2015 Edition
CIA World Factbook 2015 Archive (Wayback Machine ZIP)
Introduction
Background
The Sudanese Republic and Senegal became independent of France in 1960 as the Mali Federation. When Senegal withdrew after only a few months, what formerly made up the Sudanese Republic was renamed Mali. Rule by dictatorship was brought to a close in 1991 by a military coup that ushered in a period of democratic rule. President Alpha KONARE won Mali's first two democratic presidential elections in 1992 and 1997. In keeping with Mali's two-term constitutional limit, he stepped down in 2002 and was succeeded by Amadou Toumani TOURE, who was elected to a second term in a 2007 election that was widely judged to be free and fair. Malian returnees from Libya in 2011 exacerbated tensions in northern Mali, and Tuareg ethnic militias rebelled in January 2012. Low- and mid-level soldiers, frustrated with the poor handling of the rebellion, overthrew TOURE on 22 March. Intensive mediation efforts led by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) returned power to a civilian administration in April with the appointment of Interim President Dioncounda TRAORE. The post-coup chaos led to rebels expelling the Malian military from the country's three northern regions and allowed Islamic militants to set up strongholds. Hundreds of thousands of northern Malians fled the violence to southern Mali and neighboring countries, exacerbating regional food shortages in host communities. An international military intervention to retake the three northern regions began in January 2013 and within a month most of the north had been retaken. In a democratic presidential election conducted in July and August of 2013, Ibrahim Boubacar KEITA was elected president.
Geography
Area
- land
- 1,220,190 sq km
- total
- 1,240,192 sq km
- water
- 20,002 sq km
Area - comparative
slightly less than twice the size of Texas
Climate
subtropical to arid; hot and dry (February to June); rainy, humid, and mild (June to November); cool and dry (November to February)
Coastline
0 km (landlocked)
Elevation extremes
- highest point
- Hombori Tondo 1,155 m
- lowest point
- Senegal River 23 m
Environment - current issues
deforestation; soil erosion; desertification; inadequate supplies of potable water; poaching
Environment - international agreements
- party to
- Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands, Whaling
- signed, but not ratified
- none of the selected agreements
Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural)
- per capita
- 545.4 cu m/yr (2000)
- total
- 6.55 cu km/yr (9%/1%/90%)
Geographic coordinates
17 00 N, 4 00 W
Geography - note
landlocked; divided into three natural zones: the southern, cultivated Sudanese; the central, semiarid Sahelian; and the northern, arid Saharan
Irrigated land
2,358 sq km (2003)
Land boundaries
- border countries (7)
- Algeria 1,359 km, Burkina Faso 1,325 km, Cote d'Ivoire 599 km, Guinea 1,062 km, Mauritania 2,236 km, Niger 838 km, Senegal 489 km
- total
- 7,908 km
Land use
- arable land 5.6%; permanent crops 0.1%; permanent pasture 28.4%
- agricultural land
- 34.1%
- forest
- 10.2%
- other
- 55.7% (2011 est.)
Location
interior Western Africa, southwest of Algeria, north of Guinea, Cote d'Ivoire, and Burkina Faso, west of Niger
Map references
Africa
Maritime claims
none (landlocked)
Natural hazards
hot, dust-laden harmattan haze common during dry seasons; recurring droughts; occasional Niger River flooding
Natural resources
- gold, phosphates, kaolin, salt, limestone, uranium, gypsum, granite, hydropower
- note
- bauxite, iron ore, manganese, tin, and copper deposits are known but not exploited
Terrain
mostly flat to rolling northern plains covered by sand; savanna in south, rugged hills in northeast
Total renewable water resources
100 cu km (2011)
People and Society
Age structure
- 0-14 years
- 47.44% (male 4,038,801/female 4,005,256)
- 15-24 years
- 19.09% (male 1,543,751/female 1,693,410)
- 25-54 years
- 26.75% (male 2,106,889/female 2,428,643)
- 55-64 years
- 3.75% (male 317,513/female 317,957)
- 65 years and over
- 2.97% (male 251,693/female 251,623) (2015 est.)
Birth rate
44.99 births/1,000 population (2015 est.)
Child labor - children ages 5-14
- percentage
- 36% (2010 est.)
- total number
- 1,485,027
Children under the age of 5 years underweight
27.9% (2006)
Contraceptive prevalence rate
10.3% (2012/13)
Death rate
12.89 deaths/1,000 population (2015 est.)
