Editing Mali (section)

== Demographics ==
{{main|Demographics of Mali}}
[[File:Mali - Bozo girl in Bamako.jpg|thumb|upright|A [[Bozo people|Bozo]] girl in Bamako]]

{| class="wikitable floatleft"
|+ Population in Mali{{UN Population|ref}}
|-
! style="background:#cfb;"| Year
! style="background:#cfb;"| Million
|-
|style="text-align:left;"| 1950 ||style="text-align:right;"| 4.7
|-
|style="text-align:left;"| 2000 ||style="text-align:right;"| 11
|-
|style="text-align:left;"| {{UN Population|Year}} ||style="text-align:right;"| {{#expr:{{formatnum:{{UN Population|Mali}}|R}}/1e6 round 1}}
|}

In {{UN Population|Year}}, Mali's population was an estimated {{#expr:{{replace|{{UN Population|Mali}}|,||}}/1e6 round 1}}&nbsp;million.{{UN Population|ref}} Mali's population grew from 7.7&nbsp;million in 1982 to 19.9&nbsp;million in 2018.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SP.POP.TOTL?end=2018&locations=ML&name_desc=true&start=1982|title=Population, total {{!}} Data|website=data.worldbank.org|date=2022|access-date=31 May 2023|archive-date=18 May 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240518181332/https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SP.POP.TOTL?end=2018&locations=ML&name_desc=true&start=1982|url-status=live}}</ref> The population is predominantly rural (68% in 2002), and 5%–10% of Malians are [[nomad]]ic.<ref name="p6">[[#Prof|Mali country profile]], p. 6.</ref> More than 90% of the population lives in the southern part of the country, especially in [[Bamako]], which has over 2&nbsp;million residents.<ref name="p6" />

In 2024, about 47% of Malians were 14 years old or younger, 50% were 15–64 years old, and 3% were 65 and older.<ref name="CIA-2021-Mali" /> The median age was 16.4 years.<ref name="CIA-2021-Mali" /> The [[birth rate]] in 2024 was 40 births per 1,000, and the [[total fertility rate]] in 2024 was 5.35 children per woman.<ref name="CIA-2021-Mali" /> The [[death rate]] in 2024 was 8.1 deaths per 1,000.<ref name=CIA-2021-Mali/> [[Life expectancy]] at birth was 63.2 years total (60.9 for males and 65.6 for females).<ref name="CIA-2021-Mali" /> Mali has one of the [[List of countries by infant mortality rate|world's highest rates]] of [[infant mortality]],<ref name=p6/> with 57.4 deaths per 1,000 live births in 2024.<ref name="CIA-2021-Mali" />

=== Largest cities in Mali ===
{{main list|List of cities in Mali}}
{{Largest cities of Mali}}

=== Ethnic groups ===
[[File:Traveller_at_Bambara_wedding,_Mali,_West_Africa.tiff|thumb|left|A [[Bambara people|Bambara]] wedding in Mali, observed by a tourist]]
[[File:Mali_family.jpg|thumb|left|[[Fulani]] children in Mali]]
[[File:Mali1974-151 hg.jpg|thumb|left|The [[Tuareg people|Tuareg]] are nomadic inhabitants of northern Mali.]]

Mali's population encompasses a number of [[sub-Saharan]] ethnic groups. The [[Bambara people|Bambara]] are by far the largest single ethnic group, making up a third of the population.<ref name="CIA-2021-Mali"/> The largest ethnic groups are Bambara (33.3%), Fulani (Peuhl) (13.3%), Sarakole/Soninke/Marka (9.8%), Senufo/Manianka (9.6%), Malinke (8.8%), Dogon (8.7%), Sonrai (5.9%), Bobo (2.1%), Tuareg/Bella (1.7%), other Malian (6%), from members of Economic Community of West Africa (0.4%), other (0.3%) (2018 est.).<ref name="CIA-2021-Mali"/> In Mali and in [[Niger]], the Moors are also known as [[Azawagh Arabs]], named after the [[Azawagh]] region of the [[Sahara]]. They speak mainly [[Hassaniya Arabic]], one of the regional [[varieties of Arabic]].<ref>Popenoe, Rebecca (2003) ''Feeding Desire – Fatness, Beauty and Sexuality among a Saharan People''. Routledge, London. pp. 16–17. {{ISBN|0-415-28096-6}}</ref>

