Bolivia vs Mali
Mali is 13% larger than Bolivia.
BoliviaMaliBolivia moved onto Mali · Equal-area projection
0.89×
Bolivia is 0.89× the area of Mali. Put the other way, Mali is 1.13× the size of Bolivia.
 Bolivia |  Mali | |
|---|---|---|
| Size | ||
| AreaMali: 1.13× the area | 1,098,581 km²#27 of 194 | 1,240,192 km²#23 of 194 |
| Coastline | Landlocked | Landlocked |
| Land neighbours | 5 | 7 |
| People | ||
| PopulationMali: 2.0× the population | 12,581,843#79 of 194 · 2025 | 25,198,821#58 of 194 · 2025 |
| DensityMali: 1.77× the density | 11 / km²#180 of 194 | 20 / km²#165 of 194 |
| Urban populationBolivia: 2.22× the urban share | 72%#66 of 192 · 2025 | 32%#165 of 192 · 2025 |
| Fertility rateMali: 2.19× the births per woman | 2.52 per woman#72 of 192 · 2024 | 5.51 per woman#6 of 192 · 2024 |
| Population growthMali: 1.55 points higher | +1.35%#73 of 192 · 2025 | +2.90%#14 of 192 · 2025 |
| Birth rateMali: 1.88× the birth rate | 21.0 per 1,000#63 of 192 · 2024 | 39.5 per 1,000#6 of 192 · 2024 |
| Death rateMali: 1.18× the death rate | 7.2 per 1,000#94 of 192 · 2024 | 8.5 per 1,000#63 of 192 · 2024 |
| Children under 15Mali: 16.4 points higher | 29.4%#72 of 192 · 2025 | 45.8%#6 of 192 · 2025 |
| People over 65Bolivia: 3.3 points higher | 5.7%#115 of 192 · 2025 | 2.4%#185 of 192 · 2025 |
| Net migrationBolivia: 1.6 per 1,000 higher | −0.3 per 1,000#89 of 192 · 2025 | −1.9 per 1,000#142 of 192 · 2025 |
| Refugees abroadMali: 344× the refugees for its size | 0.06 per 1,000#129 of 190 · 2025 | 20.63 per 1,000#11 of 190 · 2025 |
| Health & education | ||
| Life expectancyBolivia: 8.0 years longer | 68.7 years#139 of 192 · 2024 | 60.7 years#186 of 192 · 2024 |
| Infant mortalityMali: 3.35× the infant mortality | 14.2 per 1,000 births#88 of 191 · 2024 | 47.5 per 1,000 births#16 of 191 · 2024 |
| DoctorsBolivia: 6.74× the doctors per person | 1.28 per 1,000#100 of 178 · 2021 | 0.19 per 1,000#151 of 178 · 2023 |
| Human Development IndexBolivia: 0.314 higher | 0.733#107 of 190 · 2023 | 0.419#185 of 190 · 2023 |
| Economy | ||
| GNI per capitaBolivia: 3.95× the income per person | $4,420#119 of 185 · 2025 | $1,120#166 of 185 · 2025 |
| GDPBolivia: 2.15× the economy | $64.77B2025 | $30.07B2025 |
| Income group | Lower-middle income | Low income |
| GDP per capita (PPP)Bolivia: 3.67× the output per person | $12,873#116 of 184 · 2025 | $3,503#166 of 184 · 2025 |
| GDP growthMali: 7.2 points higher | −1.6%#181 of 187 · 2025 | +5.6%#38 of 187 · 2025 |
| InflationBolivia: 16.2 points higher | +19.5%#12 of 176 · 2025 | +3.3%#81 of 176 · 2025 |
| UnemploymentBolivia: 1.07× the unemployment | 3.0%#138 of 178 · 2025 | 2.8%#146 of 178 · 2025 |
| Extreme povertyMali: 17.2× the share in extreme poverty | 2.1%#73 of 149 · 2024 | 36.1%#25 of 149 · 2021 |
| Income inequality (Gini)Bolivia: 5.2 higher | 40.9#32 of 149 · 2024 | 35.7#66 of 149 · 2021 |
| Jobs in agricultureMali: 38.3 points higher | 24.7% of jobs#74 of 178 · 2025 | 63.0% of jobs#12 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in industryBolivia: 11.2 points higher | 19.8% of jobs#82 of 178 · 2025 | 8.6% of jobs#161 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in servicesBolivia: 27.1 points higher | 55.5% of jobs#97 of 178 · 2025 | 28.4% of jobs#167 of 178 · 2025 |
| Foreign investmentMali: 2.0 points higher | 0.8% of GDP#137 of 184 · 2025 | 2.8% of GDP#68 of 184 · 2025 |
| ExportsMali: 0.7 points higher | 21.4% of GDP#129 of 168 · 2024 | 22.1% of GDP#124 of 168 · 2025 |
| Military spendingMali: 3.2× the military spending | 1.2% of GDP#103 of 155 · 2025 | 3.9% of GDP#14 of 155 · 2025 |
| Internet usersBolivia: 2.17× the share online | 80%#99 of 184 · 2024 | 37%#157 of 184 · 2024 |
