Quality of life comparison

compared to

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

Health

live 11.4 years less

In Tennessee, the average life expectancy is 74 years (73 years for men, 78 years for women) as of 2020. In Mali, that number is 62 years (60 years for men, 65 years for women) as of 2022.

View global rankings →

Economy

be 11.5% less likely to be unemployed

In Tennessee, 3.4% of adults are unemployed as of 2025. In Mali, that number is 3.0% as of 2023.

View global rankings →

make 95.8% less money

Tennessee has a GDP per capita of $60,177 as of 2024, while in Mali, the GDP per capita is $2,500 as of 2023.

View global rankings →

be 3.5 times more likely to live below the poverty line

In Tennessee, 12.9% live below the poverty line as of 2023. In Mali, however, that number is 44.6% as of 2021.

View global rankings →

Basic Needs

be 61.2% less likely to have internet access

In Tennessee, approximately 87.6% of the population has internet access as of 2023. In Mali, about 34.0% do as of 2021.

View global rankings →

The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook, OECD Regional Demography, Bureau of Labor Statistics, US Census Bureau (American Community Survey), Bureau of Economic Analysis.

Compare further: Tennessee vs. Mali

Cost of Living Comparison · 5 categories - 2026 data
Mali is 19.6% cheaper than Tennessee
→
Size Comparison · See true size
Tennessee is about 12 times smaller than Mali.
→

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.
Read more

How big is Mali compared to Tennessee? See an in-depth size comparison.

Share this

Ask the Elsewhere Community

Join the Elsewhere community and ask a question about Mali or United States. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.