.8% | 3.7% | Burkina Faso |
| 1980s | 67.3% | 68.3% | 1.0% | Mali |
| 1990s | 60.9% | 66.5% | 5.6% | Mali |
| 2000s | 53.7% | 61.4% | 7.6% | Mali |
| 2010s | 50.6% | 56.3% | 5.7% | Mali |
| 2020s | 50.6% | 52.9% | 2.3% | Mali |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher share of population living in rural areas, Burkina Faso or Mali?
- Mali, at 52.9% against 50.6% in Burkina Faso as of 2020.
- What is the difference in share of population living in rural areas between Burkina Faso and Mali?
- 2.3%, with Mali ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Burkina Faso and Mali?
- 15 years are reported by both, from 1950 to 2020.
- How do Burkina Faso and Mali rank globally for share of population living in rural areas?
- Burkina Faso ranks 28th and Mali ranks 26th of 236 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as Share of population living in rural areas. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Estimated share of the population living in rural areas. Rural areas are identified using satellite imagery and population data, applying the same definitions across countries.