Key media freedoms in Mali
Mali: Key media freedoms was -0.315 in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2025)
-0.315
Change on year
down 4.7%
World rank
117th
of 175 countries
All-time high
2.4
in 1992
All-time low
-1.1
in 1900
Years of data
126
1900–2025
Key media freedoms in Mali, 1900–2025
Source: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
Mali recorded -0.315 for key media freedoms in 2025.
That represents a change of down 4.7% on the previous year and down 121.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, key media freedoms in Mali peaked at 2.4 in 1992 and was at its lowest, -1.1, in 1900.
That places Mali 117th out of 175 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Key media freedoms in Mali, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1900 | -1.1 | — |
| 1901 | -1.1 | -0.0% |
| 1902 | -1.1 | -0.0% |
| 1903 | -1.1 | -0.0% |
| 1904 | -1.1 | -0.0% |
| 1905 | -1.1 | -0.0% |
| 1906 | -1.1 | -0.0% |
| 1907 | -1.1 | -0.0% |
| 1908 | -1.1 | -0.0% |
| 1909 | -1.1 | -0.0% |
| 1910 | -1.1 | -0.0% |
| 1911 | -1.1 | -0.0% |
| 1912 | -1.1 | -0.0% |
| 1913 | -1.1 | -0.0% |
| 1914 | -1.1 | -0.0% |
| 1915 | -1.1 | -0.0% |
| 1916 | -1.1 | -0.0% |
| 1917 | -1.1 | -0.0% |
| 1918 | -1.1 | -0.0% |
| 1919 | -1.1 | -0.0% |
| 1920 | -1.1 | -0.0% |
| 1921 | -1.1 | -0.0% |
| 1922 | -1.1 | -0.0% |
| 1923 | -1.1 | -0.0% |
| 1924 | -1.1 | -0.0% |
| 1925 | -1.1 | -0.0% |
| 1926 | -1.1 | -0.0% |
| 1927 | -1.1 | -0.0% |
| 1928 | -1.1 | -0.0% |
| 1929 | -1.1 | -0.0% |
| 1930 | -1.1 | -0.0% |
| 1931 | -1.1 | -0.0% |
| 1932 | -1.1 | -0.0% |
| 1933 | -1.1 | -0.0% |
| 1934 | -1.1 | -0.0% |
| 1935 | -1.1 | -0.0% |
| 1936 | -1.1 | -0.0% |
| 1937 | -1.1 | -0.0% |
| 1938 | -1.1 | -0.0% |
| 1939 | -1.1 | -0.0% |
| 1940 | -1.1 | -0.0% |
| 1941 | -1.1 | -0.0% |
| 1942 | -1.1 | -0.0% |
| 1943 | -1.1 | -0.0% |
| 1944 | -1.1 | -0.0% |
| 1945 | -1.09 | -1.0% |
| 1946 | -1.09 | -0.0% |
| 1947 | -1.09 | -0.0% |
| 1948 | -1.09 | -0.0% |
| 1949 | -1.09 | -0.0% |
| 1950 | -1.09 | -0.0% |
| 1951 | -1.09 | -0.0% |
| 1952 | -1.09 | -0.0% |
| 1953 | -1.09 | -0.0% |
| 1954 | -1.09 | -0.0% |
| 1955 | -1.09 | -0.0% |
| 1956 | -1.09 | -0.0% |
| 1957 | -1.09 | -0.0% |
| 1958 | -1.09 | -0.0% |
| 1959 | -1.09 | -0.0% |
| 1960 | 0.235 | -121.5% |
| 1961 | 0.235 | +0.0% |
| 1962 | 0.235 | +0.0% |
| 1963 | 0.235 | +0.0% |
| 1964 | 0.235 | +0.0% |
| 1965 | -0.003 | -101.3% |
| 1966 | -0.003 | -0.0% |
| 1967 | -0.003 | -0.0% |
| 1968 | -0.652 | +21633.3% |
| 1969 | -0.652 | -0.0% |
| 1970 | -0.652 | -0.0% |
| 1971 | -0.652 | -0.0% |
| 1972 | -0.652 | -0.0% |
| 1973 | -0.652 | -0.0% |
| 1974 | -0.652 | -0.0% |
| 1975 | -0.652 | -0.0% |
| 1976 | -0.652 | -0.0% |
| 1977 | -0.652 | -0.0% |
| 1978 | -0.652 | -0.0% |
| 1979 | -0.652 | -0.0% |
| 1980 | -0.652 | -0.0% |
| 1981 | -0.652 | -0.0% |
| 1982 | -0.272 | -58.3% |
| 1983 | -0.272 | -0.0% |
| 1984 | -0.272 | -0.0% |
| 1985 | -0.272 | -0.0% |
| 1986 | -0.272 | -0.0% |
| 1987 | -0.272 | -0.0% |
| 1988 | -0.088 | -67.6% |
| 1989 | -0.088 | -0.0% |
| 1990 | -0.088 | -0.0% |
| 1991 | 1.06 | -1306.8% |
| 1992 | 2.4 | +126.4% |
| 1993 | 2.4 | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 2.4 | +0.0% |
| 1995 | 2.4 | +0.0% |
| 1996 | 2.4 | +0.0% |
| 1997 | 2.4 | +0.0% |
| 1998 | 2.4 | +0.0% |