In the far north, there is a division between [[Berber people|Berber]]-descended [[Tuareg people|Tuareg]] nomad populations and the darker-skinned Bella or [[Tamasheq]] people, due to the historical spread of [[Slavery in Mali|slavery]] in the region. An estimated 800,000 people in Mali are descended from slaves.<ref name=slaves>{{cite news|last=Tran|first=Mark|title=Mali conflict puts freedom of 'slave descendants' in peril|newspaper=The Guardian |date=23 October 2012 |url=https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2012/oct/23/mali-conflict-freedom-slave-descendants-peril|access-date=24 November 2012 |location=London |archive-date=5 October 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131005100538/http://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2012/oct/23/mali-conflict-freedom-slave-descendants-peril |url-status=live}}</ref> [[Slavery]] has persisted in Mali for centuries.<ref>{{cite news |last=Fortin|first=Jacey|title=Mali's Other Crisis: Slavery Still Plagues Mali, And Insurgency Could Make It Worse|newspaper=International Business Times|date=16 January 2013 |url=http://www.ibtimes.com/malis-other-crisis-slavery-still-plagues-mali-insurgency-could-make-it-worse-1017280 |access-date=16 January 2013|archive-date=8 December 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141208102058/http://www.ibtimes.com/malis-other-crisis-slavery-still-plagues-mali-insurgency-could-make-it-worse-1017280|url-status=live}}</ref> The Arabic population kept slaves well into the 20th century, until slavery was suppressed by [[French Sudan|French authorities]] around the mid-20th century. There still persist certain hereditary servitude relationships,<ref>"[http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2002/12/1206_021205_salakkayak.html Kayaking to Timbuktu, Writer Sees Slave Trade] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171010190141/http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2002/12/1206_021205_salakkayak.html |date=10 October 2017 }}". National Geographic News. 5 December 2002.</ref><ref>"[http://www.kirasalak.com/Mali.html Kayaking to Timbuktu, Original National Geographic Adventure Article discussing Slavery in Mali] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100922151608/http://www.kirasalak.com/Mali.html |date=22 September 2010 }}". National Geographic Adventure. December 2002/January 2003.</ref> and according to some estimates, even today approximately 200,000 Malians are still enslaved.<ref>{{cite news|last=MacInnes-Rae|first=Rick|author-link=Rick MacInnes-Rae|title=Al-Qaeda complicating anti-slavery drive in Mali|publisher=CBC News |url=http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/al-qaeda-complicating-anti-slavery-drive-in-mali-1.1150057 |date=26 November 2012|access-date=25 April 2014|archive-date=5 March 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140305175918/http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/al-qaeda-complicating-anti-slavery-drive-in-mali-1.1150057|url-status=live}}</ref>

Some mixed European/African descendants of Muslims of [[Spanish people|Spanish]], as well as French, Irish, Italian and Portuguese origin, live in Mali, where they are known as the [[Arma people]] (1% of the nation's population).<ref>{{cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/cambridgehistory05fage|url-access=registration|title=The Cambridge History of Africa|first1=J. D.|last1=Fage|first2=Richard|last2=Gray|first3=Roland|last3=Oliver|date=1975|publisher=Cambridge University Press|isbn=9780521204132}}</ref>

