Mali — Unemployment
Unemployment Rate for Mali, 1991–2025.
Unemployment for Mali was 2.83% in 2025, according to the latest World Bank data. The series covers 35 years, from 1991 to 2025. The highest recorded value was 4.01% in 2021. The lowest was 1.27% in 2003 (about 2.2× the low point). Across that span the compound annual growth rate works out to 2.09% per year.
Mali ranks 153 of 187 economies on this measure (1 = highest), putting it in the top 82%. The median for Sub-Saharan Africa is 5.45%, so Mali sits below it. It peaked in 2021 and has fallen 29% since. Over the last decade (2015–2025) the figure moved up 102%. Within Sub-Saharan Africa it ranks 37 of 47 economies; Uganda (2.75%) is just below it. Its sharpest one-year move was up 103% in 2019. That is 12% above this series' own ten-year average.
Data highlights
From its 1991 level: doubled by 2019. Doubling roughly every 33 years at that pace.
World ranking. Climbed: 172nd of 187 in 1991 → 179th of 187 in 2000 → 176th of 187 in 2010 → 154th of 187 in 2020 → 148th of 182 in 2025.
Key figures
Full history — 1991 to 2025
| Year | % of total labor force | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 2.83% | -0.1 pp |
| 2024 | 2.92% | -0.0 pp |
| 2023 | 2.95% | +0.6 pp |
| 2022 | 2.39% | -1.6 pp |
| 2021 | 4.01% | +0.5 pp |
| 2020 | 3.53% | +0.2 pp |
| 2019 | 3.29% | +1.7 pp |
| 2018 | 1.62% | +0.1 pp |
| 2017 | 1.5% | +0.1 pp |
| 2016 | 1.37% | -0.0 pp |
| 2015 | 1.4% | -0.1 pp |
| 2014 | 1.48% | -0.0 pp |
| 2013 | 1.52% | +0.1 pp |
| 2012 | 1.46% | +0.1 pp |
| 2011 | 1.4% | +0.0 pp |
| 2010 | 1.38% | -0.0 pp |
| 2009 | 1.41% | +0.0 pp |
| 2008 | 1.38% | +0.0 pp |
| 2007 | 1.37% | -0.0 pp |
| 2006 | 1.4% | +0.0 pp |
| 2005 | 1.37% | -0.0 pp |
| 2004 | 1.41% | +0.1 pp |
| 2003 | 1.27% | -0.1 pp |
| 2002 | 1.36% | +0.0 pp |
| 2001 | 1.33% | -0.1 pp |
| 2000 | 1.41% | +0.1 pp |
| 1999 | 1.36% | +0.0 pp |
| 1998 | 1.34% | -0.1 pp |
| 1997 | 1.41% | -0.0 pp |
| 1996 | 1.42% | -0.0 pp |
| 1995 | 1.46% | -0.0 pp |
| 1994 | 1.51% | +0.1 pp |
| 1993 | 1.42% | -0.1 pp |
| 1992 | 1.48% | +0.1 pp |
| 1991 | 1.4% | — |
Frequently asked questions
What was Mali’s Unemployment in 1992?
1.48% (1992). The full year-by-year table above lists every published year, most recent first.
Are changes in this series measured in percentage points?
Yes. The series is a share expressed in % of total labor force, so year-over-year movements in the Change column are percentage points (pp), not percent.
Is Mali’s Unemployment growing or shrinking?
Between 1991 and 2025 the series was growing overall: +102.4% in total — about 2.1% a year compounded.
Where does this data come from?
World Bank Open Data (CC BY-4.0), indicator SL.UEM.TOTL.ZS. Values are reproduced as published; this page only computes summary statistics such as change, CAGR and extremes.
What are the most recent published figures?
The last five published years: 2025: 2.83%; 2024: 2.92%; 2023: 2.95%; 2022: 2.39%; 2021: 4.01%. Earlier years are in the full-history table below.
Related data
SL.UEM.TOTL.ZS — Unemployment Rate. Data licensed under CC BY 4.0. Values are reproduced as published; this page computes the summary statistics (change, CAGR, extremes) from the underlying annual series. View the original dataset on data.worldbank.org.