Colombia vs Mali
Mali is 9% larger than Colombia.
ColombiaMaliColombia moved onto Mali · Equal-area projection
0.92×
Colombia is 0.92× the area of Mali. Put the other way, Mali is 1.09× the size of Colombia.
 Colombia |  Mali | |
|---|---|---|
| Size | ||
| AreaMali: 1.09× the area | 1,141,748 km²#25 of 194 | 1,240,192 km²#23 of 194 |
| Coastline | Has a coast | Landlocked |
| Land neighbours | 5 | 7 |
| People | ||
| PopulationColombia: 2.12× the population | 53,425,635#28 of 194 · 2025 | 25,198,821#58 of 194 · 2025 |
| DensityColombia: 2.3× the density | 47 / km²#137 of 194 | 20 / km²#165 of 194 |
| Urban populationColombia: 2.45× the urban share | 79%#49 of 192 · 2025 | 32%#165 of 192 · 2025 |
| Fertility rateMali: 3.38× the births per woman | 1.63 per woman#121 of 192 · 2024 | 5.51 per woman#6 of 192 · 2024 |
| Population growthMali: 1.89 points higher | +1.01%#98 of 192 · 2025 | +2.90%#14 of 192 · 2025 |
| Birth rateMali: 2.97× the birth rate | 13.3 per 1,000#104 of 192 · 2024 | 39.5 per 1,000#6 of 192 · 2024 |
| Death rateMali: 1.55× the death rate | 5.5 per 1,000#156 of 192 · 2024 | 8.5 per 1,000#63 of 192 · 2024 |
| Children under 15Mali: 25.8 points higher | 20.0%#115 of 192 · 2025 | 45.8%#6 of 192 · 2025 |
| People over 65Colombia: 7.8 points higher | 10.2%#77 of 192 · 2025 | 2.4%#185 of 192 · 2025 |
| Net migrationColombia: 4.3 per 1,000 higher | +2.4 per 1,000#35 of 192 · 2025 | −1.9 per 1,000#142 of 192 · 2025 |
| Refugees abroadMali: 13.8× the refugees for its size | 1.49 per 1,000#50 of 190 · 2025 | 20.63 per 1,000#11 of 190 · 2025 |
| Health & education | ||
| Life expectancyColombia: 17.2 years longer | 77.9 years#56 of 192 · 2024 | 60.7 years#186 of 192 · 2024 |
| Infant mortalityMali: 4.52× the infant mortality | 10.5 per 1,000 births#109 of 191 · 2024 | 47.5 per 1,000 births#16 of 191 · 2024 |
| DoctorsColombia: 13.4× the doctors per person | 2.54 per 1,000#74 of 178 · 2023 | 0.19 per 1,000#151 of 178 · 2023 |
| University enrolment | 59.3%#58 of 145 · 2022 | — |
| Human Development IndexColombia: 0.369 higher | 0.788#82 of 190 · 2023 | 0.419#185 of 190 · 2023 |
| Economy | ||
| GNI per capitaColombia: 7.05× the income per person | $7,900#89 of 185 · 2025 | $1,120#166 of 185 · 2025 |
| GDPColombia: 15.2× the economy | $457.41B2025 | $30.07B2025 |
| Income group | Upper-middle income | Low income |
| GDP per capita (PPP)Colombia: 6.46× the output per person | $22,640#86 of 184 · 2025 | $3,503#166 of 184 · 2025 |
| GDP growthMali: 3.0 points higher | +2.6%#116 of 187 · 2025 | +5.6%#38 of 187 · 2025 |
| InflationColombia: 1.8 points higher | +5.1%#41 of 176 · 2025 | +3.3%#81 of 176 · 2025 |
| UnemploymentColombia: 2.96× the unemployment | 8.3%#48 of 178 · 2025 | 2.8%#146 of 178 · 2025 |
| Extreme povertyMali: 4.25× the share in extreme poverty | 8.5%#48 of 149 · 2024 | 36.1%#25 of 149 · 2021 |
| Income inequality (Gini)Colombia: 18.7 higher | 54.4#4 of 149 · 2024 | 35.7#66 of 149 · 2021 |
| Jobs in agricultureMali: 48.8 points higher | 14.2% of jobs#94 of 178 · 2025 | 63.0% of jobs#12 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in industryColombia: 11.4 points higher | 20.0% of jobs#77 of 178 · 2025 | 8.6% of jobs#161 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in servicesColombia: 37.4 points higher | 65.8% of jobs#67 of 178 · 2025 | 28.4% of jobs#167 of 178 · 2025 |