Although Mali has enjoyed reasonably good inter-ethnic relationships based on a long history of coexistence, some hereditary servitude and bondage relationship exist, as well as ethnic tension between settled Songhai and nomadic Tuaregs of the north.<ref name=p6/> Due to a backlash against the northern population after independence, Mali is now in a situation where both groups complain about discrimination on the part of the other group.<ref>Hall, Bruce S. (2011) ''A History of Race in Muslim West Africa'', 1600–1960. Cambridge University Press. {{ISBN|9781107002876}}: "The mobilization of local ideas about racial difference has been important in generating, and intensifying, civil wars that have occurred since the end of colonial rule in all of the countries that straddle the southern edge of the Sahara Desert.{{nbsp}}... contemporary conflicts often hearken back to an older history in which blackness could be equated with slavery and non-blackness with predatory and uncivilized banditry." (cover text)</ref> This conflict also plays a role in the continuing [[Northern Mali conflict (2012–present)|Northern Mali conflict]] where there is a tension between both Tuaregs and the Malian government, and the Tuaregs and radical [[Islamist]]s who are trying to establish [[sharia law]].<ref>Hirsch, Afua (6 July 2012) [https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2012/jul/06/mali-war-over-skin-colour Mali's conflict and a 'war over skin colour'] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170211081540/https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2012/jul/06/mali-war-over-skin-colour |date=11 February 2017 }}, ''The Guardian''.</ref>

There is also a small [[History of the Jews in Mali|Jewish]] community in Mali.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/mali-virtual-jewish-history-tour|title=Mali Virtual Jewish History Tour}}</ref>

