Ethiopia vs Mali
Mali is 12% larger than Ethiopia.
EthiopiaMaliEthiopia moved onto Mali · Equal-area projection
0.89×
Ethiopia is 0.89× the area of Mali. Put the other way, Mali is 1.12× the size of Ethiopia.
 Ethiopia |  Mali | |
|---|---|---|
| Size | ||
| AreaMali: 1.12× the area | 1,104,300 km²#26 of 194 | 1,240,192 km²#23 of 194 |
| Coastline | Landlocked | Landlocked |
| Land neighbours | 6 | 7 |
| People | ||
| PopulationEthiopia: 5.38× the population | 135,472,051#10 of 194 · 2025 | 25,198,821#58 of 194 · 2025 |
| DensityEthiopia: 6.04× the density | 123 / km²#73 of 194 | 20 / km²#165 of 194 |
| Urban populationMali: 1.34× the urban share | 24%#182 of 192 · 2025 | 32%#165 of 192 · 2025 |
| Fertility rateMali: 1.41× the births per woman | 3.91 per woman#26 of 192 · 2024 | 5.51 per woman#6 of 192 · 2024 |
| Population growthMali: 0.35 points higher | +2.55%#24 of 192 · 2025 | +2.90%#14 of 192 · 2025 |
| Birth rateMali: 1.25× the birth rate | 31.5 per 1,000#24 of 192 · 2024 | 39.5 per 1,000#6 of 192 · 2024 |
| Death rateMali: 1.44× the death rate | 5.9 per 1,000#144 of 192 · 2024 | 8.5 per 1,000#63 of 192 · 2024 |
| Children under 15Mali: 7.0 points higher | 38.8%#30 of 192 · 2025 | 45.8%#6 of 192 · 2025 |
| People over 65Ethiopia: 0.9 points higher | 3.3%#158 of 192 · 2025 | 2.4%#185 of 192 · 2025 |
| Net migrationEthiopia: 2.1 per 1,000 higher | +0.2 per 1,000#68 of 192 · 2025 | −1.9 per 1,000#142 of 192 · 2025 |
| Refugees abroadMali: 17× the refugees for its size | 1.21 per 1,000#54 of 190 · 2025 | 20.63 per 1,000#11 of 190 · 2025 |
| Health & education | ||
| Life expectancyEthiopia: 6.9 years longer | 67.6 years#146 of 192 · 2024 | 60.7 years#186 of 192 · 2024 |
| Infant mortalityMali: 1.38× the infant mortality | 34.5 per 1,000 births#36 of 191 · 2024 | 47.5 per 1,000 births#16 of 191 · 2024 |
| DoctorsMali: 1.36× the doctors per person | 0.14 per 1,000#161 of 178 · 2023 | 0.19 per 1,000#151 of 178 · 2023 |
| Human Development IndexEthiopia: 0.078 higher | 0.497#177 of 190 · 2023 | 0.419#185 of 190 · 2023 |
| Economy | ||
| GNI per capitaAbout the same income per person | $1,110#168 of 185 · 2025 | $1,120#166 of 185 · 2025 |
| GDPEthiopia: 4.2× the economy | $126.36B2025 | $30.07B2025 |
| Income group | Low income | Low income |
| GDP per capita (PPP)Ethiopia: 1.03× the output per person | $3,622#165 of 184 · 2025 | $3,503#166 of 184 · 2025 |
| GDP growthEthiopia: 4.2 points higher | +9.8%#5 of 187 · 2025 | +5.6%#38 of 187 · 2025 |
| InflationEthiopia: 9.9 points higher | +13.2%#17 of 176 · 2025 | +3.3%#81 of 176 · 2025 |
| UnemploymentEthiopia: 1.18× the unemployment | 3.3%#127 of 178 · 2025 | 2.8%#146 of 178 · 2025 |
| Extreme povertyEthiopia: 1.07× the share in extreme poverty | 38.6%#23 of 149 · 2021 | 36.1%#25 of 149 · 2021 |
| Income inequality (Gini)Mali: 4.6 higher | 31.1#110 of 149 · 2021 | 35.7#66 of 149 · 2021 |
| Jobs in agricultureMali: 2.9 points higher | 60.1% of jobs#14 of 178 · 2025 | 63.0% of jobs#12 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in industryMali: 2.2 points higher | 6.4% of jobs#174 of 178 · 2025 | 8.6% of jobs#161 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in servicesEthiopia: 5.0 points higher | 33.4% of jobs#161 of 178 · 2025 | 28.4% of jobs#167 of 178 · 2025 |
| Foreign investmentEthiopia: 0.2 points higher | 3.0% of GDP#65 of 184 · 2025 | 2.8% of GDP#68 of 184 · 2025 |