Dependency ratios
- elderly dependency ratio
- 5%
- potential support ratio
- 19.8% (2015 est.)
- total dependency ratio
- 100.2%
- youth dependency ratio
- 95.1%
Drinking water source
- urban: 96.5% of population
- rural: 64.1% of population
- total: 77% of population
- urban: 3.5% of population
- rural: 35.9% of population
- total: 23% of population (2015 est.)
Education expenditures
4.8% of GDP (2011)
Ethnic groups
Mande 50% (Bambara, Malinke, Soninke), Peul 17%, Voltaic 12%, Songhai 6%, Tuareg and Moor 10%, other 5%
Health expenditures
7.1% of GDP (2013)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate
1.42% (2014 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths
5,300 (2014 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS
133,400 (2014 est.)
Hospital bed density
0.1 beds/1,000 population (2010)
Infant mortality rate
- female
- 95.37 deaths/1,000 live births (2015 est.)
- male
- 108.88 deaths/1,000 live births
- total
- 102.23 deaths/1,000 live births
Languages
- French (official), Bambara 46.3%, Peul/foulfoulbe 9.4%, Dogon 7.2%, Maraka/soninke 6.4%, Malinke 5.6%, Sonrhai/djerma 5.6%, Minianka 4.3%, Tamacheq 3.5%, Senoufo 2.6%, unspecified 0.6%, other 8.5%
- note
- Mali has 13 national languages in addition to its official language
Life expectancy at birth
- female
- 57.25 years (2015 est.)
- male
- 53.48 years
- total population
- 55.34 years
Literacy
- definition
- age 15 and over can read and write
- female
- 29.2% (2015 est.)
- male
- 48.2%
- total population
- 38.7%
Major infectious diseases
- animal contact disease
- rabies (2013)
- degree of risk
- very high
- food or waterborne diseases
- bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever
- respiratory disease
- meningococcal meningitis
- vectorborne diseases
- malaria and dengue fever
- water contact disease
- schistosomiasis
Major urban areas - population
BAMAKO (capital) 2.515 million (2015)
Median age
- female
- 16.8 years (2015 est.)
- male
- 15.5 years
- total
- 16.1 years
Nationality
- adjective
- Malian
- noun
- Malian(s)
Net migration rate
-2.26 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2015 est.)
Obesity - adult prevalence rate
5.7% (2014)
Physicians density
0.08 physicians/1,000 population (2010)
Population
16,955,536 (July 2015 est.)
Population growth rate
2.98% (2015 est.)
Religions
Muslim 94.8%, Christian 2.4%, Animist 2%, none 0.5%, unspecified 0.3% (2009 Census)
Sanitation facility access
- urban: 37.5% of population
- rural: 16.1% of population
- total: 24.7% of population
- urban: 62.5% of population
- rural: 83.9% of population
- total: 75.3% of population (2015 est.)
School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education)
- female
- 7 years (2011)
- male
- 9 years
- total
- 8 years
Sex ratio
- 0-14 years
- 1.01 male(s)/female
- 15-24 years
- 0.91 male(s)/female
- 25-54 years
- 0.87 male(s)/female
- 55-64 years
- 1 male(s)/female
- 65 years and over
- 1 male(s)/female
- at birth
- 1.03 male(s)/female
- total population
- 0.95 male(s)/female (2015 est.)
Total fertility rate
6.06 children born/woman (2015 est.)
Urbanization
- rate of urbanization
- 5.08% annual rate of change (2010-15 est.)