=== Languages ===
{{bar box
|title=Spoken Languages in Mali (2009 Census)<ref name="instat-mali.org">{{cite web |url=http://www.instat-mali.org/contenu/rgph/tdemo09_rgph.pdf |title=4ème Recensement General de la Population et de L'Habitat du Mali (RGPH) |language=French |publisher=Institut National de la Statistique |access-date=25 January 2020 |archive-date=11 January 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200111002517/http://www.instat-mali.org/contenu/rgph/tdemo09_rgph.pdf }}</ref>
|titlebar=#ddd
|left1=Spoken Languages
|right1=percent
|float=right
|bars=
{{bar percent|[[Bambara language|Bambara]]|darkgreen|51.82}}
{{bar percent|[[Fula language|Fula]]|purple|8.29}}
{{bar percent|[[Dogon language|Dogon]]|red|6.48}}
{{bar percent|[[Soninké language|Maraka / Soninké]]|black|5.69}}
{{bar percent|[[Songhai language|Songhai]] / [[Zarma language|Zarma]]|orange|5.27}}
{{bar percent|[[Mandinka language|Mandinka]]|green|5.12}}
{{bar percent|[[Minyanka language|Minyanka]]|darkblue|3.77}}
{{bar percent|[[Tamasheq language|Tamasheq]]|pink|3.18}}
{{bar percent|[[Senufo language|Senufo]]|darkred|2.03}}
{{bar percent|[[Bobo language|Bobo]]|gray|1.89}}
{{bar percent|[[Bozo language|Bozo]]|red|1.58}}
{{bar percent|[[Kassonke language|Kassonké]]|lime|1.07}}
{{bar percent|[[Hassaniya Arabic|Maure]]|violet|1}}
{{bar percent|[[Samogo languages|Samogo]]|purple|0.43}}
{{bar percent|[[Marka language|Dafing]]|yellow|0.41}}
{{bar percent|[[Arabic]] (other dialects)|brown|0.33}}
{{bar percent|[[Hausa language|Hausa]]|black|0.03}}
{{bar percent|[[Languages of Mali|Other Malian]]|green|0.49}}
{{bar percent|[[Languages of Africa|Other African]]|orange|0.18}}
{{bar percent|Other foreign|red|0.18}}
{{bar percent|Not Stated|pink|0.75}}
}}
{{bar box
|title=Mother Tongues in Mali (2009 Census)<ref name="instat-mali.org" />
|titlebar=#ddd
|left1=Mother Tongues
|right1=percent
|float=right
|bars=
{{bar percent|[[Bambara language|Bambara]]|darkgreen|46.5}}
{{bar percent|[[Fula language|Fula]]|purple|9.39}}
{{bar percent|[[Dogon language|Dogon]]|red|7.12}}
{{bar percent|[[Soninké language|Maraka / Soninké]]|black|6.33}}
{{bar percent|[[Mandinka language|Mandinka]]|green|5.6}}
{{bar percent|[[Songhai language|Songhai]] / [[Zarma language|Zarma]]|orange|5.58}}
{{bar percent|[[Minianka language|Minianka]]|darkblue|4.29}}
{{bar percent|[[Tamasheq language|Tamasheq]]|pink|3.4}}
{{bar percent|[[Senufo language|Senufo]]|darkred|2.56}}
{{bar percent|[[Bobo language|Bobo]]|gray|2.15}}
{{bar percent|[[Bozo language|Bozo]]|red|1.85}}
{{bar percent|[[Kassonke language|Kassonké]]|lime|1.17}}
{{bar percent|[[Hassaniya Arabic|Maure]]|violet|1.1}}
{{bar percent|[[Samogo languages|Samogo]]|yellow|0.5}}
{{bar percent|[[Marka language|Dafing]]|purple|0.46}}
{{bar percent|[[Arabic]] (other dialects)|brown|0.34}}
{{bar percent|[[Hausa language|Hausa]]|black|0.04}}
{{bar percent|[[Languages of Mali|Other Malian]]|green|0.55}}
{{bar percent|[[Languages of Africa|Other African]]|orange|0.31}}
{{bar percent|Other Foreign|red|0.08}}
{{bar percent|Not Stated|pink|0.69}}
}}
{{Main| Languages of Mali}}
In January 2022, due to deteriorating relations between Mali and the French government, the Mali government announced making Bambara the official language.<ref name=2022endfrench>{{cite web |url=https://edition.cnn.com/2022/01/31/africa/mali-french-ambassador-expelled-intl/index.html |title=Mali's military rulers say French ambassador has 72 hours to leave the country |publisher=CNN |date=31 January 2022 |access-date=14 February 2022 |archive-date=13 February 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220213181820/https://edition.cnn.com/2022/01/31/africa/mali-french-ambassador-expelled-intl/index.html |url-status=live }}</ref> In July 2023, [[French language|French]] was dropped as an official language, becoming instead a [[working language]].<ref name="Lingua 2023"/> At the same time, the 13 national languages,<ref name="LangNat"/> namely [[Bambara language|Bambara]], [[Bobo language|Bobo]], [[Bozo language|Bozo]], [[Dogon languages|Dogon]], [[Fula language|Fula]], [[Hassaniya Arabic]], [[Kassonke language|Kassonke]], [[Maninka language|Maninke]], [[Minyanka language|Minyanka]], [[Senufo languages|Senufo]], the [[Songhay languages|Songhai]], [[Soninke language|Soninke]] and [[Tamasheq language|Tamasheq]], became official languages.<ref name="Lingua 2023"/> The ''[[lingua franca]]'' in Mali is mainly [[Bambara language|Bambara]], which about 80 percent of the population can communicate in.<ref name=p6/> Over 40 other [[African languages]] are spoken by the various ethnic groups of Mali.<ref name=p6/>

According to the 2009 census, the languages spoken natively in Mali were [[Bambara language|Bambara]] by 51.5%, [[Fula language|Fula]] (8.3%), [[Dogon language|Dogon]] (6.6%) [[Soninké language|Soninké]] (5.7%), [[Songhay languages|Songhai]] (5.3%), [[Mandinka language|Mandinka]] (5.2%), [[Minianka language|Minianka]] (3.8%), [[Tamasheq language|Tamasheq]] (3.2%), [[Sénoufo language|Sénoufo]] (2%), [[Bobo language|Bobo]] (1.9%), [[Bozo language|Tieyaxo Bozo]] (1.6%), [[Kassonke language|Kassonké]] (1.1%), [[Hassaniya Arabic|Maure]] or [[Hassaniya Arabic]] (1%), [[Marka language|Dafing]] (0.4%), [[Samogo languages|Samogo]] (0.4%), [[Arabic]] (other dialects) (0.3%), other [[Languages of Mali|Malian languages]] (0.5%), other African languages (0.2%), and other non-African languages (0.2%); 0.7% did not declare their first language.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.instat-mali.org/contenu/rgph/rastr09_rgph.pdf |title=4ème RECENSEMENT GENERAL DE LA POPULATION ET DE L'HABITAT DU MALI (RGPH-2009) |publisher=Mali National Institute of Statistics |language=fr |trans-title=4th GENERAL POPULATION CENSUS AND HABITAT OF MALI (RGPH-2009) |access-date=14 December 2019 |archive-date=19 August 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190819064921/http://www.instat-mali.org/contenu/rgph/rastr09_rgph.pdf }}</ref>

