Armed forces personnel, total in Mali
Mali: Armed forces personnel, total was 41,000 in 2020. ▲ Rising
Armed forces personnel, total in Mali, 1985–2020
Source: The Military Balance, International Institute for Strategic Studies.
Analysis
The most recent figure for armed forces personnel, total in Mali is 41,000, measured in 2020. That is the highest value across all 33 years on record.
That represents a change of up 95.2% on the previous year and up 237.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, armed forces personnel, total in Mali peaked at 41,000 in 2020 and was at its lowest, 4,900, in 1985.
That places Mali 79th out of 173 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 33 years of available data.
Armed forces personnel, total in Mali, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1985 | 4,900 | — |
| 1989 | 8,000 | +63.3% |
| 1990 | 13,000 | +62.5% |
| 1991 | 13,000 | +0.0% |
| 1992 | 12,000 | -7.7% |
| 1993 | 12,000 | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 12,000 | +0.0% |
| 1995 | 15,200 | +26.7% |
| 1996 | 15,200 | +0.0% |
| 1997 | 15,150 | -0.3% |
| 1998 | 15,150 | +0.0% |
| 1999 | 15,200 | +0.3% |
| 2000 | 15,200 | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 15,200 | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 15,200 | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 12,200 | -19.7% |
| 2004 | 11,000 | -9.8% |
| 2005 | 12,000 | +9.1% |
| 2006 | 12,000 | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 12,000 | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 12,000 | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 12,150 | +1.2% |
| 2010 | 12,150 | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 12,150 | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 7,800 | -35.8% |
| 2013 | 11,800 | +51.3% |
| 2014 | 13,800 | +16.9% |
| 2015 | 15,800 | +14.5% |
| 2016 | 17,800 | +12.7% |
| 2017 | 18,000 | +1.1% |
| 2018 | 21,000 | +16.7% |
| 2019 | 21,000 | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 41,000 | +95.2% |
Mali compared with similar countries
- Mali's 41,000 is above the median for low income countries, which is 35,000, 1.2× the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Mali's 41,000 is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 16,000, 2.6× the median. (47 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Armed forces personnel, total in Mali changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | +95.2% | 21,000 | 41,000 |
| 1989 | +63.3% | 4,900 | 8,000 |
| 1990 | +62.5% | 8,000 | 13,000 |
| 2013 | +51.3% | 7,800 | 11,800 |
| 2012 | -35.8% | 12,150 | 7,800 |
| 1995 | +26.7% | 12,000 | 15,200 |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 6,450 | 4,900 | 8,000 | 2 |
| 1990s | 13,790 | 12,000 | 15,200 | 10 |
| 2000s | 12,895 | 11,000 | 15,200 | 10 |
| 2010s | 15,130 | 7,800 | 21,000 | 10 |
| 2020s | 41,000 | 41,000 | 41,000 | 1 |
Countries ranked near Mali
More public sector data for Mali
- Democracy, annual growth rate -100 % change on previous year (2020)
- Men's universal right to vote, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Universal right to vote, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Universal right to vote in practice, annual growth rate -100 % change on previous year (2020)
- Elected parliament, annual growth rate -100 % change on previous year (2020)
- Chief executive of the government is elected, annual growth rate -100 % change on previous year (2020)
- Democracy 0 (2025)
- Chief executive of the government is elected 0 (2025)
- Elected parliament 0 (2025)
- Men's universal right to vote 1 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is armed forces personnel, total in Mali?
- Armed forces personnel, total in Mali was 41,000 in 2020, according to The Military Balance, International Institute for Strategic Studies.
- What is the highest armed forces personnel, total recorded in Mali?
- The highest recorded value was 41,000 in 2020.
- What is the lowest armed forces personnel, total recorded in Mali?
- The lowest recorded value was 4,900 in 1985.
- How does Mali rank for armed forces personnel, total?
- Mali ranks 79th out of 173 countries with data for 2020.
- Is armed forces personnel, total rising or falling in Mali?
- Over the last ten years it is up 237.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Mali data come from?
- The figures come from The Military Balance, International Institute for Strategic Studies, published as part of Armed forces personnel, total. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Armed forces personnel are active duty military personnel, including paramilitary forces if the training, organization, equipment, and control suggest they may be used to support or replace regular military forces.