Burkina Faso vs Mali
Mali is 4.52 times larger than Burkina Faso. Burkina Faso would fit into Mali about 4.5 times.
Burkina FasoMaliBurkina Faso moved onto Mali · Equal-area projection
0.22×
Burkina Faso is 0.22× the area of Mali. Put the other way, Mali is 4.52× the size of Burkina Faso.
 Burkina Faso |  Mali | |
|---|---|---|
| Size | ||
| AreaMali: 4.52× the area | 274,200 km²#73 of 194 | 1,240,192 km²#23 of 194 |
| Coastline | Landlocked | Landlocked |
| Land neighbours | 6 | 7 |
| People | ||
| PopulationMali: 1.05× the population | 24,074,580#59 of 194 · 2025 | 25,198,821#58 of 194 · 2025 |
| DensityBurkina Faso: 4.32× the density | 88 / km²#97 of 194 | 20 / km²#165 of 194 |
| Urban populationMali: 1.11× the urban share | 29%#173 of 192 · 2025 | 32%#165 of 192 · 2025 |
| Fertility rateMali: 1.34× the births per woman | 4.11 per woman#23 of 192 · 2024 | 5.51 per woman#6 of 192 · 2024 |
| Population growthMali: 0.69 points higher | +2.21%#37 of 192 · 2025 | +2.90%#14 of 192 · 2025 |
| Birth rateMali: 1.26× the birth rate | 31.3 per 1,000#25 of 192 · 2024 | 39.5 per 1,000#6 of 192 · 2024 |
| Death rateMali: 1.08× the death rate | 7.9 per 1,000#72 of 192 · 2024 | 8.5 per 1,000#63 of 192 · 2024 |
| Children under 15Mali: 4.6 points higher | 41.2%#15 of 192 · 2025 | 45.8%#6 of 192 · 2025 |
| People over 65Burkina Faso: 0.3 points higher | 2.7%#176 of 192 · 2025 | 2.4%#185 of 192 · 2025 |
| Net migrationBurkina Faso: 0.8 per 1,000 higher | −1.1 per 1,000#119 of 192 · 2025 | −1.9 per 1,000#142 of 192 · 2025 |
| Refugees abroadMali: 1.41× the refugees for its size | 14.59 per 1,000#15 of 190 · 2025 | 20.63 per 1,000#11 of 190 · 2025 |
| Health & education | ||
| Life expectancyBurkina Faso: 0.6 years longer | 61.3 years#183 of 192 · 2024 | 60.7 years#186 of 192 · 2024 |
| Infant mortalityMali: 1.09× the infant mortality | 43.6 per 1,000 births#20 of 191 · 2024 | 47.5 per 1,000 births#16 of 191 · 2024 |
| DoctorsMali: 1.27× the doctors per person | 0.15 per 1,000#159 of 178 · 2022 | 0.19 per 1,000#151 of 178 · 2023 |
| University enrolment | 10.0%#133 of 145 · 2024 | — |
| Human Development IndexBurkina Faso: 0.040 higher | 0.459#183 of 190 · 2023 | 0.419#185 of 190 · 2023 |
| Economy | ||
| GNI per capitaMali: 1.14× the income per person | $980#170 of 185 · 2025 | $1,120#166 of 185 · 2025 |
| GDPMali: 1.09× the economy | $27.63B2025 | $30.07B2025 |
| Income group | Low income | Low income |
| GDP per capita (PPP)Mali: 1.14× the output per person | $3,072#171 of 184 · 2025 | $3,503#166 of 184 · 2025 |
| GDP growthMali: 0.3 points higher | +5.3%#41 of 187 · 2025 | +5.6%#38 of 187 · 2025 |
| InflationMali: 3.9 points higher | −0.6%#171 of 176 · 2025 | +3.3%#81 of 176 · 2025 |
| UnemploymentBurkina Faso: 1.25× the unemployment | 3.5%#121 of 178 · 2025 | 2.8%#146 of 178 · 2025 |
| Extreme povertyBurkina Faso: 1.17× the share in extreme poverty | 42.1%#15 of 149 · 2021 | 36.1%#25 of 149 · 2021 |
| Income inequality (Gini)Burkina Faso: 1.7 higher | 37.4#56 of 149 · 2021 | 35.7#66 of 149 · 2021 |
| Jobs in agricultureMali: 11.2 points higher | 51.8% of jobs#22 of 178 · 2025 | 63.0% of jobs#12 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in industryBurkina Faso: 8.1 points higher | 16.7% of jobs#121 of 178 · 2025 | 8.6% of jobs#161 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in servicesBurkina Faso: 3.2 points higher | 31.6% of jobs#164 of 178 · 2025 | 28.4% of jobs#167 of 178 · 2025 |
| Foreign investmentMali: 1.7 points higher | 1.1% of GDP#125 of 184 · 2025 | 2.8% of GDP#68 of 184 · 2025 |
