Mali vs Nigeria
Mali vs Nigeria: Government debt
Government debt in 2025: 40.3% of GDP in Mali and 36.1% of GDP in Nigeria, by IMF estimates. In 2025 the value was higher in Mali, by 4.3 percentage points, or 1.12 times that in Nigeria.
% of GDP · IMF
What the numbers say
- Mali has been higher in every year both have figures for since 2000.
- In 2025, Mali ranked 105 and Nigeria ranked 114 of 149 countries, counting from the highest.
- The IMF projection (World Economic Outlook, October 2026) puts Mali at 39.8% of GDP and Nigeria at 31.9% of GDP in 2031.
Every year
% of GDP · IMF
| Year | Mali | Nigeria |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 40.3 | 36.1 |
| 2024 | 44 | 39.3 |
| 2023 | 44.2 | 36.3 |
| 2022 | 43 | 29.8 |
| 2021 | 43.2 | 26.6 |
| 2020 | 39.9 | 25.7 |
| 2019 | 34.3 | 21.4 |
| 2018 | 31.4 | 20.4 |
| 2017 | 30.2 | 18 |
| 2016 | 30.1 | 17.4 |
| 2015 | 25.8 | 14.9 |
| 2014 | 22.6 | 15.8 |
| 2013 | 22.2 | 13 |
| 2012 | 21.3 | 12.5 |
| 2011 | 20.1 | 12.4 |
| 2010 | 21.8 | 6.7 |
| 2009 | 18.8 | 6.1 |
| 2008 | 17.3 | 5.2 |
| 2007 | 15.6 | 5.8 |
| 2006 | 15.4 | 6.7 |
| 2005 | 39.5 | 13.5 |
| 2004 | 36.1 | 25.2 |
| 2003 | 37.7 | 29.9 |
| 2002 | 36 | 30.7 |
| 2001 | 66.3 | 37.7 |
| 2000 | 77 | 40.9 |
| 1999 | – | 46.1 |
| 1998 | – | 15.8 |
| 1997 | – | 17.1 |
| 1996 | – | 17.9 |
| 1995 | – | 24.2 |
| 1994 | – | 39.7 |
| 1993 | – | 50.4 |
| 1992 | – | 49.8 |
| 1991 | – | 53.2 |
| 1990 | – | 50.9 |
IMF projection (World Economic Outlook, October 2026) · 2026–2031
| Year | Mali | Nigeria |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 39.7 | 34.7 |
| 2027 | 39 | 32.8 |
| 2028 | 38.9 | 32.9 |
| 2029 | 39.1 | 32.5 |
| 2030 | 39.4 | 32.2 |
| 2031 | 39.8 | 31.9 |
Each country on its own
Good to know
- What the government owes, as a share of the economy’s yearly output.
- Source: IMF, World Economic Outlook, October 2026.
- The dashed line is the IMF projection (World Economic Outlook, October 2026), a scenario rather than a forecast.
- Ranks count the 149 countries with a value in 2025, highest first.
How the layers work, where their data comes from and what they can’t tell you: Countries through time
Mali vs Nigeria
Health
- Life expectancyMali: 60.4 years in 2023Nigeria: 54.5 years in 2023
- Child mortalityMali: 7.3 per 100 live births in 2024Nigeria: 11.6 per 100 live births in 2024
- Infant mortalityMali: 60.8 per 1,000 live births in 2023Nigeria: 69.5 per 1,000 live births in 2023
- DepressionMali: 3.01% in 2017Nigeria: 3.92% in 2017
- Suicide rateMali: 6.8 per 100,000 people in 2017Nigeria: 7.5 per 100,000 people in 2017
People
- PopulationMali: 23.8 million people in 2023Nigeria: 228 million people in 2023
- Population growthMali: 2.97% a year in 2023Nigeria: 2.1% a year in 2023
- Fertility rateMali: 5.61 births per woman in 2023Nigeria: 4.48 births per woman in 2023
- Urban populationMali: 32.2% in 2025Nigeria: 63.8% in 2025
- Median ageMali: 15.5 years in 2023Nigeria: 17.8 years in 2023
- People aged 65 and overMali: 2.4% in 2023Nigeria: 3% in 2023
- Net migration rateMali: -1.7 per 1,000 people in 2023Nigeria: -0.3 per 1,000 people in 2023
Economy
Education
Politics
Conflict
Military
- Military spendingMali: 3.87% of GDP in 2025Nigeria: 0.91% of GDP in 2025
- Military spending in US dollarsMali: $883M in 2025Nigeria: $1.76B in 2025
- Military spending per personMali: $38 in 2025Nigeria: $9 in 2025
- Military share of state spendingMali: 14.8% of government spending in 2025Nigeria: 5.9% of government spending in 2025
- Armed forces personnelMali: 41,000 people in 2020Nigeria: 223,000 people in 2020
- National powerMali: 0.1% of world capability in 2022Nigeria: 1.16% of world capability in 2022
- Armed forces, share of workersMali: 0.54% of the labour force in 2020Nigeria: 0.23% of the labour force in 2020
- Arms importsMali: 64 million TIV in 2025Nigeria: 21 million TIV in 2025