Mali vs Niger
Niger and Mali are almost exactly the same size.
MaliNigerMali moved onto Niger · Equal-area projection
0.98×
Mali is 0.98× the area of Niger. Put the other way, Niger is 1.02× the size of Mali.
 Mali |  Niger | |
|---|---|---|
| Size | ||
| AreaAbout the same area | 1,240,192 km²#23 of 194 | 1,267,000 km²#21 of 194 |
| Coastline | Landlocked | Landlocked |
| Land neighbours | 7 | 7 |
| People | ||
| PopulationNiger: 1.11× the population | 25,198,821#58 of 194 · 2025 | 27,917,831#54 of 194 · 2025 |
| DensityNiger: 1.08× the density | 20 / km²#165 of 194 | 22 / km²#163 of 194 |
| Urban populationMali: 1.75× the urban share | 32%#165 of 192 · 2025 | 18%#188 of 192 · 2025 |
| Fertility rateNiger: 1.08× the births per woman | 5.51 per woman#6 of 192 · 2024 | 5.94 per woman#5 of 192 · 2024 |
| Population growthNiger: 0.32 points higher | +2.90%#14 of 192 · 2025 | +3.22%#9 of 192 · 2025 |
| Birth rateNiger: 1.05× the birth rate | 39.5 per 1,000#6 of 192 · 2024 | 41.4 per 1,000#4 of 192 · 2024 |
| Death rateAbout the same death rate | 8.5 per 1,000#63 of 192 · 2024 | 8.7 per 1,000#58 of 192 · 2024 |
| Children under 15Niger: 0.4 points higher | 45.8%#6 of 192 · 2025 | 46.2%#3 of 192 · 2025 |
| People over 65Niger: 0.2 points higher | 2.4%#185 of 192 · 2025 | 2.6%#180 of 192 · 2025 |
| Net migrationNiger: 1.6 per 1,000 higher | −1.9 per 1,000#142 of 192 · 2025 | −0.3 per 1,000#89 of 192 · 2025 |
| Refugees abroadMali: 6.72× the refugees for its size | 20.63 per 1,000#11 of 190 · 2025 | 3.07 per 1,000#34 of 190 · 2025 |
| Health & education | ||
| Life expectancyNiger: 0.7 years longer | 60.7 years#186 of 192 · 2024 | 61.4 years#182 of 192 · 2024 |
| Infant mortalityNiger: 1.38× the infant mortality | 47.5 per 1,000 births#16 of 191 · 2024 | 65.6 per 1,000 births#3 of 191 · 2024 |
| DoctorsMali: 4.75× the doctors per person | 0.19 per 1,000#151 of 178 · 2023 | 0.04 per 1,000#177 of 178 · 2023 |
| Human Development IndexThe same | 0.419#185 of 190 · 2023 | 0.419#185 of 190 · 2023 |
| Economy | ||
| GNI per capitaMali: 1.49× the income per person | $1,120#166 of 185 · 2025 | $750#176 of 185 · 2025 |
| GDPMali: 1.39× the economy | $30.07B2025 | $21.65B2025 |
| Income group | Low income | Low income |
| GDP per capita (PPP)Mali: 1.61× the output per person | $3,503#166 of 184 · 2025 | $2,177#176 of 184 · 2025 |
| GDP growthNiger: 1.4 points higher | +5.6%#38 of 187 · 2025 | +7.0%#18 of 187 · 2025 |
| InflationMali: 7.8 points higher | +3.3%#81 of 176 · 2025 | −4.5%#174 of 176 · 2025 |
| UnemploymentMali: 7.0× the unemployment | 2.8%#146 of 178 · 2025 | 0.4%#176 of 178 · 2025 |
| Extreme povertyNiger: 1.68× the share in extreme poverty | 36.1%#25 of 149 · 2021 | 60.5%#9 of 149 · 2021 |
| Income inequality (Gini)Mali: 2.8 higher | 35.7#66 of 149 · 2021 | 32.9#95 of 149 · 2021 |
| Jobs in agricultureNiger: 10.0 points higher | 63.0% of jobs#12 of 178 · 2025 | 73.0% of jobs#2 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in industryNiger: 0.7 points higher | 8.6% of jobs#161 of 178 · 2025 | 9.3% of jobs#159 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in servicesMali: 10.7 points higher | 28.4% of jobs#167 of 178 · 2025 | 17.7% of jobs#177 of 178 · 2025 |
| Foreign investmentMali: 1.6 points higher | 2.8% of GDP#68 of 184 · 2025 | 1.2% of GDP#122 of 184 · 2025 |
