Mali: Net lending (+) / net borrowing (-) (% of GDP)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2020, Mali's net lending (+) / net borrowing (-) (% of GDP) fell 2.16 percentage points on 2019 (from -1.32% to -3.49%).

Across the 19 yearly changes before that (2001 to 2019), the average change was +0.05 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 8.63 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.3 standard deviations below that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.

On record, the biggest yearly rise was 24.71 percentage points in 2006 and the biggest yearly fall was 26.41 percentage points in 2007. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2011 to 2020 there is no clear straight-line trend: a straight line explains 28% of the movement over 10 observed years, so the value is moving around more than it is heading anywhere.

Worked out from the yearly values above. How the checks work: standard deviation, z-scores and straight-line trends.

How it compares

In 2020, Mali had the 7th highest value of the 10 economies reporting that year. Higher is not always better: for some indicators the lowest value is the one to aim for. See the full ranking.

Closest to Mali in the 2020 ranking

• St. Kitts and Nevis — 3rd of 10: -2.25%
• Bhutan — 4th of 10: -2.52%
• Jamaica — 5th of 10: -2.83%
• Honduras — 7th of 10: -4.53%
• Cabo Verde — 8th of 10: -9.37%
• Palau — 9th of 10: -9.51%

What this measures

Net lending (+) / net borrowing (–) equals government revenue minus expense, minus net investment in nonfinancial assets. It is also equal to the net result of transactions in financial assets and liabilities. Net lending/net borrowing is a summary measure indicating the extent to which government is either putting financial resources at the disposal of other sectors in the economy or abroad, or utilizing the financial resources generated by other sectors in the economy or from abroad. This indicator is expressed as a percentage of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) which is the total income earned through the production of goods and services in an economic territory during an accounting period.

Limitations: For most countries central government finance data have been consolidated into one account, but for others only budgetary central government accounts are available. Countries reporting budgetary data are noted in the country metadata. Because budgetary accounts may not include all central government units (such as social security funds), they usually provide an incomplete picture. In federal states the central government accounts provide an incomplete view of total public finance. Data on government revenue and expense are collected by the IMF through questionnaires to member countries and by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).

Regional and income-group figures are computed by the World Bank as a weighted average.

All 21 values

Net lending (+) / net borrowing (-) (% of GDP) in nearby economies

• Angola — -1.3% (2024)
• Botswana — -4.22% (2023)
• Burkina Faso — -5.4% (2024)
• Burundi — -0.59% (2021)
• Cabo Verde — -9.37% (2020)
• Cameroon — -2.75% (2021)
• Central African Republic — -4.04% (2021)
• Congo, Dem. Rep. — -2.07% (2022)
• Congo, Rep. — 1.31% (2021)
• Côte d'Ivoire — -5.41% (2023)

More public sector data for Mali

• Military expenditure (current USD) — 952.9 million (2025)
• Military expenditure (current LCU) — 554.09 billion (2025)
• Military expenditure (% of GDP) — 3.87% (2025)
• Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values) — 64 million (2025)
• Armed forces personnel, total — 41,000 (2020)
• Armed forces personnel (% of total labor force) — 0.54% (2020)
• Military expenditure (% of general government expenditure) — 14.8% (2025)
• Net investment in nonfinancial assets (current LCU) — 593.21 billion (2020)
• Net investment in nonfinancial assets (% of GDP) — 4.98% (2020)
• Net lending (+) / net borrowing (-) (current LCU)

Reading data like this

• Where to find free public data, and how to check it before you trust it — 2 min read
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• Real change or random noise? A plain guide to reading your numbers — 2 min read

Questions people ask

What is Mali's net lending (+) / net borrowing (-) (% of GDP)?

-3.49% in 2020, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 2000?

It is down 1.17 percentage points from -2.32% in 2000. The highest value was 22.92% in 2006 and the lowest -3.87% in 2018.

How does Mali rank?

7th highest of 10 economies with data for 2020.

Is the latest change in net lending (+) / net borrowing (-) (% of GDP) unusual for Mali?

In 2020, Mali's net lending (+) / net borrowing (-) (% of GDP) fell 2.16 percentage points on 2019 (from -1.32% to -3.49%). Across the 19 yearly changes before that (2001 to 2019), the average change was +0.05 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 8.63 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.3 standard deviations below that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator GC.NLD.TOTL.GD.ZS, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: Government Finance Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF) Figures are fetched from the World Bank API and refreshed monthly; see the series on data.worldbank.org. The full definition and method are in the World Bank's metadata glossary. Comparisons use the same World Bank release.

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