Education · Sub-Saharan Africa · Low income
Mali: education in numbers
Pre-primary enrolment is 7.6% (2020), 169th of 176 in the world and 33rd of 39 in Sub-Saharan Africa. Primary enrolment is 72.8% (2023), 187th of 191 in the world and 38th of 41 in Sub-Saharan Africa. Primary completion is 48.4% (2023), 163rd of 168 in the world and 32nd of 36 in Sub-Saharan Africa.
Pre-primary enrolment
MaliSub-Saharan AfricaLow incomeWorld
Primary enrolment
MaliSub-Saharan AfricaLow incomeWorld
12 indicators
Education: Mali in detail
Latest reported value, world rank and rank within Sub-Saharan Africa; values around 2000, 2010, 2020; group and world columns are World Bank aggregates.
| Indicator | Latest | World rank | In region | ~2000 | ~2010 | ~2020 | 10-year change | Region | Income group | World | Since 2000 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pre-primary enrolmentPre-primary enrolment, % gross | 7.6%2020 | 169/176 | 33/39 | 1.5% | 3.2% | 7.6% | +4.4 ppsince 2010 | 28.1% | 20.1% | 60.9% | |
| Primary enrolmentPrimary school enrolment, % gross | 72.8%2023 | 187/191 | 38/41 | 52.9% | 78.3% | 70.4%2018 | +1.9 ppsince 2013 | 97.1% | 97.6% | 102.2% | |
| Primary completionPrimary completion rate, % of age group | 48.4%2023 | 163/168 | 32/36 | 27.9% | 54.4% | · | −2.0 ppsince 2013 | 68.9% | 62.9% | 88.0% | |
| Secondary enrolmentSecondary school enrolment, % gross | 38.9%2023 | 165/176 | 24/34 | 15.7% | 36.7% | 38.0%2018 | −0.3 ppsince 2013 | 45.9% | 41.5% | 77.3% | |
| Lower secondary completionLower secondary completion rate, % of age group | 28.1%2023 | 161/168 | 27/34 | 14.3%2001 | 33.7% | · | −0.3 ppsince 2013 | 44.4% | 38.6% | 77.9% | |
| Tertiary enrolmentTertiary enrolment, % gross | 5.1%2015 | 165/172 | 29/34 | 1.8% | 5.5% | · | +3.2 ppsince 2002 | 9.3% | 9.3% | 43.6% | |
| Out-of-school childrenChildren out of school, % of primary school age | 34.0%2023 | 8/178 | 8/38 | 60.0%1999 | 35.9% | 45.1%2018 | −7.6 ppsince 2013 | — | 24.1% | — | |
| Adult literacyAdult literacy rate, % of people 15+ | 35.6%2024 | 139/141 | 39/41 | 19.0%1998 | 31.1% | 35.5%2018 | +5.0 ppsince 2011 | 68.7% | 63.6% | 87.7% | |
| Youth literacyYouth literacy rate, % of people 15–24 | 50.3%2024 | 147/148 | 41/42 | 24.2%1998 | 44.3% | 53.4% | +8.2 ppsince 2011 | 79.0% | 75.4% | 93.1% | |
| Pupils per teacherPupils per teacher, primary | 37.82018 | 24/173 | 20/40 | 65.3 | 50.4 | 37.82018 | −26%since 2008 | 37.4 | 39.8 | 23.4 | |
| Education spendingPublic spending on education, % of GDP | 4.2%2023 | 92/184 | 16/43 | 3.0% | 2.7% | 3.3% | +1.4 ppsince 2013 | 3.3% | 3.0% | 3.6% | |
| Education, % of budgetEducation spending, % of government expenditure | 17.8%2024 | 34/179 | 14/42 | 15.3% | 16.5% | 15.1% | −0.4 ppsince 2014 | 15.4% | 16.7% | 14.0% |
Source: World Bank, World Development Indicators (CC BY 4.0)“·” — no value reported within two years of that date. World rank counts countries with a recent value.
Better than ten years ago
- Pre-primary enrolment+4.4 pp7.6% in 2020
- Tertiary enrolment+3.2 pp5.1% in 2015
- Out-of-school children−7.6 pp34.0% in 2023
- Adult literacy+5.0 pp35.6% in 2024
Worse than ten years ago
- Primary completion−2.0 pp48.4% in 2023
- Secondary enrolment−0.3 pp38.9% in 2023
- Lower secondary completion−0.3 pp28.1% in 2023
Only indicators where higher or lower is clearly better are rated (for example, unemployment down is better, life expectancy up is better).
neighbours
Mali and its neighbours
Countries sharing a land border with Mali. Latest values since 2005; the highest in each row is marked.
| Indicator | Mali | Algeria | Côte d'Ivoire | Niger | Burkina Faso | Senegal |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pre-primary enrolment | 7.6%2020 | 79.1%2011 | 10.7%2022 | 7.0%2021 | 6.5%2021 | 17.6%2021 |
| Primary enrolment | 72.8%2023 | 105.5%2025 | 93.3%2024 | 64.7%2024 | 77.2%2024 | 85.3%2024 |
| Primary completion | 48.4%2023 | 98.2%2025 | 80.2%2024 | 40.8%2024 | 52.0%2024 | 62.9%2024 |
| Secondary enrolment | 38.9%2023 | 105.2%2024 | 65.3%2024 | 19.9%2024 | 30.0%2024 | 44.1%2023 |
| Lower secondary completion | 28.1%2023 | 79.0%2025 | 70.8%2024 | 11.9%2024 | 27.9%2024 | 38.7%2024 |
| Tertiary enrolment | 5.1%2015 | 54.4%2024 | 12.3%2024 | 4.2%2019 | 10.0%2024 | 15.3%2024 |
| Out-of-school children | 34.0%2023 | 1.6%2025 | 12.6%2024 | 40.4%2024 | 34.3%2024 | 24.5%2024 |
| Adult literacy | 35.6%2024 | 75.1%2008 | 50.0%2021 | 35.6%2022 | 41.6%2023 | 50.4%2023 |
| Youth literacy | 50.3%2024 | 93.8%2008 | 66.8%2021 | 53.9%2022 | 62.8%2022 | 67.4%2023 |