| 1999 | 2.4 | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 2.4 | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 2.4 | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 2.4 | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 2.4 | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 2.4 | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 2.4 | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 2.4 | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 2.4 | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 2.4 | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 2.4 | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 2.4 | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 2.4 | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 2.4 | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 1.93 | -19.6% |
| 2014 | 1.93 | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 1.48 | -23.6% |
| 2016 | 1.48 | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 1.48 | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 1.12 | -23.8% |
| 2019 | 1.66 | +47.8% |
| 2020 | -0.065 | -103.9% |
| 2021 | 0.362 | -656.9% |
| 2022 | -0.047 | -113.0% |
| 2023 | -0.047 | -0.0% |
| 2024 | -0.301 | +540.4% |
| 2025 | -0.315 | +4.7% |
Mali compared with similar countries
- Mali's -0.315 is above the median for low income countries, which is -0.42, 75% of the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Mali's -0.315 is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 0.123. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1900s | -1.1 | -1.1 | -1.1 | 10 |
| 1910s | -1.1 | -1.1 | -1.1 | 10 |
| 1920s | -1.1 | -1.1 | -1.1 | 10 |
| 1930s | -1.1 | -1.1 | -1.1 | 10 |
| 1940s | -1.1 | -1.1 | -1.09 | 10 |
| 1950s | -1.09 | -1.09 | -1.09 | 10 |
| 1960s | -0.0138 | -0.652 | 0.235 | 10 |
| 1970s | -0.652 | -0.652 | -0.652 | 10 |
| 1980s | -0.3112 | -0.652 | -0.088 | 10 |
| 1990s | 2.02 | -0.088 | 2.4 | 10 |
| 2000s | 2.4 | 2.4 | 2.4 | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.83 | 1.12 | 2.4 | 10 |
| 2020s | -0.0688 | -0.315 | 0.362 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Mali
- 114 India -0.258 compare
- 115 Morocco -0.275 compare
- 116 Central African Republic -0.307 compare
- 118 Mozambique -0.346 compare
- 119 Kyrgyzstan -0.388 compare
- 120 Ethiopia -0.394 compare
More social development data for Mali
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 286,715 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 519,738 (2025)
- Political Rights Rating 7 (2025)
- Electoral democracy 0 (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, annual growth rate 16.67 % change on previous year (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, gaps filled 7 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0.0206 units per person (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 519,738 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0.0114 units per person (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is key media freedoms in Mali?
- Key media freedoms in Mali was -0.315 in 2025, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest key media freedoms recorded in Mali?
- The highest recorded value was 2.4 in 1992.
- What is the lowest key media freedoms recorded in Mali?
- The lowest recorded value was -1.1 in 1900.
- How does Mali rank for key media freedoms?
- Mali ranks 117th out of 175 countries with data for 2025.
- Is key media freedoms rising or falling in Mali?
- Over the last ten years it is down 121.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Mali data come from?
- The figures come from V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Key media freedoms. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 126 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Central estimate of the extent to which the government directly or indirectly attempts to censor political content in print and broadcast media, through formal restrictions or indirect pressures such as financial control, licensing, or access to distribution channels.