Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Mali instead of Central African Republic, you would:
Health
be 66.7% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Central African Republic, 2.4% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Mali, that number is 0.8% of people as of 2024.
live 3.0 years longer
In Central African Republic, the average life expectancy is 58 years (56 years for men, 60 years for women) as of 2024. In Mali, that number is 61 years (59 years for men, 62 years for women) as of 2024.
have 2.5 times more doctors per person
Central African Republic has 0.7 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Mali has 1.9 as of 2023.
have 28.1% more access to essential health services
Central African Republic scores 32 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Mali scores 41 as of 2021.
be 54.7% less likely to die by suicide
Central African Republic has a suicide rate of 9.2 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Mali, it is 4.2 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 21.6% more likely to be obese
In Central African Republic, 10.9% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Mali, that number is 13.3% of people as of 2024.
see 24.0% less spent on your healthcare
Central African Republic spends $137 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Mali spends $104 as of 2023.
Economy
be 54.7% less likely to be unemployed
In Central African Republic, 6.2% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Mali, that number is 2.8% as of 2025.
be 33.9% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Central African Republic, 68.8% live below the poverty line as of 2021. In Mali, however, that number is 45.5% as of 2021.
make 2.1 times more money
Central African Republic has a GDP per capita of $556 as of 2025, while in Mali, the GDP per capita is $1,193 as of 2025.
Life
be 47.0% less likely to die during childbirth
In Central African Republic, approximately 692.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Mali, 367.0 women do as of 2023.
be 19.2% less likely to die during infancy
In Central African Republic, approximately 58.8 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2024. In Mali, on the other hand, 47.5 children do as of 2024.
have 14.4% fewer children
In Central African Republic, there are approximately 46.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Mali, there are 39.5 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 3.1 times more likely to have access to electricity
In Central African Republic, approximately 18% of people have electricity access (37% in urban areas, and 2% in rural areas) as of 2023. In Mali, that number is 54% of people on average (92% in urban areas, and 23% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 2.7 times more likely to have internet access
In Central African Republic, approximately 13.8% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Mali, about 36.8% do as of 2024.
be 2.4 times more likely to have access to drinking water
In Central African Republic, approximately 36% of people have access to drinking water (48% in urban areas, and 27% in rural areas) as of 2024. In Mali, that number is 86% of people on average (94% in urban areas, and 80% in rural areas) as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 64.3% less on healthcare
Central African Republic spends 10.7% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Mali, that number is 3.8% of GDP as of 2023.
spend 2.3 times more on education
Central African Republic spends 1.8% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Mali spends 4.2% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
Safety
be 22.0% less likely to die in a road accident
In Central African Republic, road accidents kill 25.9 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Mali, they kill 20.2 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 38.5 times more home broadband
Central African Republic has 0.0 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2022. Mali has 0.8 as of 2022.
live with 23.5 times more strain on fresh water
Central African Republic withdraws 0% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Mali withdraws 8% as of 2022.
Environment
be 33.7% less likely to die from air pollution
In Central African Republic, air pollution causes 98.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Mali, it causes 65.0 as of 2019.
emit 5.0 times more CO2
Central African Republic emits 0.1 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Mali emits 0.3 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Central African Republic vs. Mali
MORE COMPARISONS
Mali: At a glance
How big is Mali compared to Central African Republic? See an in-depth size comparison.