If you lived in Mexico instead of Mali, you would:

Health

live 14.6 years longer

In Mali, the average life expectancy is 61 years (59 years for men, 62 years for women) as of 2024. In Mexico, that number is 75 years (72 years for men, 78 years for women) as of 2024.

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see 13.2 times more spent on your healthcare

Mali spends $104 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Mexico spends $1,368 as of 2023.

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have 13.8 times more doctors per person

Mali has 1.9 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Mexico has 25.9 as of 2022.

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have 82.9% more access to essential health services

Mali scores 41 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Mexico scores 75 as of 2021.

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be 2.8 times more likely to be obese

In Mali, 13.3% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Mexico, that number is 37.4% of people as of 2024.

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be 67.1% more likely to die by suicide

Mali has a suicide rate of 4.2 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Mexico, it is 7.0 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Economy

be 34.9% less likely to live below the poverty line

In Mali, 45.5% live below the poverty line as of 2021. In Mexico, however, that number is 29.6% as of 2024.

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make 11.6 times more money

Mali has a GDP per capita of $1,193 as of 2025, while in Mexico, the GDP per capita is $13,889 as of 2025.

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Life

be 88.6% 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 Mexico, 42.0 women do as of 2023.

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be 2.7 times more likely to be literate

In Mali, the literacy rate is 35.6% as of 2024. In Mexico, it is 95.5% as of 2024.

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be 74.5% 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 Mexico, on the other hand, 12.1 children do as of 2024.

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have 60.9% fewer children

In Mali, there are approximately 39.5 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Mexico, there are 15.5 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

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Basic Needs

be 82.9% more likely to have access to electricity

In Mali, approximately 54% of people have electricity access (92% in urban areas, and 23% in rural areas) as of 2023. In Mexico, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 99% in rural areas) as of 2023.

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be 2.3 times more likely to have internet access

In Mali, approximately 36.8% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Mexico, about 83.1% do as of 2024.

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be 15.3% more 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 Mexico, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 97% in rural areas) as of 2024.

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Expenditures

spend 44.4% more on healthcare

Mali spends 3.8% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Mexico, that number is 5.5% of GDP as of 2023.

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Safety

be 40.6% less likely to die in a road accident

In Mali, road accidents kill 20.2 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Mexico, they kill 12.0 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Infrastructure

find 28.2 times more home broadband

Mali has 0.8 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2022. Mexico has 21.7 as of 2024.

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live with 5.6 times more strain on fresh water

Mali withdraws 8% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Mexico withdraws 45% as of 2022.

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Environment

be 53.8% less likely to die from air pollution

In Mali, air pollution causes 65.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Mexico, it causes 30.0 as of 2019.

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emit 12.1 times more CO2

Mali emits 0.3 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Mexico emits 3.6 tonnes as of 2024.

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Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this

Mexico: At a glance

Mexico is a sovereign country in North America, with a total land area of approximately 1,943,945 sq km. The site of several advanced Amerindian civilizations - including the Olmec, Toltec, Teotihuacan, Zapotec, Maya, and Aztec - Mexico was conquered and colonized by Spain in the early 16th century. Administered as the Viceroyalty of New Spain for three centuries, it achieved its independence early in the 19th century. The global financial crisis beginning in late 2008 caused a massive economic downturn the following year, although growth returned quickly in 2010. Ongoing economic and social concerns include low real wages, underemployment for a large segment of the population, inequitable income distribution, and few advancement opportunities for the largely indigenous population in the impoverished southern states. The elections held in 2000 marked the first time since the 1910 Mexican Revolution that an opposition candidate - Vicente FOX of the National Action Party (PAN) - defeated the party in government, the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI). He was succeeded in 2006 by another PAN candidate Felipe CALDERON, but Enrique PENA NIETO regained the presidency for the PRI in 2012. Since 2007, Mexico's powerful drug-trafficking organizations have engaged in bloody feuding, resulting in tens of thousands of drug-related homicides.
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