Factbook
History of Mali — Timeline
Key dates in the history of Mali, from the Magna Factbook and the Universal Encyclopedia.
1960In 1960, French Sudan gained independence from France and became the Mali Federation.
1960Independence: 22 September 1960 (from France).
1991Mali saw 31 years of dictatorship until 1991, when a military coup led by Amadou Toumani TOURE ousted the government, established a new constitution, and instituted a multi-party democracy.
1992Alpha Oumar KONARE won Mali's first two democratic presidential elections in 1992 and 1997.
2002In keeping with Mali's two-term constitutional limit, he stepped down in 2002 and was succeeded by Amadou Toumani TOURE, who won a second term in 2007.
2009Languages: Bambara (official), French 17.2%, Peuhl/Foulfoulbe/Fulani 9.4%, Dogon 7.2%, Maraka/Soninke 6.4%, Malinke 5.6%, Sonrhai/Djerma 5.6%, Minianka 4.3%, Tamacheq 3.5%, Senoufo 2.6%, Bobo 2.1%, other 6.3%, unspecified 0.7% (2009 est.) Religions: Muslim 93.9%, Christian 2.8%, animist 0.7%, none 2.5% (2018 est.) Urban population: 46.2% of total population (2023).
2012In 2012, rising ethnic tensions and an influx of fighters -- some linked to Al-Qa’ida -- from Libya led to a rebellion and military coup.
2013Ibrahim Boubacar KEITA won the Malian presidential elections in 2013 and 2018.
2013With a 2013 French-led military intervention, the Malian government managed to retake most of the north.
2015In 2015, the Malian Government and northern rebels signed an internationally mediated peace accord.
2017Despite a 2017 target for implementation of the agreement, the signatories have made little progress.
2020In 2020, the military arrested KEITA, his prime minister, and other senior members of the government and established a military junta called the National Committee for the Salvation of the People (CNSP).
2021In 2021, GOITA led a military takeover, arresting the interim president after a Cabinet shake-up removed GOITA’s key allies.
2022In 2022, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) imposed sanctions on the transition government, and member states closed their borders with Mali after the transition government presented a five-year extension to the electoral calendar.
2023Generation mix — fossil fuels: 57.3% of total installed capacity (2023 est.); solar: 3.5% of total installed capacity (2023 est.); hydroelectricity: 37.6% of total installed capacity (2023 est.) Energy use: 4.307 million Btu/person (2023 est.).
2023Industries: food processing; construction; phosphate and gold mining Agriculture: maize, rice, millet, sorghum, onions, okra, sugarcane, cotton, mangoes/guavas, sweet potatoes (2023) Electricity access: 53% (2022 est.).
2023Major urban areas: 2.929 million BAMAKO (capital) (2023) low-income Saharan economy; recession due to COVID-19 and political instability; extreme poverty; environmentally fragile; high public debt; agricultural and gold exporter; terrorism and warfare are common Inflation: 3.2% (2024 est.).
2024Military spending: 4.3% of GDP (2024 est.).
2024The transition government and ECOWAS agreed to a new two-year timeline, which would have included presidential elections in February 2024, but the transition government postponed the elections indefinitely in September 2023 and withdrew from ECOWAS in January 2024.
2025Population: 22.6 million (2025 estimate).
