# Mali and Senegal compared

Mali and Senegal side by side: 42 shared sourced indicators across 9 domains, and the 4 events their chronicles record of each other.

Canonical: https://terralore.co/compare/mli-vs-sen
Updated: 2026-08-10 (latest of the two dossiers' refreshes and the two chronicles' verification dates)

Two sourced records set beside each other — nothing on this page was written for the pair. Every figure is the same observation, with the same source, as on the two national dossiers; every event is the same record, with the same sources, as on its own chronicle. Figures are compared, never graded. A "—" is an absence in the source data, never a zero; each value shows its own observation year — vintages differ by indicator and nation.

## Formation

- Mali: c. 1235 — Sundiata Keita founds the Mali Empire on the upper Niger
- Senegal: 20 August 1960 — Senegal withdraws from the Federation of Mali and declares independence

## Economy

| Metric | Mali | Observed | Senegal | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GDP | $27 B | 2024 | $33 B | 2024 |
| GDP per capita | $1,095 | 2024 | $1,773 | 2024 |
| GDP growth | 5.0% | 2024 | 6.1% | 2024 |
| Inflation | 3.2% | 2024 | 0.8% | 2024 |
| Trade openness | 49.9% | 2024 | 68.1% | 2024 |

## Society

| Metric | Mali | Observed | Senegal | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 24 m | 2024 | 19 m | 2024 |
| Life expectancy | 60.7 yrs | 2024 | 68.9 yrs | 2024 |
| Urban population | 31.6% | 2024 | 55.2% | 2024 |
| Fertility rate | 5.5 | 2024 | 3.8 | 2024 |

## Governance

| Metric | Mali | Observed | Senegal | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Voice & accountability | 35.5 | 2024 | 57.1 | 2024 |
| Political stability | 23.3 | 2024 | 62.0 | 2024 |
| Government effectiveness | 26.3 | 2024 | 55.9 | 2024 |
| Regulatory quality | 42.8 | 2024 | 51.1 | 2024 |
| Rule of law | 38.1 | 2024 | 53.4 | 2024 |
| Control of corruption | 28.0 | 2024 | 50.1 | 2024 |

## Health

| Metric | Mali | Observed | Senegal | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Health spending | 3.8% | 2023 | 4.3% | 2023 |
| Physicians | 0.19 | 2023 | 0.11 | 2023 |
| Under-5 mortality | 73.0 | 2024 | 36.5 | 2024 |
| Measles immunisation | 72.0% | 2024 | 87.0% | 2024 |
| Safe drinking water | — | — | 27.2% | 2024 |

## Education

| Metric | Mali | Observed | Senegal | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adult literacy | 35.6% | 2024 | 50.4% | 2023 |
| Education spending | 4.2% | 2023 | 6.2% | 2023 |
| Primary enrolment | 72.8% | 2023 | 85.3% | 2024 |
| Secondary enrolment | 38.9% | 2023 | 44.1% | 2023 |
| Tertiary enrolment | 5.1% | 2015 | 15.3% | 2024 |

## Technology

| Metric | Mali | Observed | Senegal | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| R&D spending | 0.1% | 2023 | 0.6% | 2015 |
| Researchers (per million) | 26 | 2023 | 572 | 2015 |
| Internet users | 36.8% | 2024 | 60.1% | 2024 |
| Mobile subscriptions | 112 | 2022 | 124 | 2024 |
| High-tech exports | 5.4% | 2023 | 3.0% | 2024 |

## Geography

| Metric | Mali | Observed | Senegal | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Land area | 1,220,190 km² | 2023 | 192,530 km² | 2023 |
| Forest area | 10.9% | 2023 | 41.3% | 2023 |
| Agricultural land | 35.5% | 2023 | 49.4% | 2023 |
| CO₂ per capita (t) | 0.3 | 2024 | 0.8 | 2024 |
| Renewable energy | 71.1% | 2022 | 35.4% | 2021 |

