Land use in Mali
Mali: Land use was 8.64 million hectares in 2023. ◆ Volatile
Land use in Mali, 1961–2023
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in hectares.
Analysis
In 2023, land use in Mali stood at 8.64 million hectares. That is the highest value across all 63 years on record.
The figure is up 23.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, land use in Mali peaked at 8.64 million hectares in 2023 and was at its lowest, 1.70 million hectares, in 1961.
That places Mali 37th out of 223 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 1.72 million hectares | 1.70 million hectares | 1.73 million hectares | 9 |
| 1970s | 1.91 million hectares | 1.78 million hectares | 2.08 million hectares | 10 |
| 1980s | 2.10 million hectares | 2.08 million hectares | 2.12 million hectares | 10 |
| 1990s | 3.50 million hectares | 2.13 million hectares | 4.65 million hectares | 10 |
| 2000s | 5.57 million hectares | 4.67 million hectares | 6.42 million hectares | 10 |
| 2010s | 7.28 million hectares | 6.44 million hectares | 8.18 million hectares | 10 |
| 2020s | 8.56 million hectares | 8.37 million hectares | 8.64 million hectares | 4 |
Countries ranked near Mali
More environment data for Mali
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF 48.01 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF per capita 1.96 t CO2e/capita (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Agriculture 26.64 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Building (Energy) 0.6517 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Fugitive Emissions (Energy) 0.5499 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Industrial Combustion (Energy) 0.0014 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions (total) excluding LULUCF 29.38 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Power Industry (Energy) 0.0015 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Transport (Energy) 0.0249 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Waste 1.51 Mt CO2e (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is land use in Mali?
- Land use in Mali was 8.64 million hectares in 2023, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest land use recorded in Mali?
- The highest recorded value was 8.64 million hectares in 2023.
- What is the lowest land use recorded in Mali?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.70 million hectares in 1961.
- How does Mali rank for land use?
- Mali ranks 37th out of 223 countries with data for 2023.
- Is land use rising or falling in Mali?
- Over the last ten years it is up 23.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Mali data come from?
- The figures come from Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Land use. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 63 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).