Western Africa
Mali
Absolute number
Prevalence
Married by 15: Number of girls and women (left) and percentage of women 20-24 years (right) married before age 15
Married by 18: Number of girls and women (left) and percentage of women 20-24 years (right) married before age 18
Prevalence of child marriage
- Mali
- Western Africa
The line chart shows the prevalence of child marriage (before age 18) in Mali and Western Africa from 1999 to 2025.
In Mali, 54% of girls in 1999 married before age 18, compared with 49% in 2024, which is the latest available value.
In Western Africa, the prevalence was 42% in 2000 and was 32% in 2025.
Show data table
| Year | Mali | Western Africa |
|---|---|---|
| 1999 | 53.7% | |
| 2000 | 41.5% | |
| 2004 | 51.1% | |
| 2005 | 39.1% | |
| 2009 | 53.0% | |
| 2010 | 38.6% | |
| 2014 | 51.0% | |
| 2015 | 37.9% | |
| 2019 | 51.8% | |
| 2020 | 35.8% | |
| 2024 | 48.5% | |
| 2025 | 31.9% |
Mali
Child Marriage
Prevalence
Residence
- Rural
- Urban
Wealth
- Poorest
- Second
- Middle
- Fourth
- Richest
Education
- No schooling
- Primary education
- Secondary or higher
Compare regions of Mali
Understand differences inside the country
Touch the timeline to see how the child marriage affect differently each sub-region of Mali in the last decades.
Levels of child marriage vary across different parts of Mali. See the range of values within the country, and explore the map for details.
Prevalence of child marriage
Compare regions of Mali
Understand differences
inside the country
Region with no data
2018
Prevalence of child marriage in each region of Mali in 2018
Region with no data
2018
Prevalence of child marriage in each region of Mali in 2018
This map does not reflect a position by UNICEF on the legal status of any country or territory or the delimitation of any frontiers.
The map shows the prevalence of child marriage (before age 18) across Mali. Data refer to 2018, the latest year with available data.
The practice is most common in Kayes (75%), Tombouctou (70%), Gao (59%), and Sikasso (59%).
Show data table
| Year | Bamako | Gao | Kayes | Kidal | Koulikoro | Mopti | Segou | Sikasso | Tombouctou |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 32.5% | 58.8% | 75.2% | 45.0% | 57.5% | 43.6% | 52.8% | 58.8% | 70.0% |
Compare countries
How does Mali compare to other countries?
Prevalence of child marriage
- Mali
The line chart shows the prevalence of child marriage (before age 18) in Mali from 1999 to 2024.
In Mali, 54% of girls in 1999 married before age 18, compared with 49% in 2024, which is the latest available value.
Residence
Child marriage prevalence
Review the data to find if girls living in rural areas are more likely to marry in childhood than girls in urban areas
The bubble chart shows the prevalence of child marriage (before age 18) disaggregated by residence in Mali. Data refer to the latest available year.
In Mali, 49% of girls married before age 18. The prevalence is 56% of girls in rural areas, compared with 31% in urban areas.
For more data related to child marriage, please see the child marriage country profiles available on the UNICEF Data website
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Where does child marriage occur?
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