| ExportsBurkina Faso: 12.9 points higher | 35.0% of GDP#85 of 168 · 2025 | 22.1% of GDP#124 of 168 · 2025 |
| Military spendingMali: 1.17× the military spending | 3.3% of GDP#21 of 155 · 2025 | 3.9% of GDP#14 of 155 · 2025 |
| Internet usersMali: 1.3× the share online | 28%#168 of 184 · 2024 | 37%#157 of 184 · 2024 |
| Mobile subscriptionsBurkina Faso: 1.04× the mobile subscriptions | 117 per 100#91 of 191 · 2024 | 112 per 100#107 of 191 · 2022 |
| Energy & environment | ||
| Forest areaBurkina Faso: 1.41× the forest share | 12% of land#142 of 192 · 2024 | 9% of land#158 of 192 · 2024 |
| CO₂ per personMali: 1.11× the CO₂ per person | 0.27 t a year#165 of 185 · 2024 | 0.30 t a year#161 of 185 · 2024 |
| Renewable energyBurkina Faso: 0.3 points higher | 71.4%#26 of 190 · 2022 | 71.1%#28 of 190 · 2022 |
| Access to electricityMali: 15.5 points higher | 34.0%#185 of 192 · 2024 | 49.5%#178 of 192 · 2024 |
| Air pollution (PM2.5)Burkina Faso: 1.05× the air pollution | 37.3 µg/m³#28 of 191 · 2023 | 35.5 µg/m³#33 of 191 · 2023 |
| Protected landBurkina Faso: 9.3 points higher | 16.8% of land#102 of 191 · 2025 | 7.5% of land#159 of 191 · 2025 |
| Arable landBurkina Faso: 23.4 points higher | 28.9% of land#32 of 190 · 2024 | 5.5% of land#126 of 190 · 2024 |
| Water stressAbout the same water stress | 7.8%#102 of 176 · 2022 | 8.0%#99 of 176 · 2022 |
| PrecipitationBurkina Faso: 2.65× the rain and snow | 748 mm#110 of 180 · 2022 | 282 mm#155 of 180 · 2022 |
| Governance & safety | ||
| Political stabilityBurkina Faso: 0.70 higher | −1.80#181 of 193 · 2025 | −2.50#192 of 193 · 2025 |
| Control of corruptionBurkina Faso: 0.72 higher | −0.22#94 of 193 · 2025 | −0.94#149 of 193 · 2025 |
| Homicide rate | 1.3 per 100,000#92 of 146 · 2017 | — |
| State | ||
| Status | Independent state | Independent state |
| Government | Presidential republic | Semi-presidential republic |
| Capital | Ouagadougou | Bamako |
| Currency | West African CFA franc (XOF) | West African CFA franc (XOF) |
| Official languages | French, Mooré, Dioula, Bissa | 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 | UTC |
| Calling code | +226 | +223 |
| Region | Western Africa, Africa | 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. Burkina Faso sits at about 12° N and is stretched to 1.05× 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 Burkina Faso bigger than Mali?
- No. Burkina Faso is 4.52 times smaller than Mali. Burkina Faso covers 274,200 km² and Mali covers 1,240,192 km².
- How many times does Burkina Faso fit into Mali?
- About 4.5 times: Mali has 4.52× the area of Burkina Faso.
- Why do Burkina Faso and Mali look different on Google Maps?
- Web maps use the Mercator projection, which stretches area with distance from the equator. Burkina Faso is drawn about 1.05× 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, Burkina Faso or Mali?
- Mali: 25,198,821 people against 24,074,580. Density: Burkina Faso 88 per km², Mali 20 per km².
- Which is richer, Burkina Faso or Mali?
- By gross national income per person, Mali: $1,120 against $980 (World Bank, Atlas method, 2025) — 1.14× as much.
- Where do people live longer, Burkina Faso or Mali?
- In Burkina Faso: life expectancy at birth is 61.3 years, against 60.7 — 0.6 years longer (World Bank, 2024).
- What kind of government do Burkina Faso and Mali have?
- By constitution, as the CIA World Factbook describes them — Burkina Faso: presidential republic; Mali: semi-presidential republic.