Burkina Faso vs Mali
Burkina Faso vs Mali: Adult literacy
Adult literacy: 41.6% in Burkina Faso in 2023 and 35.6% in Mali in 2024, by UNESCO estimates. In 2018 the value was higher in Burkina Faso, by 3.9 percentage points, or 1.11 times that in Mali.
% of adults · UNESCO
What the numbers say
- Burkina Faso has been higher since 2018, when it overtook Mali.
- The world as a whole: 86.8% in 2018.
Every year
% of adults · UNESCO
| Year | Burkina Faso | Mali | World |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | – | 35.6 | 87.7 |
| 2023 | 41.6 | – | 87.6 |
| 2022 | 40.9 | – | 87.4 |
| 2021 | 37 | – | 87.2 |
| 2020 | – | – | 87 |
| 2019 | 29.7 | – | 86.8 |
| 2018 | 39.4 | 35.5 | 86.8 |
| 2017 | – | – | 86.5 |
| 2016 | – | – | 86.3 |
| 2015 | – | 33.1 | 86 |
| 2014 | 34.6 | – | 85.6 |
| 2013 | – | – | 85.2 |
| 2012 | – | – | 84.9 |
| 2011 | – | 30.6 | 84.7 |
| 2010 | – | 31.1 | 84.4 |
| 2009 | – | – | 83.8 |
| 2008 | – | – | 83.5 |
| 2007 | 27.9 | – | 83.1 |
| 2006 | 22.5 | 26.2 | 82.5 |
| 2005 | 23.5 | – | 82.6 |
| 2004 | – | – | 82.6 |
| 2003 | 21.8 | 24 | 82.2 |
| 2002 | – | – | 81.7 |
| 2001 | – | – | 81.4 |
| 2000 | – | – | 81.1 |
| 1999 | – | – | 80.9 |
| 1998 | – | 19 | 80.5 |
| 1997 | – | – | 79.3 |
| 1996 | 12.9 | – | 77.3 |
| 1995 | – | – | 76.9 |
| 1994 | – | – | 76.4 |
| 1993 | – | – | 76 |
| 1992 | – | – | 75.5 |
| 1991 | 13.6 | – | 75.1 |
| 1990 | – | – | 74.6 |
| 1989 | – | – | 74.1 |
| 1988 | – | – | 73.6 |
| 1987 | – | – | 71.9 |
| 1986 | – | – | 71.3 |
| 1985 | – | – | 70.7 |
| 1984 | – | – | 70.2 |
| 1983 | – | – | 69.5 |
| 1982 | – | – | 68.9 |
| 1981 | – | – | 68.4 |
| 1980 | – | – | 67.8 |
| 1979 | – | – | 67.2 |
| 1978 | – | – | 66.5 |
| 1977 | – | – | 65.9 |
| 1976 | – | 9.4 | 65.6 |
| 1975 | 8.8 | – | 65.4 |
Each country on its own
Good to know
- The share of people aged 15 and over who can read and write a short, simple statement about their everyday life.
- Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics, via the World Bank.
- The faint line is the world as a whole, as the same source counts it.
How the layers work, where their data comes from and what they can’t tell you: Countries through time
Burkina Faso vs Mali
Health
- Life expectancyBurkina Faso: 61.1 years in 2023Mali: 60.4 years in 2023
- Child mortalityBurkina Faso: 7.5 per 100 live births in 2024Mali: 7.3 per 100 live births in 2024
- Infant mortalityBurkina Faso: 52.3 per 1,000 live births in 2023Mali: 60.8 per 1,000 live births in 2023
- DepressionBurkina Faso: 3.69% in 2017Mali: 3.01% in 2017
- Suicide rateBurkina Faso: 13.2 per 100,000 people in 2017Mali: 6.8 per 100,000 people in 2017
People
- PopulationBurkina Faso: 23 million people in 2023Mali: 23.8 million people in 2023
- Population growthBurkina Faso: 2.26% a year in 2023Mali: 2.97% a year in 2023
- Fertility rateBurkina Faso: 4.19 births per woman in 2023Mali: 5.61 births per woman in 2023
- Urban populationBurkina Faso: 28.9% in 2025Mali: 32.2% in 2025
- Median ageBurkina Faso: 17.3 years in 2023Mali: 15.5 years in 2023
- People aged 65 and overBurkina Faso: 2.6% in 2023Mali: 2.4% in 2023
- Net migration rateBurkina Faso: -1.1 per 1,000 people in 2023Mali: -1.7 per 1,000 people in 2023
Economy
Education
Politics
Conflict
Military
- Military spendingBurkina Faso: 3.3% of GDP in 2025Mali: 3.87% of GDP in 2025
- Military spending in US dollarsBurkina Faso: $844M in 2025Mali: $883M in 2025
- Military spending per personBurkina Faso: $37 in 2025Mali: $38 in 2025
- Military share of state spendingBurkina Faso: 13.2% of government spending in 2025Mali: 14.8% of government spending in 2025
- Armed forces personnelBurkina Faso: 11,000 people in 2020Mali: 41,000 people in 2020
- National powerBurkina Faso: 0.09% of world capability in 2022Mali: 0.1% of world capability in 2022
- Armed forces, share of workersBurkina Faso: 0.12% of the labour force in 2020Mali: 0.54% of the labour force in 2020
- Arms importsBurkina Faso: 34 million TIV in 2025Mali: 64 million TIV in 2025