| ExportsMali: 6.3 points higher | 22.1% of GDP#124 of 168 · 2025 | 15.8% of GDP#144 of 168 · 2025 |
| Military spendingMali: 1.81× the military spending | 3.9% of GDP#14 of 155 · 2025 | 2.1% of GDP#54 of 155 · 2025 |
| Internet usersMali: 2.36× the share online | 37%#157 of 184 · 2024 | 16%#179 of 184 · 2024 |
| Mobile subscriptionsMali: 1.84× the mobile subscriptions | 112 per 100#107 of 191 · 2022 | 61 per 100#175 of 191 · 2024 |
| Energy & environment | ||
| Forest areaMali: 10.9× the forest share | 9% of land#158 of 192 · 2024 | 1% of land#181 of 192 · 2024 |
| CO₂ per personMali: 2.5× the CO₂ per person | 0.30 t a year#161 of 185 · 2024 | 0.12 t a year#178 of 185 · 2024 |
| Renewable energyNiger: 8.5 points higher | 71.1%#28 of 190 · 2022 | 79.6%#18 of 190 · 2021 |
| Access to electricityMali: 28.2 points higher | 49.5%#178 of 192 · 2024 | 21.3%#187 of 192 · 2024 |
| Air pollution (PM2.5)Niger: 1.84× the air pollution | 35.5 µg/m³#33 of 191 · 2023 | 65.2 µg/m³#5 of 191 · 2023 |
| Protected landNiger: 13.5 points higher | 7.5% of land#159 of 191 · 2025 | 21.0% of land#78 of 191 · 2025 |
| Arable landNiger: 8.5 points higher | 5.5% of land#126 of 190 · 2024 | 14.0% of land#77 of 190 · 2024 |
| Water stressNiger: 1.38× the water stress | 8.0%#99 of 176 · 2022 | 11.0%#88 of 176 · 2022 |
| PrecipitationMali: 1.87× the rain and snow | 282 mm#155 of 180 · 2022 | 151 mm#169 of 180 · 2022 |
| Governance & safety | ||
| Political stabilityNiger: 0.73 higher | −2.50#192 of 193 · 2025 | −1.77#180 of 193 · 2025 |
| Control of corruptionNiger: 0.20 higher | −0.94#149 of 193 · 2025 | −0.74#136 of 193 · 2025 |
| State | ||
| Status | Independent state | Independent state |
| Government | Semi-presidential republic | Military or transitionalformerly, semi-presidential republic |
| Capital | Bamako | Niamey |
| Currency | West African CFA franc (XOF) | West African CFA franc (XOF) |
| Official languages | Fula, Bambara, Soninke, Hassaniya Arabic, Songhay, Maninka, Dogon, Tamasheq, Senufo, Minyanka, Bozo, Kassonke, Bobo | Hausa |
| Traffic drives | On the right | On the right |
| Time zone | UTC | UTC+1 |
| Calling code | +223 | +227 |
| 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; Niger 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 Mali bigger than Niger?
- No. Mali and Niger are almost exactly the same size. Mali covers 1,240,192 km² and Niger covers 1,267,000 km².
- How many times does Mali fit into Niger?
- About 1.0 times: Niger has 1.02× the area of Mali.
- Why do Mali and Niger 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 Niger 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, Mali or Niger?
- Niger: 27,917,831 people against 25,198,821. Density: Mali 20 per km², Niger 22 per km².
- Which is richer, Mali or Niger?
- By gross national income per person, Mali: $1,120 against $750 (World Bank, Atlas method, 2025) — 1.49× as much.
- Where do people live longer, Mali or Niger?
- In Niger: life expectancy at birth is 61.4 years, against 60.7 — 0.7 years longer (World Bank, 2024).
- What kind of government do Mali and Niger have?
- By constitution, as the CIA World Factbook describes them — Mali: semi-presidential republic; Niger: military or transitional.