- urban population
- 39.9% of total population (2015)
Government
Administrative divisions
8 regions (regions, singular - region), 1 district*; District de Bamako*, Gao, Kayes, Kidal, Koulikoro, Mopti, Segou, Sikasso, Tombouctou (Timbuktu)
Capital
- geographic coordinates
- 12 39 N, 8 00 W
- name
- Bamako
- time difference
- UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)
Constitution
several previous; latest drafted August 1991, approved by referendum 12 January 1992, effective 25 February 1992; amended 1999; note - suspended briefly in 2012 (2012)
Country name
- conventional long form
- Republic of Mali
- conventional short form
- Mali
- former
- French Sudan and Sudanese Republic
- local long form
- Republique de Mali
- local short form
- Mali
Diplomatic representation from the US
- chief of mission
- Ambassador Paul A. FOLMSBE (since 2015)
- embassy
- located just off the Roi Bin Fahad Aziz Bridge just west of the Bamako central district
- FAX
- [223] 2070-2479
- mailing address
- ACI 2000, Rue 243, Porte 297, Bamako
- telephone
- [223] 2070-2300
Diplomatic representation in the US
- chancery
- 2130 R Street NW, Washington, DC 20008
- chief of mission
- Ambassador Tiena COULIBALY (since 18 November 2014)
- FAX
- [1] (202) 332-6603
- telephone
- [1] (202) 332-2249, 939-8950
Executive branch
- cabinet
- Council of Ministers appointed by the prime minister
- chief of state
- President Ibrahim Boubacar KEITA (since 4 September 2013)
- election results
- Ibrahim Boubacar KEITA elected president in runoff; percent of vote - Ibrahim Boubacar KEITA (RPM) 77.6%, Soumaila CISSE (URD) 22.4%
- elections/appointments
- president directly elected by absolute majority popular vote in 2 rounds if needed for a 5-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held on 28 July 2013 with a runoff on 11 August 2013 (election delayed from April 2012 due to a coup in March 2012); prime minister appointed by the president
- head of government
- Prime Minister Modibo KEITA (since 8 January 2015)
Flag description
- three equal vertical bands of green (hoist side), yellow, and red
- note
- uses the popular Pan-African colors of Ethiopia; the colors from left to right are the same as those of neighboring Senegal (which has an additional green central star) and the reverse of those on the flag of neighboring Guinea
Government type
republic
Independence
22 September 1960 (from France)
International law organization participation
has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; accepts ICCt jurisdiction
International organization participation
ACP, AfDB, AU, CD, ECOWAS, EITI (compliant country), FAO, FZ, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC (NGOs), MIGA, MONUSCO, NAM, OIC, OIF, OPCW, UN, UNAMID, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNISFA, UNMISS, UNWTO, UPU, WADB (regional), WAEMU, WCO, WFTU (NGOs), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
Judicial branch
- highest court(s)
- Supreme Court or Cour Supreme (consists of 19 members organized into 3 civil chambers and a criminal chamber); Constitutional Court (consists of 9 members)
- judge selection and term of office
- Supreme Court members appointed by the Ministry of Justice to serve 5-year terms; Constitutional Court members selected - 3 each by the president, the National Assembly, and the Supreme Council of the Magistracy; members serve single renewable 7-year terms
- subordinate courts
- High Court of Justice (jurisdiction limited to cases of high treason or criminal offenses by the president or ministers while in office)
Legal system
civil law system based on the French civil law model and influenced by customary law; judicial review of legislative acts in Constitutional Court
Legislative branch
- description
- unicameral National Assembly or Assemblee Nationale (147 seats; members directly elected in single-seat constituencies by absolute majority vote in two rounds if needed; members serve 5-year terms)
- election results
- percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - FDR coalition 64 (RPM 61, PARENA 3), ADP coalition 42 (ADEMA 20, URD 18, CNID 4), FARE 5, CODEM 5, SADI 4, ASMA-CFP 4, Yelema 2, independent 16, other 5; note - 13 seats were from voters abroad
- elections
- last held in two rounds on 24 November 2013 and on 15 December 2013 (next to be held in 2018); note - the scheduled July 2012 election was cancelled due to a coup d'etat and the Tuareg Rebellion
National anthem
- lyrics/music
- Seydou Badian KOUYATE/Banzoumana SISSOKO
- name
- "Le Mali" (Mali)
- note
- adopted 1962; also known as "Pour L'Afrique et pour toi, Mali" (For Africa and for You, Mali) and "A ton appel Mali" (At Your Call, Mali)
National holiday
Independence Day, 22 September (1960)
National symbol(s)
