Land use in Mali
Mali: Land use was 8.64 million hectares in 2023. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2023)
8.64 million hectares
Change on year
up 0.0%
World rank
38th
of 224 countries
All-time high
8.64 million hectares
in 2023
All-time low
1.70 million hectares
in 1961
Years of data
63
1961–2023
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 38th out of 224 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.
Land use in Mali, year by year
| Year | hectares | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 1.70 million hectares | — |
| 1962 | 1.70 million hectares | +0.3% |
| 1963 | 1.71 million hectares | +0.3% |
| 1964 | 1.71 million hectares | +0.3% |
| 1965 | 1.72 million hectares | +0.3% |
| 1966 | 1.72 million hectares | +0.2% |
| 1967 | 1.73 million hectares | +0.3% |
| 1968 | 1.73 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 1969 | 1.73 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 1970 | 1.78 million hectares | +2.9% |
| 1971 | 1.78 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 1972 | 1.78 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 1973 | 1.78 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 1974 | 1.83 million hectares | +2.8% |
| 1975 | 1.88 million hectares | +2.7% |
| 1976 | 2.08 million hectares | +10.6% |
| 1977 | 2.08 million hectares | -0.1% |
| 1978 | 2.08 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 1979 | 2.08 million hectares | +0.2% |
| 1980 | 2.08 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 1981 | 2.08 million hectares | +0.1% |
| 1982 | 2.08 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 1983 | 2.08 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 1984 | 2.08 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 1985 | 2.10 million hectares | +1.0% |
| 1986 | 2.11 million hectares | +0.1% |
| 1987 | 2.11 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 1988 | 2.12 million hectares | +0.8% |
| 1989 | 2.12 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 1990 | 2.13 million hectares | +0.2% |
| 1991 | 2.14 million hectares | +0.7% |
| 1992 | 2.25 million hectares | +5.1% |
| 1993 | 3.16 million hectares | +40.3% |
| 1994 | 3.27 million hectares | +3.5% |
| 1995 | 3.42 million hectares | +4.6% |
| 1996 | 4.65 million hectares | +36.0% |
| 1997 | 4.65 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 1998 | 4.65 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 1999 | 4.65 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 4.67 million hectares | +0.3% |
| 2001 | 4.67 million hectares | +0.1% |
| 2002 | 5.04 million hectares | +8.0% |
| 2003 | 6.09 million hectares | +20.7% |
| 2004 | 5.05 million hectares | -17.0% |
| 2005 | 5.75 million hectares | +13.9% |
| 2006 | 5.83 million hectares | +1.3% |
| 2007 | 5.96 million hectares | +2.2% |
| 2008 | 6.19 million hectares | +3.9% |
| 2009 | 6.42 million hectares | +3.6% |
| 2010 | 6.44 million hectares | +0.3% |
| 2011 | 6.61 million hectares | +2.8% |
| 2012 | 6.80 million hectares | +2.9% |
| 2013 | 6.99 million hectares | +2.7% |
| 2014 | 7.16 million hectares | +2.4% |
| 2015 | 7.31 million hectares | +2.2% |
| 2016 | 7.59 million hectares | +3.7% |
| 2017 | 7.75 million hectares | +2.2% |
| 2018 | 7.96 million hectares | +2.7% |
| 2019 | 8.18 million hectares | +2.7% |
| 2020 | 8.37 million hectares | +2.4% |
| 2021 | 8.60 million hectares | +2.7% |
| 2022 | 8.64 million hectares | +0.5% |
| 2023 | 8.64 million hectares | +0.0% |
Mali compared with similar countries
- Mali's 8.64 million hectares is above the median for low income countries, which is 3.60 million hectares, 2.4× the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Mali's 8.64 million hectares is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 3.21 million hectares, 2.7× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Land use in Mali changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1993 | +40.3% | 2.25 million hectares | 3.16 million hectares |
| 1996 | +36.0% | 3.42 million hectares | 4.65 million hectares |
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
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly -6.69 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly -6.27 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.401 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 1.44 °C (2025)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual 3 % change on previous year (2024)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), per unit 0 Mt CO2e per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), per capita 0 Mt CO2e per person (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Agriculture (Mt CO2e), annual growth rate 3.04 % change on previous year (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Agriculture (Mt CO2e), per unit of GDP 0 Mt CO2e per US$ of GDP (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 38th out of 224 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).