Cropland area in Mali
Mali: Cropland area was 8.64 million hectares in 2023. ◆ Volatile
Cropland area 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
The most recent figure for cropland area in Mali is 8.64 million hectares, measured in 2023. That is the highest value across all 63 years on record.
The figure is up 23.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, cropland area in Mali peaked at 8.64 million hectares in 2023 and was at its lowest, 1.70 million hectares, in 1961.
Mali ranks 38th of 224 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Cropland area 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 Cropland area 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 agriculture & rural data for Mali
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 13.83 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.3302 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 394.01 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate 2.03 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0.0006 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.6779 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 33.0% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 33.0% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 8.4% (2023)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 0.4% (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is cropland area in Mali?
- Cropland area 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 cropland area recorded in Mali?
- The highest recorded value was 8.64 million hectares in 2023.
- What is the lowest cropland area recorded in Mali?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.70 million hectares in 1961.
- How does Mali rank for cropland area?
- Mali ranks 38th out of 224 countries with data for 2023.
- Is cropland area 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 Cropland area. 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).