Great Mosque of Djenne; national colors: green, yellow, red
Political parties and leaders
- African Solidarity for Democracy and Independence or SADI [Oumar MARIKO, Secretary General]
- Alliance for Democracy or ADEMA [Dionconda TRAORE]
- Alliance for Democracy and Progress or ADP (a coalition of political parties including ADEMA and URD formed in December 2006 to support the presidential candidacy of Amadou TOURE)
- Alliance for Democratic Change (political group comprised mainly of Tuareg from Mali's northern region)
- Alliance for the Solidarity of Mali-Convergence of Patriotic Forces or ASMA-CFP [Soumeylou Boubeye MAIGA]
- Alternative Forces for Renewal and Emergence or FARE [Modibo SIDIBE]
- Convergence for the development of Mali or CODEM [Housseyni GUINDO]
- Economic and Social Development Party or PDES [Jamille BITTAR]
- Front for Democracy and the Republic or FDR (a coalition of political parties including RPM and PARENA formed to oppose the presidential candidacy of Amadou TOURE)
- Movement for a Common Destiny or MODEC [Koniba SIDIBE]
- National Congress for Democratic Initiative or CNID [Mountaga TALL]
- Party for Democracy and Progress or PDP [Mady KONATE]
- Party for National Renewal or PARENA [Tiebile DRAME]
- Patriotic Movement for Renewal or MPR [Choguel Kokalla MAIGA]
- Rally for Democracy and Labor or RDT [Amadou Ali NIANGADOU]
- Rally for Mali or RPM [Ibrahim Boubacar KEITA] (ruling party)
- Sudanese Union/African Democratic Rally or US/RDA [Mamadou Bamou TOURE]
- Union for Democracy and Development or UDD [Tieman Hubert COULIBALY]
- Union for Republic and Democracy or URD [Younoussi TOURE]
- Yelema [Moussa MARA]
Political pressure groups and leaders
- other
- the army; Islamic authorities; state-run cotton company CMDT
Suffrage
18 years of age; universal
Economy
Agriculture - products
cotton, millet, rice, corn, vegetables, peanuts; cattle, sheep, goats
Budget
- expenditures
- $3.265 billion (2014 est.)
- revenues
- $2.698 billion
Budget surplus (+) or deficit (-)
-4.7% of GDP (2014 est.)
Central bank discount rate
- 16% (31 December 2010)
- 4.25% (31 December 2009)
Commercial bank prime lending rate
- 9.3% (31 December 2014 est.)
- 9.3% (31 December 2013 est.)
Current account balance
- -$949 million (2014 est.)
- $232.4 million (2013 est.)
Debt - external
- $3.737 billion (31 December 2014 est.)
- $3.431 billion (31 December 2013 est.)
Distribution of family income - Gini index
- 40.1 (2001)
- 50.5 (1994)
Economy - overview
Among the 25 poorest countries in the world, Mali is a landlocked country that depends on gold mining and agricultural exports for revenue. The country's fiscal status fluctuates with gold and agricultural commodity prices and the harvest; cotton and gold exports make up around 80% of export earnings. Economic activity is largely confined to the riverine area irrigated by the Niger River and about 65% of its land area is desert or semidesert. About 10% of the population is nomadic and about 80% of the labor force is engaged in farming and fishing. Mali remains dependent on foreign aid. Industrial activity is concentrated on processing farm commodities. Mali is developing its iron ore extraction industry to diversify foreign exchange earnings away from gold, but the pace will largely depend on global price trends. The government is subsidizing the production of cereals to decrease the country’s dependence on imported foodstuffs and to reduce its vulnerability to food price shocks. The main threat to Mali’s economy is a return to physical insecurity. Other long term threats to the economy include high population growth, corruption, a weak infrastructure, and low levels of human capital. The administration’s purchase of a presidential jet for $40 million and inflated defense contracts damaged it’s credibility and led the IMF to temporarily suspend aid in 2014.
Exchange rates
- Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (XOF) per US dollar -
- 491.2 (2014 est.)
- 494.04 (2013 est.)
- 510.53 (2012 est.)
- 471.87 (2011 est.)
- 495.28 (2010 est.)
Exports
- $2.763 billion (2014 est.)
- $3.081 billion (2013 est.)
Exports - commodities
cotton, gold, livestock
Exports - partners
China 18.8%, India 14.4%, Indonesia 11.1%, Bangladesh 9.6%, Thailand 8.3%, Australia 4.3% (2014)
Fiscal year
calendar year
GDP - composition, by end use
- (2014 est.)
- exports of goods and services
- 26.5%
- government consumption
- 16.6%
- household consumption
- 78.4%
- imports of goods and services
- -36.2%
- investment in fixed capital
- 14.8%
- investment in inventories
- 0%
GDP - composition, by sector of origin
- agriculture
- 38%
- industry
- 23.3%
- services
- 38.7% (2014 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP)
- $1,700 (2014 est.)
