School age population, primary education, both sexes in Mali
Mali: School age population, primary education, both sexes was 4.29 million in 2025. ▲ Rising
Latest (2025)
4.29 million
Change on year
up 2.4%
World rank
38th
of 222 countries
All-time high
4.29 million
in 2025
All-time low
885,433
in 1970
Years of data
56
1970–2025
School age population, primary education, both sexes in Mali, 1970–2025
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
Analysis
In 2025, school age population, primary education, both sexes in Mali stood at 4.29 million. That is the highest value across all 56 years on record.
The figure is up 2.4% on the previous year and up 35.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, school age population, primary education, both sexes in Mali peaked at 4.29 million in 2025 and was at its lowest, 885,433, in 1970.
Mali ranks 38th of 222 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 56 years of available data.
School age population, primary education, both sexes in Mali, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 885,433 | — |
| 1971 | 902,674 | +1.9% |
| 1972 | 920,718 | +2.0% |
| 1973 | 940,394 | +2.1% |
| 1974 | 961,435 | +2.2% |
| 1975 | 983,845 | +2.3% |
| 1976 | 1.01 million | +2.5% |
| 1977 | 1.03 million | +2.5% |
| 1978 | 1.06 million | +2.7% |
| 1979 | 1.09 million | +2.8% |
| 1980 | 1.12 million | +2.8% |
| 1981 | 1.15 million | +2.9% |
| 1982 | 1.19 million | +3.0% |
| 1983 | 1.23 million | +3.2% |
| 1984 | 1.27 million | +3.3% |
| 1985 | 1.31 million | +3.2% |
| 1986 | 1.35 million | +3.2% |
| 1987 | 1.40 million | +3.3% |
| 1988 | 1.44 million | +3.2% |
| 1989 | 1.49 million | +3.1% |
| 1990 | 1.53 million | +3.0% |
| 1991 | 1.57 million | +2.8% |
| 1992 | 1.61 million | +2.6% |
| 1993 | 1.65 million | +2.4% |
| 1994 | 1.69 million | +2.4% |
| 1995 | 1.73 million | +2.2% |
| 1996 | 1.77 million | +2.2% |
| 1997 | 1.81 million | +2.1% |
| 1998 | 1.84 million | +2.0% |
| 1999 | 1.88 million | +2.2% |
| 2000 | 1.92 million | +2.1% |
| 2001 | 1.96 million | +2.2% |
| 2002 | 2.01 million | +2.3% |
| 2003 | 2.05 million | +2.2% |
| 2004 | 2.10 million | +2.5% |
| 2005 | 2.16 million | +2.6% |
| 2006 | 2.22 million | +3.0% |
| 2007 | 2.30 million | +3.4% |
| 2008 | 2.38 million | +3.6% |
| 2009 | 2.48 million | +4.0% |
| 2010 | 2.58 million | +4.2% |
| 2011 | 2.69 million | +4.3% |
| 2012 | 2.80 million | +4.3% |
| 2013 | 2.92 million | +4.1% |
| 2014 | 3.04 million | +4.1% |
| 2015 | 3.16 million | +4.0% |
| 2016 | 3.28 million | +3.8% |
| 2017 | 3.40 million | +3.7% |
| 2018 | 3.52 million | +3.5% |
| 2019 | 3.64 million | +3.3% |
| 2020 | 3.76 million | +3.3% |
| 2021 | 3.87 million | +3.0% |
| 2022 | 3.98 million | +2.8% |
| 2023 | 4.08 million | +2.7% |
| 2024 | 4.19 million | +2.5% |
| 2025 | 4.29 million | +2.4% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 978,821 | 885,433 | 1.09 million | 10 |
| 1980s | 1.29 million | 1.12 million | 1.49 million | 10 |
| 1990s | 1.71 million | 1.53 million | 1.88 million | 10 |
| 2000s | 2.16 million | 1.92 million | 2.48 million | 10 |
| 2010s | 3.10 million | 2.58 million | 3.64 million | 10 |
| 2020s | 4.03 million | 3.76 million | 4.29 million | 6 |
Countries ranked near Mali
More education data for Mali
- Primary education, teachers, gaps filled 59,920 (2023)
- Duration of pre primary education, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Duration of pre primary education 3 (2025)
- Official entrance age to pre primary education 4 (2025)
- Population ages 15-64 51.8% (2025)
- Population ages 0-14 45.8% (2025)
- Lower secondary school starting age 13 years (2025)
- Primary school starting age 7 years (2025)
- Primary secondary enrollment completion rates, gaps filled 72.8 (2023)
- School enrollment, primary 72.8% (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is school age population, primary education, both sexes in Mali?
- School age population, primary education, both sexes in Mali was 4.29 million in 2025, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest school age population, primary education, both sexes recorded in Mali?
- The highest recorded value was 4.29 million in 2025.
- What is the lowest school age population, primary education, both sexes recorded in Mali?
- The lowest recorded value was 885,433 in 1970.
- How does Mali rank for school age population, primary education, both sexes?
- Mali ranks 38th out of 222 countries with data for 2025.
- Is school age population, primary education, both sexes rising or falling in Mali?
- Over the last ten years it is up 35.7%. 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, published as part of School age population, primary education, both sexes (number). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 56 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release