Mali vs Mauritania
Mali is 20% larger than Mauritania.
MaliMauritaniaMali moved onto Mauritania · Equal-area projection
1.2×
Mali is 1.2× the area of Mauritania.
 Mali |  Mauritania | |
|---|---|---|
| Size | ||
| AreaMali: 1.2× the area | 1,240,192 km²#23 of 194 | 1,030,700 km²#28 of 194 |
| Coastline | Landlocked | Has a coast |
| Land neighbours | 7 | 4 |
| People | ||
| PopulationMali: 4.74× the population | 25,198,821#58 of 194 · 2025 | 5,315,065#124 of 194 · 2025 |
| DensityMali: 3.94× the density | 20 / km²#165 of 194 | 5.2 / km²#185 of 194 |
| Urban populationMauritania: 1.91× the urban share | 32%#165 of 192 · 2025 | 62%#102 of 192 · 2025 |
| Fertility rateMali: 1.19× the births per woman | 5.51 per woman#6 of 192 · 2024 | 4.63 per woman#11 of 192 · 2024 |
| Population growthMali: 0.12 points higher | +2.90%#14 of 192 · 2025 | +2.78%#18 of 192 · 2025 |
| Birth rateMali: 1.16× the birth rate | 39.5 per 1,000#6 of 192 · 2024 | 34.0 per 1,000#13 of 192 · 2024 |
| Death rateMali: 1.57× the death rate | 8.5 per 1,000#63 of 192 · 2024 | 5.4 per 1,000#161 of 192 · 2024 |
| Children under 15Mali: 3.4 points higher | 45.8%#6 of 192 · 2025 | 42.4%#12 of 192 · 2025 |
| People over 65Mauritania: 0.8 points higher | 2.4%#185 of 192 · 2025 | 3.2%#161 of 192 · 2025 |
| Net migrationMauritania: 1.0 per 1,000 higher | −1.9 per 1,000#142 of 192 · 2025 | −0.9 per 1,000#114 of 192 · 2025 |
| Refugees abroadMali: 2.5× the refugees for its size | 20.63 per 1,000#11 of 190 · 2025 | 8.26 per 1,000#22 of 190 · 2025 |
| Health & education | ||
| Life expectancyMauritania: 8.0 years longer | 60.7 years#186 of 192 · 2024 | 68.7 years#139 of 192 · 2024 |
| Infant mortalityMali: 1.57× the infant mortality | 47.5 per 1,000 births#16 of 191 · 2024 | 30.2 per 1,000 births#47 of 191 · 2024 |
| DoctorsMauritania: 1.37× the doctors per person | 0.19 per 1,000#151 of 178 · 2023 | 0.26 per 1,000#141 of 178 · 2022 |
| University enrolment | — | 6.0%#140 of 145 · 2020 |
| Human Development IndexMauritania: 0.144 higher | 0.419#185 of 190 · 2023 | 0.563#160 of 190 · 2023 |
| Economy | ||
| GNI per capitaMauritania: 1.97× the income per person | $1,120#166 of 185 · 2025 | $2,210#145 of 185 · 2025 |
| GDPMali: 2.57× the economy | $30.07B2025 | $11.68B2025 |
| Income group | Low income | Lower-middle income |
| GDP per capita (PPP)Mauritania: 2.19× the output per person | $3,503#166 of 184 · 2025 | $7,676#139 of 184 · 2025 |
| GDP growthMali: 1.6 points higher | +5.6%#38 of 187 · 2025 | +4.0%#69 of 187 · 2025 |
| InflationMali: 1.8 points higher | +3.3%#81 of 176 · 2025 | +1.5%#128 of 176 · 2025 |
| UnemploymentMauritania: 3.68× the unemployment | 2.8%#146 of 178 · 2025 | 10.3%#34 of 178 · 2025 |
| Extreme povertyMali: 3.54× the share in extreme poverty | 36.1%#25 of 149 · 2021 | 10.2%#45 of 149 · 2019 |
| Income inequality (Gini)Mali: 3.7 higher | 35.7#66 of 149 · 2021 | 32.0#103 of 149 · 2019 |
| Jobs in agricultureMali: 30.9 points higher | 63.0% of jobs#12 of 178 · 2025 | 32.1% of jobs#55 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in industryMauritania: 6.4 points higher | 8.6% of jobs#161 of 178 · 2025 | 15.0% of jobs#137 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in servicesMauritania: 24.4 points higher | 28.4% of jobs#167 of 178 · 2025 | 52.8% of jobs#105 of 178 · 2025 |
| Foreign investmentMauritania: 2.6 points higher | 2.8% of GDP#68 of 184 · 2025 | 5.4% of GDP#34 of 184 · 2025 |
| ExportsMauritania: 17.8 points higher | 22.1% of GDP#124 of 168 · 2025 | 39.9% of GDP#73 of 168 · 2025 |
