The current Mali population as of July 2007 is approximately 11,995,402. Distribution of the Mali population has been dependent on various factors such as climate, availability of water and outbreak of diseases.
The population of Mali is very less in the northern desert area as there is little scope for agriculture. Life is difficult in the desert area as there is a scarcity of the basic facilities such as schools, hospitals and transportation.
The cities in Mali are more densely populated than the villages. Agricultural activity is dependant on the rainy season and once the rainy season is over, large percentage of the population shifts to the cities from the villages.
There are other factors also, which affect the distribution of population in Mali. The reduction in the rate of agricultural growth has also been responsible for the shifting of the population from the country side to the developed cities. Till July 2007, the population growth of the country was 2.681%.
Ninety percentage of the population in Mali are Muslims. 1% of the population is Christian. 9% of the population comprises of the natives. The population in Mali has a large number of tribal groups. 50% of the people belong to the Bambara, Soninke and Malinke groups. Tuareg, Moor, Peul, Voltaic and Songhai are also some other important ethnic groups.