Mali vs Niger: Share of population living in rural areas
Mali
52.9%
in 2020
Niger
50.6%
in 2020
Mali rank
26th
Niger rank
29th
Share of population living in rural areas over time
- Mali
- Niger
How they compare
Mali currently reports 52.9% against 50.6% in Niger, a difference of 2.3%.
The two have swapped places 1 time across 15 shared years of data; in 1950 it was Niger ahead.
Mali ranks 26th and Niger ranks 29th of 236 countries.
Across the 8 decades both report, Mali averaged higher in 7 and Niger in 1.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Mali | Niger | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 70.9% | 71.6% | 0.8% | Niger |
| 1960s | 70.1% | 67.7% | 2.4% | Mali |
| 1970s | 68.8% | 63.7% | 5.1% | Mali |
| 1980s | 68.3% | 60.0% | 8.3% | Mali |
| 1990s | 66.5% | 54.3% | 12.2% | Mali |
| 2000s | 61.4% | 49.7% | 11.6% | Mali |
| 2010s | 56.3% | 48.9% | 7.4% | Mali |
| 2020s | 52.9% | 50.6% | 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, Mali or Niger?
- Mali, at 52.9% against 50.6% in Niger as of 2020.
- What is the difference in share of population living in rural areas between Mali and Niger?
- 2.3%, with Mali ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Mali and Niger?
- 15 years are reported by both, from 1950 to 2020.
- How do Mali and Niger rank globally for share of population living in rural areas?
- Mali ranks 26th and Niger ranks 29th of 236 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) β 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.