| Foreign investmentMali: 0.3 points higher | 2.5% of GDP#77 of 184 · 2025 | 2.8% of GDP#68 of 184 · 2025 |
| ExportsMali: 7.1 points higher | 15.0% of GDP#149 of 168 · 2025 | 22.1% of GDP#124 of 168 · 2025 |
| Military spendingMali: 1.21× the military spending | 3.2% of GDP#25 of 155 · 2025 | 3.9% of GDP#14 of 155 · 2025 |
| Internet usersColombia: 2.15× the share online | 79%#100 of 184 · 2024 | 37%#157 of 184 · 2024 |
| Mobile subscriptionsColombia: 1.55× the mobile subscriptions | 174 per 100#11 of 191 · 2024 | 112 per 100#107 of 191 · 2022 |
| Energy & environment | ||
| Forest areaColombia: 6.17× the forest share | 54% of land#39 of 192 · 2024 | 9% of land#158 of 192 · 2024 |
| CO₂ per personColombia: 6.0× the CO₂ per person | 1.80 t a year#107 of 185 · 2024 | 0.30 t a year#161 of 185 · 2024 |
| Renewable energyMali: 41.4 points higher | 29.7%#81 of 190 · 2021 | 71.1%#28 of 190 · 2022 |
| Access to electricityColombia: 49.4 points higher | 98.9%#114 of 192 · 2024 | 49.5%#178 of 192 · 2024 |
| Air pollution (PM2.5)Mali: 1.93× the air pollution | 18.4 µg/m³#97 of 191 · 2023 | 35.5 µg/m³#33 of 191 · 2023 |
| Protected landColombia: 9.7 points higher | 17.2% of land#97 of 191 · 2025 | 7.5% of land#159 of 191 · 2025 |
| Arable landMali: 2.8 points higher | 2.7% of land#153 of 190 · 2024 | 5.5% of land#126 of 190 · 2024 |
| Water stressMali: 2.22× the water stress | 3.6%#133 of 176 · 2022 | 8.0%#99 of 176 · 2022 |
| PrecipitationColombia: 11.5× the rain and snow | 3,240 mm#1 of 180 · 2022 | 282 mm#155 of 180 · 2022 |
| Governance & safety | ||
| Political stabilityColombia: 1.55 higher | −0.95#167 of 193 · 2025 | −2.50#192 of 193 · 2025 |
| Control of corruptionColombia: 0.63 higher | −0.31#104 of 193 · 2025 | −0.94#149 of 193 · 2025 |
| Homicide rate | 24.9 per 100,000#13 of 146 · 2023 | — |
| State | ||
| Status | Independent state | Independent state |
| Government | Presidential republic | Semi-presidential republic |
| Member of | OECD | — |
| Capital | Bogota | Bamako |
| Currency | Colombian peso (COP) | West African CFA franc (XOF) |
| Official languages | Spanish | 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−5 | UTC |
| Calling code | +57 | +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. Colombia sits at about 4° N and is stretched to 1.0× 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 Colombia bigger than Mali?
- No. Colombia is 8% smaller than Mali. Colombia covers 1,141,748 km² and Mali covers 1,240,192 km².
- How many times does Colombia fit into Mali?
- About 1.1 times: Mali has 1.09× the area of Colombia.
- Why do Colombia and Mali look different on Google Maps?
- Web maps use the Mercator projection, which stretches area with distance from the equator. Colombia is drawn about 1.0× 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, Colombia or Mali?
- Colombia: 53,425,635 people against 25,198,821. Density: Colombia 47 per km², Mali 20 per km².
- Which is richer, Colombia or Mali?
- By gross national income per person, Colombia: $7,900 against $1,120 (World Bank, Atlas method, 2025) — 7.05× as much.
- Where do people live longer, Colombia or Mali?
- In Colombia: life expectancy at birth is 77.9 years, against 60.7 — 17.2 years longer (World Bank, 2024).
- What kind of government do Colombia and Mali have?
- By constitution, as the CIA World Factbook describes them — Colombia: presidential republic; Mali: semi-presidential republic.