Mali Gini Index

Mali’s Gini Index fell from an all‑time peak of 50.10 in 1994 to a trough of 33.00 in 2009, before rising again to 35.70 in 2021, placing the country at rank 50 globally. The 2021 figure matches that of China and is only marginally lower than Iran’s 35.50, indicating a level of income inequality comparable to several middle‑income economies. The decline between the mid‑1990s and the late 2000s reflects a period of modest redistribution, likely linked to expanded social programmes and agricultural growth, while the modest uptick after 2009 suggests renewed pressures from demographic expansion and limited fiscal capacity. Compared with Senegal’s 36.20, Mali’s inequality remains slightly lower, but the trajectory shows no sustained improvement. Continued investment in inclusive education, rural infrastructure and progressive taxation would be required to reverse the recent rise and move the index further toward the lower end of the global distribution.