Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Senegal fits inside Mali 6.3 times.
Mali: 1,240,190 km² (2023) · Senegal: 196,710 km² (2023)
How much coast is there?
Mali: 0 km (2026 edition) · Senegal: 531 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Mali’s highest peak towers 507 m above Senegal’s.
Mali: 1,155 m (2026 edition) · Senegal: 648 m (2026 edition)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
Mali has 33% more people than Senegal.
Mali: 25.2 million (2025) · Senegal: 18.9 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
Senegal is 4.8 times as densely populated as Mali.
Mali: 21 per km² (2025) · Senegal: 98 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in Senegal are 1.2 cm taller than in Mali.
Mali: 175 cm (2019) · Senegal: 176.2 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in Senegal are 1.9 cm taller than in Mali.
Mali: 162 cm (2019) · Senegal: 163.9 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Senegal is 3.7 years older than in Mali.
Mali: 15.5 years (2023) · Senegal: 19.1 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Mali have 1.7 more children on average than in Senegal.
Mali: 5.51 children per woman (2024) · Senegal: 3.77 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
3.6% of people in Senegal are 65 or older, versus 2.4% in Mali.
Mali: 2.4% (2025) · Senegal: 3.6% (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
Mali and Senegal are practically level.
Mali: 0 (2025) · Senegal: 0 (2025)
How many official languages?
Mali and Senegal are practically level.
Mali: 1 (2026) · Senegal: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
Senegal’s economy is 23% larger than Mali’s.
Mali: $30.1 billion (2025) · Senegal: $37 billion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
Senegal produces 56% more per person than Mali.
Mali: Int$3,503 (2025) · Senegal: Int$5,463 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in Senegal than in Mali (Gini 0.5 points higher).
Mali: 35.7 (2021) · Senegal: 36.2 (2021)
How many people are looking for work?
Mali and Senegal are practically level.
Mali: 2.8% (2025) · Senegal: 2.7% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
Mali spends 4.2% of its GDP on the military, Senegal 1.6%.
Mali: 4.2% (2024) · Senegal: 1.6% (2024)
How expensive is it?
Senegal’s price level (US = 100) is 1.1× Mali’s.
Mali: 34% (2025) · Senegal: 36% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
Senegal spends 2.2 times as much on health per person as Mali.
Mali: $34 (2023) · Senegal: $73 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in Senegal live 8.2 years longer than in Mali.
Mali: 60.7 years (2024) · Senegal: 68.9 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Mali is 64% more likely to die before turning one than in Senegal.
Mali: 47.5 per 1,000 (2024) · Senegal: 28.9 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Mali has 72% more doctors per person than Senegal.
Mali: 0.2 per 1,000 (2023) · Senegal: 0.1 per 1,000 (2023)
How common is obesity?
12% of adults in Mali are obese, versus 10% in Senegal.
Mali: 11.6% (2024) · Senegal: 10.3% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
7.4% of adults in Mali smoke, versus 5.4% in Senegal.
Mali: 7.4% (2024) · Senegal: 5.4% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in Senegal rate their lives 0.20 points higher than in Mali.
Mali: 4.59 (2025) · Senegal: 4.79 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in Mali drink 6.1 times as much alcohol as in Senegal.
Mali: 2 litres (2023) · Senegal: 0.3 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
Senegal has 2.7 times as much meat per person as Mali.
Mali: 7.5 kg (2022) · Senegal: 20 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
Senegal has 113 kcal more food per person per day than Mali.
Mali: 2,734 kcal (2022) · Senegal: 2,848 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in Senegal put in 93 more hours a year than in Mali.
Mali: 2,243 hours (2023) · Senegal: 2,335 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in Senegal went to school 1.3 years longer than in Mali.
Mali: 1.6 years (2023) · Senegal: 2.9 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Senegal welcomed 8.6 times as many tourists per resident as Mali (2019).
Mali: 0.01 (2019) · Senegal: 0.09 (2017)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
60% of people in Senegal are online, versus 37% in Mali.
Mali: 37% (2024) · Senegal: 60% (2024)
Who has electricity at home?
83% of people in Senegal have electricity, versus 50% in Mali.
Mali: 49.5% (2024) · Senegal: 82.9% (2024)
How many live in cities?
56% of people in Senegal live in cities, versus 32% in Mali.
Mali: 32% (2025) · Senegal: 56% (2025)
How many phones per person?
Senegal has 124 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Mali 112.
Mali: 112 (2022) · Senegal: 124 (2024)
How much railway is there?
Senegal’s railway network is 53% longer than Mali’s.
Mali: 593 km (2014) · Senegal: 906 km (2017)
How much do they fly?
Mali: no data · Senegal: 0.06 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 41% of Senegal, but only 11% of Mali.
Mali: 10.9% (2023) · Senegal: 41.3% (2023)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in Senegal emits 2.7 times as much CO₂ as someone in Mali.
Mali: 0.3 t (2024) · Senegal: 0.8 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
Senegal and Mali are practically level.
Mali: 19.5% (2024) · Senegal: 19.8% (2024)
How clean is the air?
The air in Senegal carries 18% more fine dust than in Mali.
Mali: 31 µg/m³ (2024) · Senegal: 36.5 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Senegal are 3% deadlier than in Mali.
Mali: 20.2 per 100k (2021) · Senegal: 20.8 per 100k (2021)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Mali is on average 0.2 °C warmer than Senegal.
Mali: 29.3°C (2016–2025 avg) · Senegal: 29.1°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Senegal gets 2.1 times as much rain as Mali.
Mali: 249 mm (2016–2025 avg) · Senegal: 518 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is Mali bigger than Senegal?
Mali is larger. Senegal fits inside Mali 6.3 times.
Which has more people, Mali or Senegal?
Mali has 33% more people than Senegal (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Mali or Senegal?
People in Senegal live 8.2 years longer than in Mali. Life expectancy at birth is 60.7 years in Mali and 68.9 in Senegal.
Are people taller in Mali or Senegal?
Men in Senegal are 1.2 cm taller than in Mali (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