| ExportsMali: 8.8 points higher | 13.3% of GDP#153 of 168 · 2025 | 22.1% of GDP#124 of 168 · 2025 |
| Military spendingMali: 7.9× the military spending | 0.5% of GDP#144 of 155 · 2025 | 3.9% of GDP#14 of 155 · 2025 |
| Internet usersMali: 1.68× the share online | 22%#171 of 184 · 2024 | 37%#157 of 184 · 2024 |
| Mobile subscriptionsMali: 1.72× the mobile subscriptions | 65 per 100#167 of 191 · 2024 | 112 per 100#107 of 191 · 2022 |
| Energy & environment | ||
| Forest areaEthiopia: 2.74× the forest share | 24% of land#113 of 192 · 2024 | 9% of land#158 of 192 · 2024 |
| CO₂ per personMali: 2.0× the CO₂ per person | 0.15 t a year#174 of 185 · 2024 | 0.30 t a year#161 of 185 · 2024 |
| Renewable energyEthiopia: 19.5 points higher | 90.6%#7 of 190 · 2021 | 71.1%#28 of 190 · 2022 |
| Access to electricityEthiopia: 7.1 points higher | 56.6%#167 of 192 · 2024 | 49.5%#178 of 192 · 2024 |
| Air pollution (PM2.5)Mali: 1.49× the air pollution | 23.8 µg/m³#63 of 191 · 2023 | 35.5 µg/m³#33 of 191 · 2023 |
| Protected landEthiopia: 9.5 points higher | 17.0% of land#100 of 191 · 2025 | 7.5% of land#159 of 191 · 2025 |
| Arable landEthiopia: 9.1 points higher | 14.6% of land#75 of 190 · 2024 | 5.5% of land#126 of 190 · 2024 |
| Water stressEthiopia: 4.04× the water stress | 32.3%#52 of 176 · 2022 | 8.0%#99 of 176 · 2022 |
| PrecipitationEthiopia: 3.01× the rain and snow | 848 mm#101 of 180 · 2022 | 282 mm#155 of 180 · 2022 |
| Governance & safety | ||
| Political stabilityEthiopia: 0.65 higher | −1.85#183 of 193 · 2025 | −2.50#192 of 193 · 2025 |
| Control of corruptionEthiopia: 0.57 higher | −0.37#108 of 193 · 2025 | −0.94#149 of 193 · 2025 |
| State | ||
| Status | Independent state | Independent state |
| Government | Parliamentary republicfederal parliamentary republic | Semi-presidential republic |
| Member of | BRICS | — |
| Capital | Addis Ababa | Bamako |
| Currency | Ethiopian birr (ETB) | West African CFA franc (XOF) |
| Official languages | Amharic | 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+3 | UTC |
| Calling code | +251 | +223 |
| Region | Eastern 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. Ethiopia sits at about 9° N and is stretched to 1.02× 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 Ethiopia bigger than Mali?
- No. Ethiopia is 11% smaller than Mali. Ethiopia covers 1,104,300 km² and Mali covers 1,240,192 km².
- How many times does Ethiopia fit into Mali?
- About 1.1 times: Mali has 1.12× the area of Ethiopia.
- Why do Ethiopia and Mali look different on Google Maps?
- Web maps use the Mercator projection, which stretches area with distance from the equator. Ethiopia is drawn about 1.02× 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, Ethiopia or Mali?
- Ethiopia: 135,472,051 people against 25,198,821. Density: Ethiopia 123 per km², Mali 20 per km².
- Which is richer, Ethiopia or Mali?
- By gross national income per person, Mali: $1,120 against $1,110 (World Bank, Atlas method, 2025) — 1.01× as much.
- Where do people live longer, Ethiopia or Mali?
- In Ethiopia: life expectancy at birth is 67.6 years, against 60.7 — 6.9 years longer (World Bank, 2024).
- What kind of government do Ethiopia and Mali have?
- By constitution, as the CIA World Factbook describes them — Ethiopia: parliamentary republic; Mali: semi-presidential republic.