Literacy rate in Mali
Mali: Literacy rate was 35.6% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Latest (2024)
35.6%
World rank
126th
of 128 countries
All-time high
35.6%
in 2024
All-time low
9.4%
in 1976
Years of data
9
1976–2024
Literacy rate in Mali, 1976–2024
Source: UNESCO (1957) and other sources – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2024, literacy rate in Mali stood at 35.6%. That is the highest value across all 9 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 7.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, literacy rate in Mali peaked at 35.6% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 9.4%, in 1976.
That places Mali 126th out of 128 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the bottom quarter.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 9.4% | 9.4% | 9.4% | 1 |
| 1990s | 19.0% | 19.0% | 19.0% | 1 |
| 2000s | 25.1% | 24.0% | 26.2% | 2 |
| 2010s | 32.6% | 30.6% | 35.5% | 4 |
| 2020s | 35.6% | 35.6% | 35.6% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Mali
- 123 Burkina Faso 41.6% compare
- 124 Guinea 39.6% compare
- 125 Afghanistan 37.3% compare
- 127 Niger 35.6% compare
- 128 Chad 30.6% compare
More education data for Mali
- Official entrance age to pre-primary education 4 years (2025)
- Duration of pre-primary education 3 years (2025)
- Population ages 15-64 51.8% (2025)
- Primary school starting age 7 years (2025)
- Lower secondary school starting age 13 years (2025)
- Population ages 0-14 45.8% (2025)
- School enrollment, primary 72.8% (2023)
- Primary education, teachers 59,920 (2023)
- Fertility rate vs. average years of schooling 5.51 live births per woman (2024)
- School enrollment, primary, female 69.4% (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is literacy rate in Mali?
- Literacy rate in Mali was 35.6% in 2024, according to UNESCO (1957) and other sources – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest literacy rate recorded in Mali?
- The highest recorded value was 35.6% in 2024.
- What is the lowest literacy rate recorded in Mali?
- The lowest recorded value was 9.4% in 1976.
- How does Mali rank for literacy rate?
- Mali ranks 126th out of 128 countries with data for 2024.
- Is literacy rate rising or falling in Mali?
- Over the last ten years it is up 7.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Mali data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO (1957) and other sources – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Literacy rate. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 9 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Share of adults who can read and write a simple statement about their everyday life.