Burkina Faso vs Mali: Rural population
Burkina Faso
17.11 million
in 2025
Mali
17.08 million
in 2025
Burkina Faso rank
33rd
Mali rank
34th
Rural population over time
- Burkina Faso
- Mali
How they compare
Burkina Faso currently reports 17.11 million against 17.08 million in Mali, a difference of 30,000.
The two have swapped places 1 time across 66 shared years of data; in 1960 it was Mali ahead.
Burkina Faso ranks 33rd and Mali ranks 34th of 217 countries.
Across the 7 decades both report, Burkina Faso averaged higher in 5 and Mali in 2.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Burkina Faso | Mali | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 4.85 million | 5.28 million | 427,462 | Mali |
| 1970s | 5.72 million | 5.95 million | 229,650 | Mali |
| 1980s | 7.03 million | 7.01 million | 23,517 | Burkina Faso |
| 1990s | 8.75 million | 8.34 million | 415,935 | Burkina Faso |
| 2000s | 10.80 million | 10.60 million | 201,818 | Burkina Faso |
| 2010s | 13.83 million | 13.65 million | 172,420 | Burkina Faso |
| 2020s | 16.48 million | 16.24 million | 244,633 | Burkina Faso |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher rural population, Burkina Faso or Mali?
- Burkina Faso, at 17.11 million against 17.08 million in Mali as of 2025.
- What is the difference in rural population between Burkina Faso and Mali?
- 30,000, with Burkina Faso ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Burkina Faso and Mali?
- 66 years are reported by both, from 1960 to 2025.
- How do Burkina Faso and Mali rank globally for rural population?
- Burkina Faso ranks 33rd and Mali ranks 34th of 217 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN), published as Rural population. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Rural population refers to people living in rural areas as defined by national statistical offices. It is calculated as the difference between total population and urban population. Aggregation of urban and rural population may not add up to total population because of different country coverages.