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MLI · Country dossier

Mali

Withdrew 2025 President of Mali
Parties registered
53
Heads of state
10
Realized coups
5
Memberships
29
Elections
11
Court cases
3
01

Leadership & governance

Current head of state

Assimi Goïta Assimi Goïta President of Mali In office 2021–present · 5.3y Born 1983 · took office at 37 Took power coup 2021-05-24 President of Russia,Kremlin · CC BY 4.0

Assimi Goïta

President of Mali

Since 2021 5.3 years in office

Governance indicator

-1.31

World Bank Worldwide Governance Indicators, composite of six dimensions · 2024

Chamber
Member of the National Assembly of Mali
Seats
Speaker
Active alliances
28
02

Heads of state

Modibo Keïta Modibo Keïta President of Mali In office 1960–1968 · 8.2y PartySudanese Union – African Democratic Rally Born 1915 · took office at 45 Robert LeRoy Knudsen · Public domain
Moussa Traoré Moussa Traoré President of Mali In office 1968–1991 · 22.3y PartyDemocratic Union of the Malian People Born 1936 · took office at 32 Took power coup 1968-11-19 Bogaerts, Rob / Anefo · CC BY-SA 3.0 nl
Amadou Toumani Touré Amadou Toumani Touré President of Mali In office 1991–1992 · 1.2y Partyindependent politician Born 1948 · took office at 42 Took power coup 1991-03-26 LulaAmadouToure.jpg: Antonio Cruz/ABr derivative work: Missionary (talk) · CC BY 2.5 br
Alpha Oumar Konaré Alpha Oumar Konaré President of Mali In office 1992–2002 · 10y PartyAlliance for Democracy in Mali Born 1946 · took office at 46 Fábio Pozzebom/ABr · CC BY 3.0 br
Amadou Toumani Touré Amadou Toumani Touré President of Mali In office 2002–2012 · 9.8y Partyindependent politician Born 1948 · took office at 53 LulaAmadouToure.jpg: Antonio Cruz/ABr derivative work: Missionary (talk) · CC BY 2.5 br
Amadou Sanogo Amadou Sanogo President of Mali In office 2012–2012 · 0.1y Partyindependent politician Born 1972 · took office at 39 Took power coup 2012-03-22 Kassim Traoré (VOA) · Public domain
Dioncounda Traoré Dioncounda Traoré President of Mali In office 2012–2013 · 1.4y PartyAlliance for Democracy in Mali Born 1942 · took office at 70 DioncoundaTraore2012 · CC BY-SA 3.0
Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta President of Mali In office 2013–2020 · 7y PartyAlliance for Democracy in Mali Born 1945 · took office at 68 Photo Claude TRUONG-NGOC · CC BY-SA 3.0
Bah Ndaw Bah Ndaw President of Mali In office 2020–2021 · 0.7y Partyindependent politician Born 1950 · took office at 70 Michele Cattani, European Commission · CC BY 4.0
Assimi Goïta Assimi Goïta President of Mali In office 2021–present · 5.3y Born 1983 · took office at 37 Took power coup 2021-05-24 President of Russia,Kremlin · CC BY 4.0
Term Began with a realized coup In office Realized coup — dated

The scale spans every dated record held for this country, so it may begin before the first leader on file — a gap at the left means coups are recorded for years where no office-holder is. Coup markers link to the Cline Center source.

  1. 2021 Assimi Goïta Assimi Goïta President of Mali In office 2021–present · 5.3y Born 1983 · took office at 37 Took power coup 2021-05-24 President of Russia,Kremlin · CC BY 4.0 Assimi Goïta In office Coup 2021 5.3y
  2. 20202021 Bah Ndaw Bah Ndaw President of Mali In office 2020–2021 · 0.7y Partyindependent politician Born 1950 · took office at 70 Michele Cattani, European Commission · CC BY 4.0 Bah Ndaw 0.7y
  3. 20132020 Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta President of Mali In office 2013–2020 · 7y PartyAlliance for Democracy in Mali Born 1945 · took office at 68 Photo Claude TRUONG-NGOC · CC BY-SA 3.0 Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta 7y
  4. 20122013 Dioncounda Traoré Dioncounda Traoré President of Mali In office 2012–2013 · 1.4y PartyAlliance for Democracy in Mali Born 1942 · took office at 70 DioncoundaTraore2012 · CC BY-SA 3.0 Dioncounda Traoré 1.4y
  5. 20122012 Amadou Sanogo Amadou Sanogo President of Mali In office 2012–2012 · 0.1y Partyindependent politician Born 1972 · took office at 39 Took power coup 2012-03-22 Kassim Traoré (VOA) · Public domain Amadou Sanogo Coup 2012 0.1y
  6. 20022012 Amadou Toumani Touré Amadou Toumani Touré President of Mali In office 2002–2012 · 9.8y Partyindependent politician Born 1948 · took office at 53 LulaAmadouToure.jpg: Antonio Cruz/ABr derivative work: Missionary (talk) · CC BY 2.5 br Amadou Toumani Touré 9.8y
  7. 19922002 Alpha Oumar Konaré Alpha Oumar Konaré President of Mali In office 1992–2002 · 10y PartyAlliance for Democracy in Mali Born 1946 · took office at 46 Fábio Pozzebom/ABr · CC BY 3.0 br Alpha Oumar Konaré 10y
  8. 19911992 Amadou Toumani Touré Amadou Toumani Touré President of Mali In office 1991–1992 · 1.2y Partyindependent politician Born 1948 · took office at 42 Took power coup 1991-03-26 LulaAmadouToure.jpg: Antonio Cruz/ABr derivative work: Missionary (talk) · CC BY 2.5 br Amadou Toumani Touré Coup 1991 1.2y
  9. 19681991 Moussa Traoré Moussa Traoré President of Mali In office 1968–1991 · 22.3y PartyDemocratic Union of the Malian People Born 1936 · took office at 32 Took power coup 1968-11-19 Bogaerts, Rob / Anefo · CC BY-SA 3.0 nl Moussa Traoré Coup 1968 22.3y
  10. 19601968 Modibo Keïta Modibo Keïta President of Mali In office 1960–1968 · 8.2y PartySudanese Union – African Democratic Rally Born 1915 · took office at 45 Robert LeRoy Knudsen · Public domain Modibo Keïta 8.2y
Photograph credits (9)

