Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Ethiopia instead of Mali, you would:
Health
live 6.9 years longer
In Mali, the average life expectancy is 61 years (59 years for men, 62 years for women) as of 2024. In Ethiopia, that number is 68 years (64 years for men, 71 years for women) as of 2024.
be 78.0% less likely to be obese
In Mali, 13.3% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Ethiopia, that number is 2.9% of people as of 2024.
see 17.5% less spent on your healthcare
Mali spends $104 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Ethiopia spends $86 as of 2023.
have 23.9% fewer doctors per person
Mali has 1.9 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Ethiopia has 1.4 as of 2023.
have 14.6% less access to essential health services
Mali scores 41 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Ethiopia scores 35 as of 2021.
be 45.9% more likely to die by suicide
Mali has a suicide rate of 4.2 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Ethiopia, it is 6.1 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 27.3% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Mali, 45.5% live below the poverty line as of 2021. In Ethiopia, however, that number is 33.1% as of 2021.
be 17.3% more likely to be unemployed
In Mali, 2.8% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Ethiopia, that number is 3.3% as of 2025.
make 21.8% less money
Mali has a GDP per capita of $1,193 as of 2025, while in Ethiopia, the GDP per capita is $933 as of 2025.
Life
be 46.9% less likely to die during childbirth
In Mali, approximately 367.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Ethiopia, 195.0 women do as of 2023.
be 69.7% more likely to be literate
In Mali, the literacy rate is 35.6% as of 2024. In Ethiopia, it is 60.5% as of 2022.
be 27.4% less likely to die during infancy
In Mali, approximately 47.5 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2024. In Ethiopia, on the other hand, 34.5 children do as of 2024.
have 20.4% fewer children
In Mali, there are approximately 39.5 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Ethiopia, there are 31.5 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 40.4% less likely to have internet access
In Mali, approximately 36.8% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Ethiopia, about 21.9% do as of 2024.
be 35.6% less likely to have access to drinking water
In Mali, approximately 86% of people have access to drinking water (94% in urban areas, and 80% in rural areas) as of 2024. In Ethiopia, that number is 56% of people on average (83% in urban areas, and 47% in rural areas) as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 45.0% less on education
Mali spends 4.2% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Ethiopia spends 2.3% of total GDP on education as of 2024.
spend 26.5% less on healthcare
Mali spends 3.8% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Ethiopia, that number is 2.8% of GDP as of 2023.
Safety
be 12.4% less likely to die in a road accident
In Mali, road accidents kill 20.2 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Ethiopia, they kill 17.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 23.4% less home broadband
Mali has 0.8 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2022. Ethiopia has 0.6 as of 2024.
live with 4.0 times more strain on fresh water
Mali withdraws 8% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Ethiopia withdraws 32% as of 2022.
Environment
be 29.2% less likely to die from air pollution
In Mali, air pollution causes 65.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Ethiopia, it causes 46.0 as of 2019.
emit 50.0% less CO2
Mali emits 0.3 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Ethiopia emits 0.1 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: Mali vs. Ethiopia
Ethiopia: At a glance
How big is Ethiopia compared to Mali? See an in-depth size comparison.