Literacy rates among adults in Mali
Mali: Literacy rates among adults was 35.6% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Literacy rates among adults in Mali, 1976–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Mali recorded 35.6% for literacy rates among adults in 2024. That is the highest value across all 9 years on record.
That represents a change of up 7.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, literacy rates among adults in Mali peaked at 35.6% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 9.4%, in 1976.
That places Mali 87th out of 89 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the bottom quarter.
Literacy rates among adults in Mali, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1976 | 9.4% | — |
| 1998 | 19.0% | +101.9% |
| 2003 | 24.0% | +26.1% |
| 2006 | 26.2% | +9.1% |
| 2010 | 31.1% | +18.8% |
| 2011 | 30.6% | -1.5% |
| 2015 | 33.1% | +8.0% |
| 2018 | 35.5% | +7.3% |
| 2024 | 35.6% | +0.5% |
Mali compared with similar countries
- Mali's 35.6% is below the median for low income countries, which is 60.5%, 59% of the median. (13 countries reporting)
- Mali's 35.6% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 70.9%, 50% of the median. (28 countries reporting)
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
- 84 Burkina Faso 41.6% compare
- 85 Guinea 39.6% compare
- 86 Afghanistan 37.3% compare
- 88 Niger 35.6% compare
- 89 Chad 30.6% compare
More education data for Mali
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 80,395 (2023)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 512,692 (2023)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 82,198 (2023)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 83,509 (2023)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 1.31 million (2023)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 2.97 million (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate -2.42 % change on previous year (2018)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.1251 units per person (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is literacy rates among adults in Mali?
- Literacy rates among adults in Mali was 35.6% in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest literacy rates among adults recorded in Mali?
- The highest recorded value was 35.6% in 2024.
- What is the lowest literacy rates among adults recorded in Mali?
- The lowest recorded value was 9.4% in 1976.
- How does Mali rank for literacy rates among adults?
- Mali ranks 87th out of 89 countries with data for 2024.
- Is literacy rates among adults 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 Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Literacy rates among adults. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Share of the population aged 15 years and older who can read and write.