Share of urban population who live in the largest city in Mali
Mali: Share of urban population who live in the largest city was 35.7% in 2020. ▲ Rising
Share of urban population who live in the largest city in Mali, 1950–2020
Source: European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2020, share of urban population who live in the largest city in Mali stood at 35.7%. That is the highest value across all 15 years on record.
That represents a change of up 2.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of urban population who live in the largest city in Mali peaked at 35.7% in 2020 and was at its lowest, 8.7%, in 1950.
Mali ranks 54th of 179 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 15 years of available data.
Share of urban population who live in the largest city in Mali, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 8.7% | — |
| 1955 | 9.5% | +9.9% |
| 1960 | 9.9% | +3.5% |
| 1965 | 10.4% | +5.8% |
| 1970 | 12.4% | +18.8% |
| 1975 | 15.9% | +28.4% |
| 1980 | 19.7% | +23.8% |
| 1985 | 23.3% | +18.4% |
| 1990 | 27.3% | +17.1% |
| 1995 | 28.0% | +2.4% |
| 2000 | 29.0% | +3.6% |
| 2005 | 32.7% | +12.8% |
| 2010 | 34.7% | +6.2% |
| 2015 | 35.0% | +0.7% |
| 2020 | 35.7% | +2.0% |
Mali compared with similar countries
- Mali's 35.7% is above the median for low income countries, which is 18.4%, 1.9× the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Mali's 35.7% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 28.9%, 1.2× the median. (46 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 9.1% | 8.7% | 9.5% | 2 |
| 1960s | 10.1% | 9.9% | 10.4% | 2 |
| 1970s | 14.2% | 12.4% | 15.9% | 2 |
| 1980s | 21.5% | 19.7% | 23.3% | 2 |
| 1990s | 27.7% | 27.3% | 28.0% | 2 |
| 2000s | 30.9% | 29.0% | 32.7% | 2 |
| 2010s | 34.9% | 34.7% | 35.0% | 2 |
| 2020s | 35.7% | 35.7% | 35.7% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Mali
More population data for Mali
- Un population 2024 vs 2022, annual growth rate 0.5014 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population long run with projections, annual growth rate 0.3916 % change on previous year (2100)
- Urban and rural population 2050, annual growth rate 0.717 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population regions with projections, annual growth rate 0.3916 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population growth rate, by level of development 0.4% (2100)
- Number of children under 5, by world region 5.87 million people (2100)
- Population density 65.03 people per km² (2100)
- World population growth 0.4% (2100)
- Projected population under age 5, annual growth rate -0.4401 % change on previous year (2100)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 03 - Annual population 2.95 Percent per annum (2030)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of urban population who live in the largest city in Mali?
- Share of urban population who live in the largest city in Mali was 35.7% in 2020, according to European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of urban population who live in the largest city recorded in Mali?
- The highest recorded value was 35.7% in 2020.
- What is the lowest share of urban population who live in the largest city recorded in Mali?
- The lowest recorded value was 8.7% in 1950.
- How does Mali rank for share of urban population who live in the largest city?
- Mali ranks 54th out of 179 countries with data for 2020.
- Is share of urban population who live in the largest city rising or falling in Mali?
- Over the last ten years it is up 2.8%. 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 minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of urban population who live in the largest city. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Percentage of the urban population living in the country's largest city (by population). City boundaries are defined using a consistent global approach based on satellite imagery and population data.