World median is the middle country on each statistic: half of all countries with data are above it, half below. It is not an average, so it is never pulled up or down by giants or microstates.
Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
The median country fits inside Mali 11 times
Mali: 1,241,240 km² (2024) · World median: 111,370 km² (2024)
How much coast is there?
Mali: 0 km (2026 edition) · World median: 440 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
The median country’s highest peak towers 1,180 m above Mali’s
Mali: 1,155 m (2026 edition) · World median: 2,335 m (2026 edition)
How much of the land is farmed?
Farmland covers 38% of the median country, versus 34% of Mali
Mali: 34.2% (2024) · World median: 37.8% (2024)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
Mali has 3.4 times as many people as the median country
Mali: 25.2 million (2025) · World median: 7.4 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
The median country is 4.8 times as densely populated as Mali
Mali: 21 per km² (2025) · World median: 98 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in Mali are 1.5 cm taller than in the median country
Mali: 175 cm (2019) · World median: 173.5 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in Mali are 1.4 cm taller than in the median country
Mali: 162 cm (2019) · World median: 160.6 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in the median country is 16 years older than in Mali
Mali: 15.5 years (2023) · World median: 31.1 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Mali have 3.6 more children on average than in the median country
Mali: 5.51 children per woman (2024) · World median: 1.9 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
8.6% of people in the median country are 65 or older, versus 2.4% in Mali
Mali: 2.4% (2025) · World median: 8.6% (2025)
How many refugees does it host?
Mali hosts 14 times as many refugees per resident as the median country
Mali: 11.4 per 1,000 (2025) · World median: 0.8 per 1,000 (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
Mali and the median country are practically level
Mali: 0 (2026) · World median: 0 (2026)
How many official languages?
Mali and the median country are practically level
Mali: 1 (2026) · World median: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
The median country’s economy is 51% larger than Mali’s
Mali: $30.1 billion (2025) · World median: $45.5 billion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
The median country produces 6 times as much per person as Mali
Mali: Int$3,503 (2025) · World median: Int$21,072 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in Mali than in the median country (Gini 1.3 points higher)
Mali: 35.7 (2021) · World median: 34.4 (2023)
How many live on less than $3 a day?
36% of people in Mali live on less than $3 a day, versus 1.6% in the median country
Mali: 36.1% (2021) · World median: 1.6% (2023)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 5.1% in the median country, versus 2.8% in Mali
Mali: 2.8% (2025) · World median: 5.1% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
Mali spends 3.9% of its GDP on the military, the median country 1.8%
Mali: 3.9% (2025) · World median: 1.8% (2025)
How much does the central government collect in tax?
The median country’s central government collects 17% of GDP in tax, Mali’s 12%
Mali: 12% (2020) · World median: 17% (2024)
How expensive is it?
The median country’s price level (US = 100) is 1.3× Mali’s
Mali: 34% (2025) · World median: 45% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
The median country spends 14 times as much on health per person as Mali
Mali: $34 (2023) · World median: $470 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in the median country live 14 years longer than in Mali
Mali: 60.7 years (2024) · World median: 74.6 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Mali is 3.8 times as likely to die before turning one as in the median country
Mali: 47.5 per 1,000 (2024) · World median: 12.7 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
The median country has 8.9 times as many doctors per person as Mali
Mali: 0.2 per 1,000 (2023) · World median: 1.7 per 1,000 (2022)
How many hospital beds are there?
The median country has 9.7 times as many hospital beds per person as Mali
Mali: 0.3 per 1,000 (2018) · World median: 2.4 per 1,000 (2023)
How common is suicide?
The suicide rate in Mali is 5% higher than in the median country
Mali: 10.5 per 100k (2023) · World median: 10 per 100k (2023)
How common is obesity?
24% of adults in the median country are obese, versus 12% in Mali
Mali: 11.6% (2024) · World median: 24% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
19% of adults in the median country smoke, versus 7.4% in Mali
Mali: 7.4% (2024) · World median: 19% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in the median country rate their lives 1.25 points higher than in Mali
Mali: 4.59 (2025) · World median: 5.83 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in the median country drink 2.2 times as much alcohol as in Mali
Mali: 2 litres (2023) · World median: 4.3 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
The median country has 7.5 times as much meat per person as Mali
Mali: 7.5 kg (2022) · World median: 56.2 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
The median country has 203 kcal more food per person per day than Mali
Mali: 2,734 kcal (2022) · World median: 2,938 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in Mali put in 268 more hours a year than in the median country
Mali: 2,243 hours (2023) · World median: 1,974 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in the median country went to school 8.3 years longer than in Mali
Mali: 1.6 years (2023) · World median: 9.9 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
The median country welcomed 33 times as many tourists per resident as Mali (2019)
Mali: 0.01 (2019) · World median: 0.34 (2024)
How many World Heritage sites?
Mali has 1 more World Heritage site than the median country (4 against 3)
Mali: 4 (2026) · World median: 3 (2026)
How many Olympic medals has it won?
The median country has won 4 Olympic medals, Mali none
Mali: 0 (2026 edition) · World median: 4 (2026 edition)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
82% of people in the median country are online, versus 37% in Mali
Mali: 37% (2024) · World median: 82% (2024)
How fast is home internet?
Home internet in the median country is 3.4 times as fast as in Mali
Mali: 47 Mbps (2026) · World median: 161 Mbps (2026)
Who has electricity at home?
100% of people in the median country have electricity, versus 50% in Mali
Mali: 49.5% (2024) · World median: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
64% of people in the median country live in cities, versus 32% in Mali
Mali: 32% (2025) · World median: 64% (2025)
How many phones per person?
The median country has 115 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Mali 112
Mali: 112 (2022) · World median: 115 (2024)
How much railway is there?
The median country’s railway network is 3.6 times as long as Mali’s
Mali: 593 km (2014) · World median: 2,141 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Mali: no data · World median: 0.24 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 33% of the median country, but only 8.7% of Mali
Mali: 8.7% (2024) · World median: 32.8% (2024)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in the median country emits 10 times as much CO₂ as someone in Mali
Mali: 0.3 t (2024) · World median: 3 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
31% of the median country’s electricity is renewable, versus 19% in Mali
Mali: 19.5% (2024) · World median: 30.8% (2024)
How clean is the air?
The air in Mali carries 87% more fine dust than in the median country
Mali: 31 µg/m³ (2024) · World median: 16.6 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
Mali: no data · World median: 2.3 per 100k (2023)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Mali are 18% deadlier than in the median country
Mali: 22 per 100k (2023) · World median: 18.6 per 100k (2023)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Mali is on average 6.3 °C warmer than the median country
Mali: 29.3°C (2016–2025 avg) · World median: 23°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
The median country gets 4.1 times as much rain as Mali
Mali: 249 mm (2016–2025 avg) · World median: 1,014 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is Mali bigger than the median country?
Mali is larger. The median country fits inside Mali 11 times.
Which has more people, Mali or the median country?
Mali has 3.4 times as many people as the median country (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Mali or the median country?
People in the median country live 14 years longer than in Mali. Life expectancy at birth is 60.7 years in Mali and 74.6 in the median country.
Are people taller in Mali or the median country?
Men in Mali are 1.5 cm taller than in the median country (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