| Mobile subscriptionsMali: 1.14× the mobile subscriptions | 98 per 100#131 of 191 · 2024 | 112 per 100#107 of 191 · 2022 |
| Energy & environment | ||
| Forest areaBolivia: 5.77× the forest share | 50% of land#49 of 192 · 2024 | 9% of land#158 of 192 · 2024 |
| CO₂ per personBolivia: 7.63× the CO₂ per person | 2.29 t a year#98 of 185 · 2024 | 0.30 t a year#161 of 185 · 2024 |
| Renewable energyMali: 58.3 points higher | 12.8%#127 of 190 · 2021 | 71.1%#28 of 190 · 2022 |
| Access to electricityBolivia: 47.1 points higher | 96.6%#123 of 192 · 2024 | 49.5%#178 of 192 · 2024 |
| Air pollution (PM2.5)Mali: 1.26× the air pollution | 28.1 µg/m³#53 of 191 · 2023 | 35.5 µg/m³#33 of 191 · 2023 |
| Protected landBolivia: 23.4 points higher | 30.9% of land#30 of 191 · 2025 | 7.5% of land#159 of 191 · 2025 |
| Arable landBolivia: 0.1 points higher | 5.6% of land#125 of 190 · 2024 | 5.5% of land#126 of 190 · 2024 |
| Water stressMali: 40× the water stress | 0.2%#172 of 176 · 2022 | 8.0%#99 of 176 · 2022 |
| PrecipitationBolivia: 4.06× the rain and snow | 1,146 mm#81 of 180 · 2022 | 282 mm#155 of 180 · 2022 |
| Governance & safety | ||
| Political stabilityBolivia: 2.34 higher | −0.16#115 of 193 · 2025 | −2.50#192 of 193 · 2025 |
| Control of corruptionMali: 0.25 higher | −1.19#165 of 193 · 2025 | −0.94#149 of 193 · 2025 |
| Homicide rate | 4.4 per 100,000#53 of 146 · 2023 | — |
| State | ||
| Status | Independent state | Independent state |
| Government | Presidential republic | Semi-presidential republic |
| Capital | La Paz | Bamako |
| Currency | Boliviano (BOB) | West African CFA franc (XOF) |
| Official languages | Spanish, Quechua, Guarani, Aymara | Fula, Bambara, Soninke, Hassaniya Arabic, Songhay, Maninka, Dogon, Tamasheq, Senufo, Minyanka, Bozo, Kassonke, Bobo |
| Traffic drives | On the right | On the right |
| Time zone | UTC−4 | UTC |
| Calling code | +591 | +223 |
| Region | South America | Western Africa, Africa |
Area: Wikidata. Population, income, health, economy, environment and governance: World Bank. Human Development Index: UNDP. Government: CIA World Factbook. Ranks among the 194 independent states. All sources
Why the map you grew up with disagrees
On a Mercator map, area grows with distance from the equator. Bolivia sits at about 17° S and is stretched to 1.09× its true area; Mali at 17° N is stretched to 1.1×. Here the two are distorted about the same amount, so Mercator gets this pair roughly right. The figure above uses the Equal Earth projection, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.
Questions about this pair
- Is Bolivia bigger than Mali?
- No. Bolivia is 11% smaller than Mali. Bolivia covers 1,098,581 km² and Mali covers 1,240,192 km².
- How many times does Bolivia fit into Mali?
- About 1.1 times: Mali has 1.13× the area of Bolivia.
- Why do Bolivia and Mali look different on Google Maps?
- Web maps use the Mercator projection, which stretches area with distance from the equator. Bolivia is drawn about 1.09× its true area there and Mali about 1.1×. For this pair the distortion is similar, so Mercator gets the comparison roughly right. Kartavera uses Equal Earth, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.
- Which has more people, Bolivia or Mali?
- Mali: 25,198,821 people against 12,581,843. Density: Bolivia 11 per km², Mali 20 per km².
- Which is richer, Bolivia or Mali?
- By gross national income per person, Bolivia: $4,420 against $1,120 (World Bank, Atlas method, 2025) — 3.95× as much.
- Where do people live longer, Bolivia or Mali?
- In Bolivia: life expectancy at birth is 68.7 years, against 60.7 — 8.0 years longer (World Bank, 2024).
- What kind of government do Bolivia and Mali have?
- By constitution, as the CIA World Factbook describes them — Bolivia: presidential republic; Mali: semi-presidential republic.