=== Religion ===
{{main|Religion in Mali}}
{{bar box
|title=[[Religion in Mali]]<ref name = IRFR/>
|titlebar=#ddd
|left1=Religion
|right1=Percent
|float=right
|bars=
{{bar percent|[[Islam in Mali|Islam]]|green|90}}
{{bar percent|Christianity|blue|5}}
{{bar percent|[[Indigenous religion|Indigenous]]|red|5}}
}}

[[File:Mosque entrance (6862566).jpg|thumb|upright|An entrance to the Djinguereber mosque]]

Islam was introduced to West Africa in the 11th century and remains the predominant religion in much of the region. An estimated 90% of Malians are [[Islam in Mali|Muslim]] (mostly [[Non-denominational Muslim|non-denominational]] and [[Sunni]]<ref name="pew">{{cite web | url=http://www.pewforum.org/uploadedFiles/Topics/Religious_Affiliation/Muslim/the-worlds-muslims-full-report.pdf | title=The World's Muslims: Unity and Diversity | access-date=2 June 2014 | date=9 August 2012 | publisher=Pew Forum on Religious & Public life | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121024125551/http://www.pewforum.org/uploadedFiles/Topics/Religious_Affiliation/Muslim/the-worlds-muslims-full-report.pdf | archive-date=24 October 2012 | df=dmy-all }}</ref>), approximately 5% are Christian (about two-thirds [[Roman Catholicism in Mali|Roman Catholic]] and one-third [[Protestantism|Protestant]]) and the remaining 5% adhere to [[traditional African religions]] such as the [[Dogon religion]].<ref name = IRFR>[https://2009-2017.state.gov/j/drl/rls/irf/2008/108379.htm International Religious Freedom Report 2008: Mali] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200118035332/https://2009-2017.state.gov/j/drl/rls/irf/2008/108379.htm |date=18 January 2020 }}. State.gov (19 September 2008). Retrieved 4 May 2012.</ref> [[Atheism]] and [[agnosticism]] are believed to be rare among Malians, most of whom practise their religion daily.<ref name=p7/>

The constitution establishes a [[secular state]] and provides for [[freedom of religion]], and the government largely respects this right.<ref name=p7/>

Islam as historically practised in Mali has been malleable and adapted to local conditions; relations between Muslims and practitioners of minority religious faiths have generally been amicable.<ref name=p7/>
After the 2012 imposition of [[sharia]] rule in northern parts of the country, however, Mali came to be listed high (number 7) in the Christian persecution index published by [[Open Doors]], which described the persecution in the north as severe.<ref name = DeutscheWelle>[http://www.dw.de/report-points-to-100-million-persecuted-christians/a-16507067 Report points to 100 million persecuted Christians.] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150406223430/http://www.dw.de/report-points-to-100-million-persecuted-christians/a-16507067 |date=6 April 2015 }}. Retrieved 10 January 2013.</ref><ref name = OpenDoor>[http://www.worldwatchlist.us/ OPEN DOORS World Watch list 2012] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191210101952/https://worldwatchlist.us/ |date=10 December 2019 }}. Worldwatchlist.us. Retrieved 24 March 2013.</ref>

=== Education ===
{{main|Education in Mali}}
[[File:Lycéens kati.jpg|thumb|left|High school students in [[Kati]]]]

