Labour · Sub-Saharan Africa · Low income
Mali: the labour market
Labour force is 9.2m (2025), 60th of 187 in the world and 17th of 47 in Sub-Saharan Africa. Participation rate is 67.0% (2025), 45th of 187 in the world and 21st of 47 in Sub-Saharan Africa. Women's participation is 52.8% (2025), 96th of 187 in the world and 30th of 47 in Sub-Saharan Africa.
Labour force
Mali
Participation rate
MaliSub-Saharan AfricaLow incomeWorld
13 indicators
Labour: 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labour forceLabour force, total | 9.2m2025 | 60/187 | 17/47 | 4.3m | 5.9m | 7.5m | +34%since 2015 | 527m | 267m | 3.7bn | |
| Participation rateLabour force participation, % of 15+ | 67.0%2025 | 45/187 | 21/47 | 70.3% | 70.4% | 65.9% | −3.5 ppsince 2015 | 70.3% | 64.4% | 61.0% | |
| Women's participationFemale labour force participation, % of women 15+ | 52.8%2025 | 96/187 | 30/47 | 60.5% | 60.4% | 50.6% | −8.4 ppsince 2015 | 65.2% | 54.7% | 48.9% | |
| Employment rateEmployment to population ratio, 15+ (ILO) | 65.1%2025 | 38/187 | 15/47 | 69.3% | 69.4% | 63.6% | −4.4 ppsince 2015 | 66.3% | 61.2% | 58.1% | |
| UnemploymentUnemployment, % of labour force (ILO) | 2.8%2025 | 153/187 | 37/47 | 1.4% | 1.4% | 3.5% | +1.4 ppsince 2015 | 5.7% | 4.9% | 4.8% | |
| Female unemploymentFemale unemployment, % of female labour force (ILO) | 3.0%2025 | 155/187 | 37/47 | 1.3% | 1.3% | 3.5% | +1.7 ppsince 2015 | 6.3% | 4.7% | 4.9% | |
| Youth unemploymentYouth unemployment, ages 15–24 (ILO) | 3.9%2025 | 170/187 | 37/47 | 2.2% | 2.1% | 6.7% | +1.7 ppsince 2015 | 10.1% | 10.1% | 13.4% | |
| Youth NEET rateYouth not in education, employment or training, % | 30.1%2024 | 29/170 | 17/44 | · | 13.5% | 30.9% | +8.8 ppsince 2014 | — | — | — | |
| Wage workersWage and salaried workers, % of total employment | 23.6%2025 | 163/187 | 28/47 | 15.1% | 17.4% | 14.7% | +5.9 ppsince 2015 | 22.3% | 21.1% | 53.6% | |
| Vulnerable employmentVulnerable employment, % of total employment (ILO) | 75.8%2025 | 21/187 | 17/47 | 84.3% | 82.0% | 85.0% | −5.9 ppsince 2015 | 71.0% | 76.1% | 42.4% | |
| Jobs in agricultureEmployment in agriculture, % of total employment | 63.0%2025 | 12/187 | 11/47 | 59.3% | 66.7% | 68.1% | +0.7 ppsince 2015 | 49.3% | 59.4% | 25.8% | |
| Jobs in industryEmployment in industry, % of total employment | 8.6%2025 | 170/187 | 36/47 | 18.6% | 8.1% | 9.3% | +0.3 ppsince 2015 | 12.2% | 10.2% | 23.7% | |
| Jobs in servicesEmployment in services, % of total employment | 28.4%2025 | 176/187 | 38/47 | 22.0% | 25.2% | 22.6% | −1.1 ppsince 2015 | 38.5% | 30.4% | 50.6% |
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
- Wage workers+5.9 pp23.6% in 2025
- Vulnerable employment−5.9 pp75.8% in 2025
Worse than ten years ago
- Women's participation−8.4 pp52.8% in 2025
- Employment rate−4.4 pp65.1% in 2025
- Unemployment+1.4 pp2.8% in 2025
- Female unemployment+1.7 pp3.0% in 2025
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labour force | 9.2m2025 | 13.6m2025 | 13.1m2025 | 12.0m2025 | 9.9m2025 | 6.1m2025 |
| Participation rate | 67.0%2025 | 40.8%2025 | 67.1%2025 | 79.7%2025 | 70.0%2025 | 52.0%2025 |
| Women's participation | 52.8%2025 | 14.1%2025 | 59.5%2025 | 72.8%2025 | 64.1%2025 | 38.2%2025 |
| Employment rate | 65.1%2025 | 36.0%2025 | 65.5%2025 | 79.4%2025 | 67.6%2025 | 50.6%2025 |
| Unemployment | 2.8%2025 | 11.6%2025 | 2.3%2025 | 0.4%2025 | 3.5%2025 | 2.7%2025 |
| Female unemployment | 3.0%2025 | 20.6%2025 | 2.6%2025 | 0.3%2025 | 4.3%2025 | 3.1%2025 |
| Youth unemployment | 3.9%2025 | 29.4%2025 | 4.0%2025 | 0.5%2025 | 6.4%2025 | 3.6%2025 |
| Youth NEET rate | 30.1%2024 | 20.9%2017 | 18.8%2022 | 15.7%2022 | 24.5%2025 | 34.3%2025 |
| Wage workers | 23.6%2025 | 69.8%2025 | 29.0%2025 | 10.5%2025 | 17.4%2025 | 35.7%2025 |