Portraits are the best freely-licensed images held by Wikimedia Commons for each leader, resolved by Wikidata identifier — they are not necessarily official state portraits. Leaders with no free image show initials instead.

03

Coup record

  • 2021
    2021-05-24 Military
  • 2020
    2020-08-18 Military
  • 2012
    2012-03-22 Military
  • 1991
    1991-03-26 Military
  • 1968
    1968-11-19 Military

Source: Cline Center Coup d’État Project — realized events only.

04

Parliamentary elections

Recorded turnout

25–55%
49%2013 35.7%2020

Points are the elections for which a turnout figure exists, in order — spacing is by sequence, not by year, and the gaps between them are simply unrecorded.

  • 2020
    Mali Transitional National Council December 2020 Election
    Seats
    121
    Turnout
    not recorded
    Women
    26.4%
    Parties won
  • 2020
    Mali Transitional National Council March 2020 Election Rally for Mali (RPM)5134.7% Alliance for Democracy in Mali (ADEMA) - PASJ2416.3% Republic and Democracy Union (URD)1912.9% Movement for Mali (MPM)106.8%
    Seats
    147
    Turnout
    35.7%
    Women
    27.9%
    Parties won
    20
  • 2013
    Mali Transitional National Council November 2013 Election Rally for Mali (RPM)6644.9% Republic and Democracy Union (URD)1711.6% Alliance for Democracy in Mali (ADEMA)1610.9% Alternative Forces for Renewal and Emergence (FARE)64.1%
    Seats
    147
    Turnout
    49%
    Women
    9.5%
    Parties won
    19
  • 2007
    Mali Transitional National Council July 2007 Election
    Seats
    Turnout
    not recorded
    Women
    Parties won
  • 2002
    Mali Transitional National Council July 2002 Election
    Seats
    Turnout
    not recorded
    Women
    Parties won
  • 1997
    Mali Transitional National Council July 1997 Election
    Seats
    Turnout
    not recorded
    Women
    Parties won
  • 1992
    Mali Transitional National Council February 1992 Election
    Seats
    Turnout
    not recorded
    Women
    Parties won
  • 1988
    Mali Transitional National Council June 1988 Election
    Seats
    Turnout
    not recorded
    Women
    Parties won
  • 1985
    Mali Transitional National Council June 1985 Election
    Seats
    Turnout
    not recorded
    Women
    Parties won
  • 1982
    Mali Transitional National Council June 1982 Election
    Seats
    Turnout
    not recorded
    Women
    Parties won
  • 1979
    Mali Transitional National Council June 1979 Election
    Seats
    Turnout
    not recorded
    Women
    Parties won

Source: ipu_parline.

05

Secession & self-determination

Separatist and self-determination movements recorded for this country. Coverage is partial — this is what the source describes, not a complete census of secessionism.

Source: Wikidata. “Classified separatist” means the source explicitly tags the movement as such; the rest are identified from their description. The authoritative dataset for secessionist conflict is UCDP/PRIO, which is not yet ingested.

