Mali is a landlocked country in West Africa. It is the eighth largest country in Africa with an area of just over 1,240,000 square km and a population of about 19.1 million people. The COVID-19 pandemic, combined with a military coup d Etat in August 2020, drove the economy from strong growth of 5.1% in real GDP in 2019 to a recession in which real GDP shrank by 2% in 2020 a loss of 7.1 percentage points. This recession was driven by a

contraction of 3.5% in the secondary sectorand of 5.5% in the tertiary sector, a falloff in net exports because of weak global demand, and a contraction in public investment as public program resources were diverted to social sectors.

Currency: West African XOF

Capital:   Bamako

Area: 1,240,000 sq km

Total Population 2017: 18,7 Million

Urban Population 2017: 73.50%

Female Population 2017: 49.70%

GDP: US$ 13.8 Billion

GNI Per Capita 2015: US$ 790

Inflation Rate: -

Crude Birth Rate (per 1000): 41.70%

Human Development Index (rank / 188): 175

Human Development Index (scale 0 to 1): 0.442

Cumulative Approvals (1967-2016): UA 1.1 Billion

Unemployment rate: 8.1%

Global Ranking in the Economy Progress 2016: 121st

• French and English are The official language of Mali is French even though there exists more than 40 different local languages in the region. The most preferred is the 'Bambara' which most of the locals use in communication.