- $1,600 (2013 est.)
- $1,600 (2012 est.)
- note
- data are in 2014 US dollars
GDP - real growth rate
- 6.8% (2014 est.)
- 1.7% (2013 est.)
- 0% (2012 est.)
GDP (official exchange rate)
$11.92 billion (2014 est.)
GDP (purchasing power parity)
- $27.31 billion (2014 est.)
- $25.56 billion (2013 est.)
- $25.13 billion (2012 est.)
- note
- data are in 2014 US dollars
Gross national saving
- 18.2% of GDP (2014 est.)
- 15.3% of GDP (2013 est.)
- 15.7% of GDP (2012 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share
- highest 10%
- 25.8% (2010 est.)
- lowest 10%
- 3.5%
Imports
- $2.995 billion (2014 est.)
- $2.964 billion (2013 est.)
Imports - commodities
petroleum, machinery and equipment, construction materials, foodstuffs, textiles
Imports - partners
France 11.7%, Senegal 10.6%, Cote dIvoire 9%, China 7.7% (2014)
Industrial production growth rate
5.5% (2014 est.)
Industries
food processing; construction; phosphate and gold mining
Inflation rate (consumer prices)
- 0.9% (2014 est.)
- -0.6% (2013 est.)
Labor force
5.538 million (2014 est.)
Labor force - by occupation
- agriculture
- 80%
- industry and services
- 20% (2005 est.)
Market value of publicly traded shares
$NA
Population below poverty line
36.1% (2005 est.)
Public debt
- 32.1% of GDP (2014 est.)
- 29.1% of GDP (2013 est.)
Stock of broad money
- $3.984 billion (31 December 2014 est.)
- $3.817 billion (31 December 2013 est.)
Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad
- $61.2 million (31 December 2014 est.)
- $52.28 million (31 December 2013 est.)
Stock of direct foreign investment - at home
- $2.812 billion (31 December 2014 est.)
- $2.412 billion (31 December 2013 est.)
Stock of domestic credit
- $2.484 billion (31 December 2014 est.)
- $2.37 billion (31 December 2013 est.)
Stock of narrow money
- $2.833 billion (31 December 2014 est.)
- $2.772 billion (31 December 2013 est.)
Taxes and other revenues
22.4% of GDP (2014 est.)
Unemployment rate
- 30% (2004 est.)
- 8.1% (2012 est.)
Energy
Carbon dioxide emissions from consumption of energy
773,900 Mt (2012 est.)
Crude oil - exports
0 bbl/day (2010 est.)
Crude oil - imports
0 bbl/day (2010 est.)
Crude oil - production
0 bbl/day (2013 est.)
Crude oil - proved reserves
0 bbl (1 January 2014 est.)
Electricity - consumption
483.6 million kWh (2011 est.)
Electricity - exports
0 kWh (2013 est.)
Electricity - from fossil fuels
48.4% of total installed capacity (2011 est.)
Electricity - from hydroelectric plants
51.6% of total installed capacity (2011 est.)
Electricity - from nuclear fuels
0% of total installed capacity (2011 est.)
Electricity - from other renewable sources
0% of total installed capacity (2011 est.)
Electricity - imports
0 kWh (2013 est.)
Electricity - installed generating capacity
304,000 kW (2011 est.)
Electricity - production
520 million kWh (2011 est.)
Natural gas - consumption
0 cu m (2012 est.)
Natural gas - exports
0 cu m (2012 est.)
Natural gas - imports
0 cu m (2012 est.)
Natural gas - production
0 cu m (2012 est.)
Natural gas - proved reserves
0 cu m (1 January 2014 est.)
Refined petroleum products - consumption
5,440 bbl/day (2013 est.)
Refined petroleum products - exports
0 bbl/day (2010 est.)
Refined petroleum products - imports
4,698 bbl/day (2010 est.)
Refined petroleum products - production
0 bbl/day (2010 est.)
Communications
Broadcast media
national public TV broadcaster; 2 privately owned companies provide subscription services to foreign multi-channel TV packages; national public radio broadcaster supplemented by a large number of privately owned and community broadcast stations; transmissions of multiple international broadcasters are available (2007)
Internet country code
.ml
Internet users
- percent of population
- 75.2% (2014 est.)
