Population of compulsory school age, both sexes in Mali
Mali: Population of compulsory school age, both sexes was 6.18 million in 2025. ▲ Rising
Latest (2025)
6.18 million
Change on year
up 2.7%
World rank
42nd
of 197 countries
All-time high
6.18 million
in 2025
All-time low
2.66 million
in 1998
Years of data
28
1998–2025
Population of compulsory school age, both sexes in Mali, 1998–2025
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
Analysis
Mali recorded 6.18 million for population of compulsory school age, both sexes in 2025. That is the highest value across all 28 years on record.
The figure is up 2.7% on the previous year and up 38.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, population of compulsory school age, both sexes in Mali peaked at 6.18 million in 2025 and was at its lowest, 2.66 million, in 1998.
Mali ranks 42nd of 197 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 28 years of available data.
Population of compulsory school age, both sexes in Mali, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 2.66 million | — |
| 1999 | 2.72 million | +2.2% |
| 2000 | 2.78 million | +2.2% |
| 2001 | 2.84 million | +2.3% |
| 2002 | 2.91 million | +2.3% |
| 2003 | 2.97 million | +2.2% |
| 2004 | 3.04 million | +2.3% |
| 2005 | 3.11 million | +2.5% |
| 2006 | 3.20 million | +2.7% |
| 2007 | 3.30 million | +3.2% |
| 2008 | 3.41 million | +3.3% |
| 2009 | 3.53 million | +3.4% |
| 2010 | 3.65 million | +3.6% |
| 2011 | 3.79 million | +3.8% |
| 2012 | 3.95 million | +4.1% |
| 2013 | 4.11 million | +4.1% |
| 2014 | 4.28 million | +4.2% |
| 2015 | 4.46 million | +4.1% |
| 2016 | 4.63 million | +3.9% |
| 2017 | 4.81 million | +3.8% |
| 2018 | 4.99 million | +3.8% |
| 2019 | 5.17 million | +3.6% |
| 2020 | 5.35 million | +3.5% |
| 2021 | 5.52 million | +3.2% |
| 2022 | 5.69 million | +3.0% |
| 2023 | 5.85 million | +2.9% |
| 2024 | 6.02 million | +2.8% |
| 2025 | 6.18 million | +2.7% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 2.69 million | 2.66 million | 2.72 million | 2 |
| 2000s | 3.11 million | 2.78 million | 3.53 million | 10 |
| 2010s | 4.38 million | 3.65 million | 5.17 million | 10 |
| 2020s | 5.77 million | 5.35 million | 6.18 million | 6 |
Countries ranked near Mali
More education data for Mali
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes (number) -5.15 % change on previous year (2015)
- Teachers in primary education, female (number), gaps filled 19,136 (2023)
- Teachers in primary education, male (number), gaps filled 40,784 (2023)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, female (number) 24,246 (2015)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, female (number) -4.88 % change on previous year (2015)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, male (number), gaps 58,904 (2015)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, male (number) -5.26 % change on previous year (2015)
- Theoretical duration of primary education (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Theoretical duration of pre-primary education (years), annual growth 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Start of the academic school year (pre-primary to post-secondary non) 0.0494 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is population of compulsory school age, both sexes in Mali?
- Population of compulsory school age, both sexes in Mali was 6.18 million in 2025, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest population of compulsory school age, both sexes recorded in Mali?
- The highest recorded value was 6.18 million in 2025.
- What is the lowest population of compulsory school age, both sexes recorded in Mali?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.66 million in 1998.
- How does Mali rank for population of compulsory school age, both sexes?
- Mali ranks 42nd out of 197 countries with data for 2025.
- Is population of compulsory school age, both sexes rising or falling in Mali?
- Over the last ten years it is up 38.6%. 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, published as part of Population of compulsory school age, both sexes (number). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 28 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release