Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Guinea fits inside Mali 5 times.
Guinea: 245,860 km² (2023) · Mali: 1,240,190 km² (2023)
How much coast is there?
Guinea: 320 km (2026 edition) · Mali: 0 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Guinea’s highest peak towers 597 m above Mali’s.
Guinea: 1,752 m (2026 edition) · Mali: 1,155 m (2026 edition)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
Mali has 67% more people than Guinea.
Guinea: 15.1 million (2025) · Mali: 25.2 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
Guinea is 3 times as densely populated as Mali.
Guinea: 61 per km² (2025) · Mali: 21 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in Mali are 4.3 cm taller than in Guinea.
Guinea: 170.7 cm (2019) · Mali: 175 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in Mali are 3.2 cm taller than in Guinea.
Guinea: 158.8 cm (2019) · Mali: 162 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Guinea is 2.5 years older than in Mali.
Guinea: 18 years (2023) · Mali: 15.5 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Mali have 1.4 more children on average than in Guinea.
Guinea: 4.13 children per woman (2024) · Mali: 5.51 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
3.5% of people in Guinea are 65 or older, versus 2.4% in Mali.
Guinea: 3.5% (2025) · Mali: 2.4% (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
Guinea and Mali are practically level.
Guinea: 0 (2025) · Mali: 0 (2025)
How many official languages?
Guinea and Mali are practically level.
Guinea: 1 (2026) · Mali: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
Mali’s economy is 6% larger than Guinea’s.
Guinea: $28.3 billion (2025) · Mali: $30.1 billion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
Guinea produces 41% more per person than Mali.
Guinea: Int$4,935 (2025) · Mali: Int$3,503 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in Mali than in Guinea (Gini 6.1 points higher).
Guinea: 29.6 (2018) · Mali: 35.7 (2021)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 5.2% in Guinea, versus 2.8% in Mali.
Guinea: 5.2% (2025) · Mali: 2.8% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
Mali spends 4.2% of its GDP on the military, Guinea 2.1%.
Guinea: 2.1% (2024) · Mali: 4.2% (2024)
How expensive is it?
Guinea’s price level (US = 100) is 1.1× Mali’s.
Guinea: 38% (2025) · Mali: 34% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
Guinea spends 75% more on health per person than Mali.
Guinea: $59 (2023) · Mali: $34 (2023)
How long do people live?
Guinea and Mali are practically level.
Guinea: 60.9 years (2024) · Mali: 60.7 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Guinea is 26% more likely to die before turning one than in Mali.
Guinea: 59.8 per 1,000 (2024) · Mali: 47.5 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Guinea has 12% more doctors per person than Mali.
Guinea: 0.2 per 1,000 (2022) · Mali: 0.2 per 1,000 (2023)
How common is obesity?
12% of adults in Mali are obese, versus 9.4% in Guinea.
Guinea: 9.4% (2024) · Mali: 11.6% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
Guinea: no data · Mali: 7.4% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
Guinea and Mali are practically level.
Guinea: 4.61 (2025) · Mali: 4.59 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in Mali drink 4.2 times as much alcohol as in Guinea.
Guinea: 0.5 litres (2023) · Mali: 2 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
Guinea has 2 times as much meat per person as Mali.
Guinea: 15.2 kg (2023) · Mali: 7.5 kg (2022)
How much food is there per day?
Guinea has 213 kcal more food per person per day than Mali.
Guinea: 2,948 kcal (2023) · Mali: 2,734 kcal (2022)
How long do people work?
Guinea: no data · Mali: 2,243 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in Guinea went to school 0.86 years longer than in Mali.
Guinea: 2.5 years (2023) · Mali: 1.6 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Mali welcomed 29% more tourists per resident than Guinea (2019).
Guinea: 0.01 (2017) · Mali: 0.01 (2019)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
37% of people in Mali are online, versus 33% in Guinea.
Guinea: 33% (2024) · Mali: 37% (2024)
Who has electricity at home?
54% of people in Guinea have electricity, versus 50% in Mali.
Guinea: 53.8% (2024) · Mali: 49.5% (2024)
How many live in cities?
39% of people in Guinea live in cities, versus 32% in Mali.
Guinea: 39% (2025) · Mali: 32% (2025)
How many phones per person?
Mali has 112 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Guinea 98.
Guinea: 98 (2023) · Mali: 112 (2022)
How much railway is there?
Guinea’s railway network is 83% longer than Mali’s.
Guinea: 1,086 km (2017) · Mali: 593 km (2014)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 25% of Guinea, but only 11% of Mali.
Guinea: 24.7% (2023) · Mali: 10.9% (2023)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in Mali emits 4% more CO₂ than someone in Guinea.
Guinea: 0.3 t (2024) · Mali: 0.3 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
75% of Guinea’s electricity is renewable, versus 19% in Mali.
Guinea: 75.2% (2024) · Mali: 19.5% (2024)
How clean is the air?
The air in Mali carries 30% more fine dust than in Guinea.
Guinea: 23.9 µg/m³ (2024) · Mali: 31 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Guinea are 85% deadlier than in Mali.
Guinea: 37.4 per 100k (2021) · Mali: 20.2 per 100k (2021)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Mali is on average 2.8 °C warmer than Guinea.
Guinea: 26.5°C (2016–2025 avg) · Mali: 29.3°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Guinea gets 6.9 times as much rain as Mali.
Guinea: 1,724 mm (2016–2025 avg) · Mali: 249 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is Guinea bigger than Mali?
Mali is larger. Guinea fits inside Mali 5 times.
Which has more people, Guinea or Mali?
Mali has 67% more people than Guinea (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Guinea or Mali?
Guinea and Mali are practically level. Life expectancy at birth is 60.9 years in Guinea and 60.7 in Mali.
Are people taller in Guinea or Mali?
Men in Mali are 4.3 cm taller than in Guinea (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