- total
- 12.4 million
Radio broadcast stations
AM 1, FM 230 (27 regional and government stations, and 203 private stations), shortwave 1 (2001)
Telephone system
- domestic
- fixed-line subscribership remains less than 1 per 100 persons; mobile-cellular subscribership has increased sharply to about 70 per 100 persons
- general assessment
- domestic system unreliable but improving; increasing use of local radio loops to extend network coverage to remote areas
- international
- country code - 223; satellite communications center and fiber-optic links to neighboring countries; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (1 Atlantic Ocean, 1 Indian Ocean) (2010)
Telephones - fixed lines
- subscriptions per 100 inhabitants
- 1 (2014 est.)
- total subscriptions
- 160,000
Telephones - mobile cellular
- subscriptions per 100 inhabitants
- 143 (2014 est.)
- total
- 23.5 million
Television broadcast stations
2 (plus repeaters) (2007)
Transportation
Airports
25 (2013)
Airports - with paved runways
- 1,524 to 2,437 m
- 2
- 2,438 to 3,047 m
- 4
- 914 to 1,523 m
- 1 (2013)
- over 3,047 m
- 1
- total
- 8
Airports - with unpaved runways
- 5 (2013)
- 1,524 to 2,437 m
- 3
- 914 to 1,523 m
- 9
- total
- 17
Heliports
2 (2013)
Ports and terminals
- river port(s)
- Koulikoro (Niger)
Railways
- narrow gauge
- 593 km 1.000-m gauge (2014)
- total
- 593 km
Roadways
- paved
- 5,522 km
- total
- 22,474 km
- unpaved
- 16,952 km (2009)
Waterways
1,800 km (downstream of Koulikoro; low water levels on the River Niger cause problems in dry years; in the months before the rainy season the river is not navigable by commercial vessels) (2011)
Military and Security
Manpower available for military service
- females age 16-49
- 2,981,106 (2010 est.)
- males age 16-49
- 2,848,412
Manpower fit for military service
- females age 16-49
- 1,968,563 (2010 est.)
- males age 16-49
- 1,825,779
Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually
- female
- 159,733 (2010 est.)
- male
- 158,031
Military branches
Malian Armed Forces: Army (Armee de Terre), Republic of Mali Air Force (Force Aerienne de la Republique du Mali, FARM), National Guard (Garde National du Mali) (2013)
Military expenditures
- 1.44% of GDP (2012)
- 1.51% of GDP (2011)
- 1.44% of GDP (2010)
Military service age and obligation
18 years of age for selective compulsory and voluntary military service; 2-year conscript service obligation (2012)
Transnational Issues
Disputes - international
demarcation is underway with Burkina Faso
Refugees and internally displaced persons
- IDPs
- 61,920 (Tuareg rebellion since 2012) (2015)
- refugees (country of origin)
- 12,898 (Mauritania) (2014)
Trafficking in persons
- current situation
- Mali is a source, transit, and destination country for men, women, and children subjected to forced labor and sex trafficking; women and girls are forced into domestic servitude, agricultural labor, and support roles in gold mines, as well as subjected to sex trafficking; Malian boys are found in conditions of forced labor in agricultural settings, gold mines, and the informal commercial sector, as well as forced begging within Mali and neighboring countries; Malians and other Africans who travel through Mali to Mauritania, Algeria, or Libya in hopes of reaching Europe are particularly at risk of becoming victims of human trafficking; men and boys, primarily of Songhai ethnicity, are subjected to the longstanding practice of debt bondage in the salt mines of Taoudenni in northern Mali; some members of Mali's black Tamachek community are subjected to traditional slavery-related practices, and this involuntary servitude reportedly has extended to their children; there has been a decrease in the recruitment of Malian children as combatants, cooks, porters, guards, spies, and sex slaves by non-governmental armed groups in northern Mali
- tier rating
- Tier 2 Watch List - Mali does not fully comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking; however, it is making significant efforts to do so; although the government enacted a comprehensive anti-trafficking law in 2012, it did not demonstrate evidence of overall increasing efforts to address human trafficking over the previous year; the government failed to prosecute or convict any trafficking offenders because the law had not yet been distributed to judges and a significant lack of awareness of the law within the judiciary remained; authorities did not provide any direct services to victims and did not make any tangible prevention efforts; NGOs provided care to victims without government funding; no awareness-raising campaigns or anti-trafficking training were carried out (2014)