06

Population & society

Fertility rate
5.5 2024
Life expectancy at birth
60.7 2024
Population growth
2.9 2024
Total population
24.5M 2024
Urban population percent
31.6 2024
Adult literacy rate
35.6 2024
Government expenditure on education percent of GDP
4.2 2023
Primary net enrollment ratio
58.9 2018
Secondary net enrollment ratio
29.9 2018

Ethnic groups

  • Bambara 33.3%
  • Fulani 13.3%
  • Sarakole/Soninke/Marka 9.8%
  • Senufo/Manianka 9.6%
  • Malinke 8.8%
  • Dogon 8.7%
  • Sonrai 5.9%
  • Bobo 2.1%
  • Tuareg/Bella 1.7%
  • other Malian 6%
  • from members of Economic Community of West Africa 0.4%
  • other 0.3%

Religion

  • Muslim 93.9%
  • Christian 2.8%
  • animist 0.7%
  • none 2.5%

Languages

  • Bambara
  • French 17.2%
  • Peuhl/Foulfoulbe/Fulani 9.4%
  • Dogon 7.2%
  • Maraka/Soninke 6.4%
  • Malinke 5.6%
  • Sonrhai/Djerma 5.6%
  • Minianka 4.3%
  • Tamacheq 3.5%
  • Senoufo 2.6%
  • Bobo 2.1%
  • other 6.3%
  • unspecified 0.7%

Composition: CIA World Factbook, 2018 estimate. Shares are reproduced as published and are not renormalised, so a country may total slightly under or over 100%.

07

Organizational alignment

Regional & continental

  • AfCFTA
  • African Union
  • AFRISTAT 1993
  • ECOWAS left 2025
  • OHADA
  • La Francophonie 1970
  • OIC 1969

Global bodies & treaties

  • African Development Bank
  • African Groundnut Council
  • Group on Earth Observations
  • International Bank for Reconstruction and Development
  • International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes
  • International Civil Defence Organisation
  • International Development Association
  • International Finance Corporation
  • International Telecommunication Union
  • Interpol
  • Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency
  • Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons
  • Organisation of African, Caribbean and Pacific States
  • Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons
  • UNESCO
  • United Nations
  • United Nations–African Union Hybrid Operation in Darfur
  • Universal Postal Union
  • World Customs Organization
  • World Health Organization
  • World Meteorological Organization
  • World Trade Organization
08

International court cases

  • ICJ 1985 decided

    Frontier Dispute (Burkina Faso/Republic of Mali)

    land boundary

  • ICC proceedings on record

    Prosecutor v. Al Mahdi

    Situation in Mali

  • ICC proceedings on record

    Prosecutor v. Al Hassan

    Situation in Mali

09

Parties & ideology

Ideological families

7 of 53 parties classified
  • Pan-African & nationalist 4
  • Social democratic & socialist 3
  • Liberal 1
  • Communist & Marxist 1
  • Other & governance doctrine 1

Bars are counts of parties, scaled to the largest family. A party with several ideologies is counted in each, so families can total more than the number of parties classified. Family groupings are the ADG classification of the source’s free-text ideology labels, not the source’s own categories.

Register

Every party the observatory holds for this country, historical and current — the register is not filtered to parties currently holding seats.

  • African Solidarity for Democracy and Independence Marxism–Leninism; Pan-Africanism Cheick Oumar Sissoko
  • Alliance for Democracy and Progress liberalism; social democracy; socialism
  • Alliance for Democracy in Mali Pan-Africanism; democratic socialism; social democracy
  • Alliance for Solidarity in Mali
  • Alternation Bloc for Renewal, Integration, and African Cooperation
  • Alternative Forces for Renewal and Emergence
  • Avenir et développement du Mali Madani Tall
  • Bloc for Democracy and African Integration
  • Change Party
  • Citizens' Party for Revival
  • Convention for Progress and the People
  • Convergence for Alternance and Change
  • Convergence pour le développement du Mali
  • Convergences 2007
  • Democratic Alliance for Peace
  • Democratic Party for Justice
  • Democratic Union of the Malian People nationalism Moussa Traoré
  • Ecologist Party of Mali P.E. du Mali
  • M5-RFP
  • Malian Party of Labour
  • Malian Rally for Labour
  • Malian Union for Democracy and Development
  • Malian Union for the African Democratic Rally
  • Mouvement pour le Mali
  • Movement for the Independence, Renaissance, and Integration of Africa
  • National Congress for Democratic Initiative
  • National Rally for Democracy
  • Parti pour la démocratie et le renouveau
  • Party for Civic and Patriotic Action democracy
  • Party for Democracy and Progress
  • Party for Economic Development and Solidarity
  • Party for Independence, Democracy and Solidarity
  • Party for National Rebirth
  • Party for Solidarity and Progress
  • Party for the Restoration of Malian Values
  • Patriotic Movement for Renewal MPR
  • Plateforme contre la corruption et le chômage au Mali Clément Dembélé
  • Q97456182
  • Q97456228
  • Q97940269
  • Rally for Democracy and Progress
  • Rally for Labour Democracy
  • Rally for Mali social democracy
  • Social Democratic Convention
  • Sudanese Democratic Party
  • Sudanese Union – African Democratic Rally African nationalism Modibo Keïta
  • Union Démocratique Ségovienne
  • Union des Maliens pour le progrès
  • Union for Democracy and Development
  • Union for the Republic and Democracy
  • Union of Democratic Forces for Progress
  • Union of Patriots for Renewal
  • Union of the Populations of Bandiagara
10

Census & statistical sources

Census, population and demographic documents the observatory has located for this country. These are links to the publishers’ own files — the library does not rehost them.