Public education in Mali is in principle provided free of charge and is compulsory for nine years between the ages of seven and sixteen.<ref name=p7/> The system encompasses six years of primary education beginning at age 7, followed by six years of secondary education.<ref name=p7/> Mali's actual primary school enrolment rate is low, in large part because families are unable to cover the cost of uniforms, books, supplies, and other fees required to attend.<ref name=p7/>

In 2017, the primary school enrolment rate was 61% (65% of males and 58% of females).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://datatopics.worldbank.org/education/country/mali|title=Education Statistics|website=datatopics.worldbank.org|access-date=19 November 2019|archive-date=7 May 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210507101442/https://datatopics.worldbank.org/education/country/mali|url-status=live}}</ref> In the late 1990s, the secondary school enrolment rate was 15% (20% of males and 10% of females).<ref name=p7/> The education system is plagued by a lack of schools in rural areas, as well as shortages of teachers and materials.<ref name=p7/>

Estimates of literacy rates in Mali range from 27–30 to 46.4%, with literacy rates significantly lower among women than men.<ref name=p7/> The [[University of Bamako]], which includes four constituent universities, is the largest university in the country and enrols approximately 60,000 undergraduate and graduate students.<ref>{{cite web|title=Université de Bamako – Bamako, Mali|url=http://globalhealth.northwestern.edu/meded/current-affiliations/Bamako_Mali.html|publisher=Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine|access-date=8 July 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130513192022/http://globalhealth.northwestern.edu/MedEd/current-affiliations/Bamako_Mali.html|archive-date=13 May 2013}}</ref>

=== Health ===
{{main|Health in Mali}}

Mali faces numerous health challenges related to poverty, [[malnutrition]], and inadequate [[hygiene]] and [[sanitation]].<ref name=p7>[[#Prof|Mali country profile]], p. 7.</ref> Mali's health and development indicators rank among the worst in the world.<ref name=p7/> Life expectancy at birth is estimated to be 63.2 years in 2024.<ref name="CIA-2021-Mali"/> In 2000, 62–65% of the population was estimated to have access to safe drinking water and only 69% to sanitation services of some kind.<ref name=p7/> In 2001, the general government expenditures on health totaled about US$4 per capita at an average exchange rate.<ref name=p8>[[#Prof|Mali country profile]], p. 8.</ref>

Efforts have been made to improve nutrition, and reduce associated health problems, by encouraging women to make nutritious versions of local recipes. For example, the [[International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics]] (ICRISAT) and the [[Aga Khan Foundation]], trained women's groups to make ''equinut'', a healthy and nutritional version of the traditional recipe ''di-dèguè'' (comprising peanut paste, honey and millet or rice flour). The aim was to boost nutrition and livelihoods by producing a product that women could make and sell, and which would be accepted by the local community because of its local heritage.<ref>[http://www.impatientoptimists.org/Posts/2013/04/Nourishing-Communities-Through-Holistic-Farming ''Nourishing communities through holistic farming''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181006235945/https://www.impatientoptimists.org/Posts/2013/04/Nourishing-Communities-Through-Holistic-Farming |date=6 October 2018 }}, Impatient optimists, [[Gates Foundation]]. 30 April 2013.</ref>

[[File:Village Telly in Mali.jpg|thumb|Village in the [[Sahel]] region]]

Medical facilities in Mali are very limited, and medicines are in short supply.<ref name=p8/> [[Malaria]] and other [[arthropod]]-borne diseases are prevalent in Mali, as are a number of [[infectious disease]]s such as [[cholera]] and [[tuberculosis]].<ref name=p8/> Mali's population also suffers from a high rate of child malnutrition and a low rate of [[immunization]].<ref name=p8/> An estimated 1.9% of the adult and children population was afflicted with HIV/AIDS that year,{{clarify|date=January 2019}} among the lowest rates in [[Sub-Saharan Africa]].<ref name=p8/> An estimated 85%–91% of Mali's girls and women have had [[female genital mutilation]] (2006 and 2001 data).<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20090716094114/http://www.who.int/reproductivehealth/topics/fgm/prevalence/en/index.html WHO | Female genital mutilation and other harmful practices]. Who.int (6 May 2011). Retrieved 4 May 2012.</ref><ref>[http://dhsprogram.com/pubs/pdf/CR7/CR7.pdf Female genital cutting in the Demographic Health Surveys: a critical and comparative analysis. Calverton, MD: ORC Marco; 2004 (DHS Comparative Reports No. 7)] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140426233743/http://dhsprogram.com/pubs/pdf/CR7/CR7.pdf |date=26 April 2014 }}. (PDF). Retrieved 18 January 2013.</ref>

