If you lived in Mali instead of Democratic Republic of the Congo, you would:

Health

see 79.9% more spent on your healthcare

Democratic Republic of the Congo spends $58 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Mali spends $104 as of 2023.

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be 52.6% less likely to die by suicide

Democratic Republic of the Congo has a suicide rate of 8.8 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Mali, it is 4.2 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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live 1.4 years less

In Democratic Republic of the Congo, the average life expectancy is 62 years (60 years for men, 64 years for women) as of 2024. In Mali, that number is 61 years (59 years for men, 62 years for women) as of 2024.

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be 98.7% more likely to be obese

In Democratic Republic of the Congo, 6.7% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Mali, that number is 13.3% of people as of 2024.

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Economy

be 36.1% less likely to be unemployed

In Democratic Republic of the Congo, 4.4% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Mali, that number is 2.8% as of 2025.

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be 19.0% less likely to live below the poverty line

In Democratic Republic of the Congo, 56.2% live below the poverty line as of 2020. In Mali, however, that number is 45.5% as of 2021.

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make 47.9% more money

Democratic Republic of the Congo has a GDP per capita of $807 as of 2025, while in Mali, the GDP per capita is $1,193 as of 2025.

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Life

be 15.8% less likely to die during infancy

In Democratic Republic of the Congo, approximately 56.4 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.

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be 48.0% less likely to be literate

In Democratic Republic of the Congo, the literacy rate is 68.5% as of 2023. In Mali, it is 35.6% as of 2024.

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Basic Needs

be 2.5 times more likely to have access to electricity

In Democratic Republic of the Congo, approximately 22% of people have electricity access (56% in urban areas, and 1% 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.

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be 87.1% more likely to have internet access

In Democratic Republic of the Congo, approximately 19.7% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Mali, about 36.8% do as of 2024.

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be 2.4 times more likely to have access to drinking water

In Democratic Republic of the Congo, approximately 36% of people have access to drinking water (59% in urban areas, and 14% 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.

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Expenditures

spend 47.2% more on education

Democratic Republic of the Congo spends 2.8% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Mali spends 4.2% of total GDP on education as of 2023.

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Safety

be 23.9% more likely to die in a road accident

In Democratic Republic of the Congo, road accidents kill 16.3 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Mali, they kill 20.2 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Infrastructure

find 25.7 times more home broadband

Democratic Republic of the Congo has 0.0 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Mali has 0.8 as of 2022.

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live with 34.8 times more strain on fresh water

Democratic Republic of the Congo withdraws 0% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Mali withdraws 8% as of 2022.

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Environment

emit 5.0 times more CO2

Democratic Republic of the Congo emits 0.1 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Mali emits 0.3 tonnes as of 2024.

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Sources: World Bank (2020–2025), World Health Organization (2024), United Nations SDG Indicators (2021). How we calculate this

Mali: At a glance

Mali is a sovereign country in Africa, with a total land area of approximately 1,220,190 sq km. The Sudanese Republic and Senegal became independent of France in 1960 as the Mali Federation. When Senegal withdrew after only a few months, what formerly made up the Sudanese Republic was renamed Mali. Rule by dictatorship was brought to a close in 1991 by a military coup that ushered in a period of democratic rule. President Alpha KONARE won Mali's first two democratic presidential elections in 1992 and 1997. In keeping with Mali's two-term constitutional limit, he stepped down in 2002 and was succeeded by Amadou Toumani TOURE, who was elected to a second term in 2007 elections that were widely judged to be free and fair. Malian returnees from Libya in 2011 exacerbated tensions in northern Mali, and Tuareg ethnic militias started a rebellion in January 2012. Low- and mid-level soldiers, frustrated with the poor handling of the rebellion overthrew TOURE on 22 March. Intensive mediation efforts led by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) returned power to a civilian administration in April with the appointment of interim President Dioncounda TRAORE. The post-coup chaos led to rebels expelling the Malian military from the three northern regions of the country and allowed Islamic militants to set up strongholds. Hundreds of thousands of northern Malians fled the violence to southern Mali and neighboring countries, exacerbating regional food insecurity in host communities. An international military intervention to retake the three northern regions began in January 2013 and within a month most of the north had been retaken. In a democratic presidential election conducted in July and August of 2013, Ibrahim Boubacar KEITA was elected president in the second round.
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