## Resources

| Metric | Mali | Observed | Senegal | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Resource rents | 18.4% | 2021 | 4.4% | 2021 |
| Oil rents | 0.0% | 2021 | 0.0% | 2021 |
| Mineral rents | 16.2% | 2021 | 2.9% | 2021 |
| Forest rents | 2.2% | 2021 | 1.5% | 2021 |
| Electricity access | 54.5% | 2023 | 74.2% | 2023 |
| Lithium (mined) | 9,400 t | 2025 | — | — |
| Phosphate rock | — | — | 2.8 Mt | 2025 |

## Military

| Metric | Mali | Observed | Senegal | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Military burden | 4.2% | 2024 | 1.6% | 2024 |
| Defense spending | $929 M | 2024 | $515 M | 2024 |
| Armed forces | 41,000 | 2020 | 19,000 | 2020 |

Each metric is also ranked across all nations: https://terralore.co/rankings (markdown twins at /rankings/<metric>.md). Full dossiers: https://terralore.co/country/MLI.md and https://terralore.co/country/SEN.md.

## Entangled histories (4 events)

Events in which either nation's sourced chronicle names the other — including under earlier names of the same state. Each is the record exactly as its own chronicle carries it, with that chronicle's sources.

- c. 1286: **Takrur drawn into Mali's orbit** — Political fragmentation and the rise of the Mali Empire bring Takrur under outside dynasties, ending its independent prominence. (from the Senegal chronicle; sources: Takrur)
- 1959: **Mali Federation formed** — Senegal and the Sudanese Republic unite in the Mali Federation, seeking a federal path out of French rule. (from the Senegal chronicle; sources: Mali Federation; Mali Federation)
- January 1959: **The Mali Federation with Senegal** — French Soudan and Senegal join in the short-lived Mali Federation, with Modibo Keïta as a leading figure; it dissolves in August 1960. (from the Mali chronicle; sources: Mali Federation; Modibo Keita — 1st President of Mali)
- 4 April 1960: **Independence within the Mali Federation** — France grants the Mali Federation independence, transferring power on 4 April 1960; full independence follows on 20 June. (from the Senegal chronicle; sources: Mali Federation; Mali Federation)

## Sources

- World Development Indicators — World Bank · CC BY 4.0 · accessed 2026-06-14 · https://data.worldbank.org
- Worldwide Governance Indicators (via World Bank API) — Worldwide Governance Indicators / World Bank · CC BY 4.0 · accessed 2026-08-10 · https://www.worldbank.org/en/publication/worldwide-governance-indicators
- Global Health Observatory (WHO, via World Bank WDI) — WHO / World Bank · CC BY 4.0 · accessed 2026-08-10 · https://www.who.int/data/gho
- Child mortality & immunisation estimates (UN IGME and WHO/UNICEF, via World Bank WDI) — UNICEF and WHO / World Bank · CC BY 4.0 · accessed 2026-08-10 · https://childmortality.org
- R&D statistics (UNESCO UIS, via World Bank WDI) — UNESCO Institute for Statistics / World Bank · CC BY 4.0 · accessed 2026-06-15 · https://uis.unesco.org
- ICT indicators (ITU, via World Bank WDI) — ITU / World Bank · CC BY 4.0 · accessed 2026-06-15 · https://www.itu.int/en/ITU-D/Statistics
- Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026 — U.S. Geological Survey · Public domain (U.S. Government work) · accessed 2026-08-10 · https://www.usgs.gov/centers/national-minerals-information-center
- Military Expenditure Database (via World Development Indicators) — SIPRI / World Bank · CC BY 4.0 · accessed 2026-06-14 · https://www.sipri.org/databases/milex

Chronicle references are cited inline above and resolve in full at https://terralore.co/country/MLI/chronicle.md and https://terralore.co/country/SEN/chronicle.md.

Citation template: Terralore, "Mali and Senegal compared", terralore.co/compare/mli-vs-sen, retrieved <YYYY-MM-DD>.