| Military spendingMali: 1.41× the military spending | 3.9% of GDP#14 of 155 · 2025 | 2.8% of GDP#37 of 155 · 2025 |
| Internet usersMauritania: 1.24× the share online | 37%#157 of 184 · 2024 | 46%#149 of 184 · 2024 |
| Mobile subscriptionsMali: 1.22× the mobile subscriptions | 112 per 100#107 of 191 · 2022 | 92 per 100#141 of 191 · 2024 |
| Energy & environment | ||
| Forest areaMali: 8.7× the forest share | 9% of land#158 of 192 · 2024 | 1% of land#179 of 192 · 2024 |
| CO₂ per personMauritania: 3.23× the CO₂ per person | 0.30 t a year#161 of 185 · 2024 | 0.97 t a year#129 of 185 · 2024 |
| Renewable energyMali: 51.5 points higher | 71.1%#28 of 190 · 2022 | 19.6%#108 of 190 · 2022 |
| Access to electricityMauritania: 2.7 points higher | 49.5%#178 of 192 · 2024 | 52.2%#177 of 192 · 2024 |
| Air pollution (PM2.5)Mauritania: 1.31× the air pollution | 35.5 µg/m³#33 of 191 · 2023 | 46.5 µg/m³#16 of 191 · 2023 |
| Protected landMali: 6.9 points higher | 7.5% of land#159 of 191 · 2025 | 0.6% of land#186 of 191 · 2025 |
| Arable landMali: 5.1 points higher | 5.5% of land#126 of 190 · 2024 | 0.4% of land#183 of 190 · 2024 |
| Water stressMauritania: 1.65× the water stress | 8.0%#99 of 176 · 2022 | 13.2%#78 of 176 · 2022 |
| PrecipitationMali: 3.07× the rain and snow | 282 mm#155 of 180 · 2022 | 92 mm#173 of 180 · 2022 |
| Governance & safety | ||
| Political stabilityMauritania: 1.85 higher | −2.50#192 of 193 · 2025 | −0.65#152 of 193 · 2025 |
| Control of corruptionMali: 0.01 higher | −0.94#149 of 193 · 2025 | −0.95#151 of 193 · 2025 |
| Homicide rate | — | 1.0 per 100,000#107 of 146 · 2020 |
| State | ||
| Status | Independent state | Independent state |
| Government | Semi-presidential republic | Presidential republic |
| Capital | Bamako | Nouakchott |
| Currency | West African CFA franc (XOF) | Mauritanian ouguiya (MRU) |
| Official languages | Fula, Bambara, Soninke, Hassaniya Arabic, Songhay, Maninka, Dogon, Tamasheq, Senufo, Minyanka, Bozo, Kassonke, Bobo | Arabic |
| Traffic drives | On the right | On the right |
| Time zone | UTC | UTC |
| Calling code | +223 | +222 |
| 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. Mali sits at about 17° N and is stretched to 1.1× its true area; Mauritania at 20° N is stretched to 1.14×. 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 Mali bigger than Mauritania?
- Yes. Mali is 20% larger than Mauritania. Mali covers 1,240,192 km² and Mauritania covers 1,030,700 km².
- How many times does Mauritania fit into Mali?
- About 1.2 times: Mali has 1.2× the area of Mauritania.
- Why do Mali and Mauritania look different on Google Maps?
- Web maps use the Mercator projection, which stretches area with distance from the equator. Mali is drawn about 1.1× its true area there and Mauritania about 1.14×. 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, Mali or Mauritania?
- Mali: 25,198,821 people against 5,315,065. Density: Mali 20 per km², Mauritania 5.2 per km².
- Which is richer, Mali or Mauritania?
- By gross national income per person, Mauritania: $2,210 against $1,120 (World Bank, Atlas method, 2025) — 1.97× as much.
- Where do people live longer, Mali or Mauritania?
- In Mauritania: life expectancy at birth is 68.7 years, against 60.7 — 8.0 years longer (World Bank, 2024).
- What kind of government do Mali and Mauritania have?
- By constitution, as the CIA World Factbook describes them — Mali: semi-presidential republic; Mauritania: presidential republic.