In 2024, approximately 7.1 million people in Mali, including over 3.8 million children, require urgent humanitarian assistance due to escalating conflict and climate crises. [[UNICEF]] is amplifying its efforts to provide essential services like health, education, and protection, while appealing for $133.5 million to address these needs. The situation is dire, with over 522,000 children lacking access to education and millions at risk of malnutrition amid underfunded humanitarian responses. Urgent action is needed to mitigate the impacts of violence, insecurity and climate change on vulnerable populations in Mali.<ref>{{Cite web |title=In Mali, more than half of the 7.1 million people requiring humanitarian assistance in 2024 are children. |url=https://www.unicef.org/mali/en/press-releases/mali-more-half-71-million-people-requiring-humanitarian-assistance-2024-are-children }}</ref>

=== Gender equality ===
In 2017, Mali ranked 157th out of 160 countries in the gender inequality index as reported by the [[United Nations Development Programme]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://hdr.undp.org/sites/all/themes/hdr_theme/country-notes/MLI.pdf|title=Human Development Indices and Indicators: 2018 Statistical Update: Mali|website=United Nations Development Programme|access-date=24 November 2018|archive-date=25 March 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190325093238/http://hdr.undp.org/sites/all/themes/hdr_theme/country-notes/MLI.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref> The Malian Constitution states that it protects women's rights, however many laws exist that discriminate against women.<ref name=":02">{{cite web|url=http://www.omct.org/files/2004/07/2409/eng_2003_07_mali.pdf|title=Violence against Women in Mali|date=7 July 2004|website=World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT)|access-date=24 November 2018|archive-date=8 August 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190808040337/http://www.omct.org/files/2004/07/2409/eng_2003_07_mali.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref> Provisions in the laws limit women's decision-making power after marriage, in which the husband becomes superior to his wife.<ref name=":02" /> Women are blamed for not maintaining the appearance of their husbands and are also blamed for the actions of their children if they misbehave, which encourages the cultural attitude that women are inferior to men.<ref name=":02" /> The lack of participation of women in politics is due to the idea that politics is associated with men and that women should avoid this sector.<ref name=":02" /> Education is also an area in which boys dominate, since it is a better investment for the parents.<ref name=":02" /> As traditional values and practices have contributed to gender inequality in Mali, conflict and lawlessness have also influenced the growing gap in gender through gender-based violence.<ref name=":2">{{cite web|url=https://www.usaid.gov/sites/default/files/documents/1860/Mali%20Gender%20Assessment%20Addendum%20Final.pdf|title=USAID MALI:ADDENDUM TO THE 2012 GENDER ASSESSMENT|date=May 2015|website=United States Agency of International Development|access-date=24 November 2018|archive-date=5 September 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180905122408/https://www.usaid.gov/sites/default/files/documents/1860/Mali%20Gender%20Assessment%20Addendum%20Final.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref> The unstable government of Mali has led to organizations like USAID attempting to improve the lives of the people, mainly women and girls' rights in order to re-engage the development of the country.<ref name=":2" />

