Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Niger is 2% bigger than Mali
Mali: 1,241,240 km² (2024) · Niger: 1,267,000 km² (2024)
How much coast is there?
Mali: 0 km (2026 edition) · Niger: 0 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Niger’s highest peak towers 867 m above Mali’s
Mali: 1,155 m (2026 edition) · Niger: 2,022 m (2026 edition)
How much of the land is farmed?
Farmland covers 37% of Niger, versus 34% of Mali
Mali: 34.2% (2024) · Niger: 36.8% (2024)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
Niger has 11% more people than Mali
Mali: 25.2 million (2025) · Niger: 27.9 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
Niger is 7% more densely populated than Mali
Mali: 21 per km² (2025) · Niger: 22 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in Mali are 4.8 cm taller than in Niger
Mali: 175 cm (2019) · Niger: 170.3 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in Mali are 2.2 cm taller than in Niger
Mali: 162 cm (2019) · Niger: 159.8 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Mali is 0.22 years older than in Niger
Mali: 15.5 years (2023) · Niger: 15.3 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Niger have 0.4 more children on average than in Mali
Mali: 5.51 children per woman (2024) · Niger: 5.94 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
Niger and Mali are practically level
Mali: 2.4% (2025) · Niger: 2.6% (2025)
How many refugees does it host?
Niger hosts 22% more refugees per resident than Mali
Mali: 11.4 per 1,000 (2025) · Niger: 13.8 per 1,000 (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
Mali and Niger are practically level
Mali: 0 (2026) · Niger: 0 (2026)
How many official languages?
Mali and Niger are practically level
Mali: 1 (2026) · Niger: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
Mali’s economy is 39% larger than Niger’s
Mali: $30.1 billion (2025) · Niger: $21.6 billion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
Mali produces 61% more per person than Niger
Mali: Int$3,503 (2025) · Niger: Int$2,177 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in Mali than in Niger (Gini 2.8 points higher)
Mali: 35.7 (2021) · Niger: 32.9 (2021)
How many live on less than $3 a day?
61% of people in Niger live on less than $3 a day, versus 36% in Mali
Mali: 36.1% (2021) · Niger: 60.5% (2021)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 2.8% in Mali, versus 0.4% in Niger
Mali: 2.8% (2025) · Niger: 0.4% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
Mali spends 3.9% of its GDP on the military, Niger 2.1%
Mali: 3.9% (2025) · Niger: 2.1% (2025)
How much does the central government collect in tax?
Mali: 12% (2020) · Niger: no data
How expensive is it?
Niger’s price level (US = 100) is 1× Mali’s
Mali: 34% (2025) · Niger: 36% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
Mali spends 31% more on health per person than Niger
Mali: $34 (2023) · Niger: $26 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in Niger live 0.76 years longer than in Mali
Mali: 60.7 years (2024) · Niger: 61.4 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Niger is 38% more likely to die before turning one than in Mali
Mali: 47.5 per 1,000 (2024) · Niger: 65.6 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Mali has 4.9 times as many doctors per person as Niger
Mali: 0.2 per 1,000 (2023) · Niger: 0.038 per 1,000 (2023)
How many hospital beds are there?
Niger has 12% more hospital beds per person than Mali
Mali: 0.3 per 1,000 (2018) · Niger: 0.3 per 1,000 (2020)
How common is suicide?
The suicide rate in Niger is 20% higher than in Mali
Mali: 10.5 per 100k (2023) · Niger: 12.6 per 100k (2023)
How common is obesity?
12% of adults in Mali are obese, versus 6.0% in Niger
Mali: 11.6% (2024) · Niger: 6% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
Mali and Niger are practically level
Mali: 7.4% (2024) · Niger: 7.4% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in Niger rate their lives 0.35 points higher than in Mali
Mali: 4.59 (2025) · Niger: 4.94 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in Mali drink 15 times as much alcohol as in Niger
Mali: 2 litres (2023) · Niger: 0.1 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
Niger has 2% more meat per person than Mali
Mali: 7.5 kg (2022) · Niger: 7.7 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
Mali has 80 kcal more food per person per day than Niger
Mali: 2,734 kcal (2022) · Niger: 2,654 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in Mali put in 173 more hours a year than in Niger
Mali: 2,243 hours (2023) · Niger: 2,069 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in Mali went to school 0.22 years longer than in Niger
Mali: 1.6 years (2023) · Niger: 1.4 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Mali welcomed 23% more tourists per resident than Niger (2019)
Mali: 0.01 (2019) · Niger: 0.01 (2019)
How many World Heritage sites?
Mali has 1 more World Heritage site than Niger (4 against 3)
Mali: 4 (2026) · Niger: 3 (2026)
How many Olympic medals has it won?
Niger has won 2 Olympic medals, Mali none
Mali: 0 (2026 edition) · Niger: 2 (2026 edition)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
37% of people in Mali are online, versus 16% in Niger
Mali: 37% (2024) · Niger: 16% (2024)
How fast is home internet?
Home internet in Mali is 23% faster than in Niger
Mali: 47 Mbps (2026) · Niger: 38 Mbps (2026)
Who has electricity at home?
50% of people in Mali have electricity, versus 21% in Niger
Mali: 49.5% (2024) · Niger: 21.3% (2024)
How many live in cities?
32% of people in Mali live in cities, versus 18% in Niger
Mali: 32% (2025) · Niger: 18% (2025)
How many phones per person?
Mali has 112 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Niger 61
Mali: 112 (2022) · Niger: 61 (2024)
How much railway is there?
Mali: 593 km (2014) · Niger: no data
How much do they fly?
Mali: no data · Niger: 0.00021 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 8.7% of Mali, but only 0.8% of Niger
Mali: 8.7% (2024) · Niger: 0.8% (2024)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in Mali emits 2.4 times as much CO₂ as someone in Niger
Mali: 0.3 t (2024) · Niger: 0.1 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
19% of Mali’s electricity is renewable, versus 3.2% in Niger
Mali: 19.5% (2024) · Niger: 3.2% (2024)
How clean is the air?
The air in Niger carries 55% more fine dust than in Mali
Mali: 31 µg/m³ (2024) · Niger: 47.9 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Niger are 43% deadlier than in Mali
Mali: 22 per 100k (2023) · Niger: 31.4 per 100k (2023)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Mali is on average 1.3 °C warmer than Niger
Mali: 29.3°C (2016–2025 avg) · Niger: 28°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Mali gets 2.6 times as much rain as Niger
Mali: 249 mm (2016–2025 avg) · Niger: 97 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Between them
People, goods and passports that cross from one to the other
Quick answers
Is Mali bigger than Niger?
Niger is larger. Niger is 2% bigger than Mali.
Which has more people, Mali or Niger?
Niger has 11% more people than Mali (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Mali or Niger?
People in Niger live 0.76 years longer than in Mali. Life expectancy at birth is 60.7 years in Mali and 61.4 in Niger.
Are people taller in Mali or Niger?
Men in Mali are 4.8 cm taller than in Niger (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
