Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Mali instead of Norway, you would:
Health
be 34.2% less likely to be obese
In Norway, 20.2% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Mali, that number is 13.3% of people as of 2024.
be 68.5% less likely to die by suicide
Norway has a suicide rate of 13.2 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Mali, it is 4.2 per 100,000 as of 2021.
live 22.5 years less
In Norway, the average life expectancy is 83 years (82 years for men, 85 years for women) as of 2024. In Mali, that number is 61 years (59 years for men, 62 years for women) as of 2024.
see 98.9% less spent on your healthcare
Norway spends $9,523 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Mali spends $104 as of 2023.
have 96.2% fewer doctors per person
Norway has 49.8 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Mali has 1.9 as of 2023.
have 52.9% less access to essential health services
Norway scores 87 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Mali scores 41 as of 2021.
Economy
be 39.0% less likely to be unemployed
In Norway, 4.6% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Mali, that number is 2.8% as of 2025.
be 3.7 times more likely to live below the poverty line
In Norway, 12.2% live below the poverty line as of 2021. In Mali, however, that number is 45.5% as of 2021.
make 98.7% less money
Norway has a GDP per capita of $94,594 as of 2025, while in Mali, the GDP per capita is $1,193 as of 2025.
Life
have 4.1 times more children
In Norway, there are approximately 9.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Mali, there are 39.5 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 367.0 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Norway, approximately 1.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Mali, 367.0 women do as of 2023.
be 23.8 times more likely to die during infancy
In Norway, approximately 2.0 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.
Basic Needs
be 45.5% less likely to have access to electricity
In Norway, approximately 100% of people have electricity access (100% in urban areas, and 100% 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 62.8% less likely to have internet access
In Norway, approximately 99.0% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Mali, about 36.8% do as of 2024.
be 13.6% less likely to have access to drinking water
In Norway, approximately 100% of people have access to drinking water (100% in urban areas, and 100% 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 23.0% less on education
Norway spends 5.4% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Mali spends 4.2% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 59.6% less on healthcare
Norway spends 9.4% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Mali, that number is 3.8% of GDP as of 2023.
Safety
be 13.5 times more likely to die in a road accident
In Norway, road accidents kill 1.5 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Mali, they kill 20.2 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 98.3% less home broadband
Norway has 45.2 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Mali has 0.8 as of 2022.
live with 3.9 times more strain on fresh water
Norway withdraws 2% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Mali withdraws 8% as of 2022.
Environment
emit 95.8% less CO2
Norway emits 7.2 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Mali emits 0.3 tonnes as of 2024.
be 8.1 times more likely to die from air pollution
In Norway, air pollution causes 8.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Mali, it causes 65.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Norway vs. Mali
Mali: At a glance
How big is Mali compared to Norway? See an in-depth size comparison.