==== Gender relations ====
Religion, the patriarchal norms, and [[gender-based violence]] are major negative factors shaping the life of women in Mali.<ref name=":1">{{cite web|url=http://www.undp.org/content/dam/undp/library/Democratic%20Governance/Women-s%20Empowerment/MaliFinal%20-%20HiRes.pdf|title=GENDER EQUALITY AND WOMEN'S EMPOWERMENT IN PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION: MALI CASE STUDY|date=2012|website=United Nations Development Programme|access-date=24 November 2018|archive-date=18 December 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181218054809/http://www.undp.org/content/dam/undp/library/Democratic%20Governance/Women-s%20Empowerment/MaliFinal%20-%20HiRes.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref> Patriarchal norms cause major gender inequalities and lead to male domination within the household.<ref name=":1" /> Girls learn household activities like chores, cooking, childcare, etc. at a young age and are expected to take the main responsibility of household chores throughout their life. This hampers women's ability to enter the formal workforce and leads to a lack of education of girls.<ref name=":1" /> Gender-based violence in Mali happens both on a national and a family level. At the national level, in 2012 the conflict in the Northern part of the country increased cases of kidnappings and rapes.<ref name=":2" /> The conflict also reduced women's access to resources, economy, and opportunities.<ref name=":2" /> At the household level, Malian women face gender-based violence through domestic violence, forced marriages, and marital rape.<ref name=":02" /> The Demographic Health Survey for Mali in 2013 stated that 76% of women and 54% of men believed physical harm towards women was acceptable if the women burnt food, argued back, went out without notifying her husband, or refused sexual relations with her husband.<ref name=":2" /> In 2024, Mali officials approved a bill criminalising [[LGBTQ rights in Mali|homosexual relations]] between same-sex couples.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Billson |first=Chantelle |date=2024-11-05 |title=Mali moves to criminalise homosexuality for the first time with new anti-gay law |url=https://www.thepinknews.com/2024/11/05/mali-moves-to-criminalise-homosexuality-with-new-anti-gay-law/ |access-date=2024-11-20 |website=PinkNews}}</ref>

==== Area of opportunity ====
The lack of education has increased gender inequality in Mali because not many women are working outside the household are even participating in the Public Administration sector.<ref name=":1" /> After adjusting the entrance requirements and access to education, girls still have lower enrollment rates and less access to formal education.<ref name=":1" /> Drop-out rates for girls are 15% higher than that of boys because they have a higher responsibility at home and most parents refuse to allow all their children to go to school, so boys tend to become educated.<ref name=":1" /> Similarly, technical and vocational education has a lower numbers of girls participating and are inadequately distributed in the country because the training centers are focused in the urban cities.<ref name=":1" /> Finally, higher education for girls consist of short programs because early marriages prevent most girls from pursuing a longer term education program like those in science.<ref name=":1" /> Although women do not have the same access of education, in recent decades women have been entering and representing in decision-making positions in the Public Administration sector.<ref name=":1" /> Out of 147 members of Parliament, 15 were women in 2010.<ref name=":1" /> Recent decades show that women are slowly joining important decision-making positions which is changing the attitude and status of women in Mali, which has led to the promotion of women's rights in the political sphere.<ref name=":1" />

==== Efforts ====
Legislation at the international and national levels have been implemented over the decades to help promote women's rights in Mali.<ref name=":1" /> At the international, Mali signed the [[Beijing Platform for Action]] which suggest that women should participate in decision-making and the convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women which is the foundation to women's rights promotion.<ref name=":1" /> At the national level, Mali's Constitution has the Decree No. 092-073P-CTSP that claims equality to all Malian citizens and discrimination is prohibited, which has not been followed.<ref name=":1" /> The Poverty Reduction Strategy Programme (PRSP) and the Growth and Poverty Reduction Strategy Programme under the Malian Government seek to improve the well-being of the citizens, and changes to governance and gender in the country.<ref name=":1" /> The Ministry for Advancement of Women, Children and the Family was created specifically for women and children so that their basics rights and needs get met under the law.<ref name=":1" /> Although there exists legislation and policy for gender equality the institutionalization of the National Gender Policy of Mali is necessary to support the importance of women's rights.<ref name=":1" /> Strengthening and the support of girls' and women's access to education and training is recommended to improve gender equality in Mali.<ref name=":1" /> The involvement of international organizations like USAID assist Mali financially to enhance their development through the efforts of the improvement of women's rights.<ref name=":2" />