Vulnerability Profile of Mali

The report identifies Mali as highly vulnerable to environmental and climatic stresses, particularly droughts and floods, which exacerbate poverty and food insecurity. It highlights that vulnerability is shaped by regional disparities, social hierarchies, and health crises like HIV/AIDS. Environmental degradation, driven by deforestation and unsustainable agricultural expansion (especially cotton), further reduces the resilience of rural populations. The document argues for integrated strategies to reduce vulnerability, focusing on income diversification, improved water and sanitation, and targeted support for the most marginalized groups, including women and children.

• Mali is ranked as the 19th most vulnerable of 141 countries by the Global Leaders for Tomorrow Environment Task Force (2002), indicating a high susceptibility to stresses that could be disastrous at both household and national levels.
• Large-scale disasters are frequent in Mali; between 1970 and 1998, 30 recorded events—including droughts, floods, and epidemics—resulted in 6,866 deaths and affected over 5 million people.
• Health infrastructure is severely limited, with only 30 per cent of the population having access to health care in 1995. Maternal mortality is extremely high, with 930 deaths per 100,000 births, partly because only 32 per cent of childbirths are attended by trained medical assistants.
• HIV/AIDS prevalence was 1.7 per cent of the total population at the end of 1997, rising to 4 per cent in urban areas. The disease undermines food security by depleting human labour and social capital, particularly affecting the poor.
• Climatic stresses are a primary driver of vulnerability, as 80 per cent of the population depends on agriculture and pastoralism, yet only 2 per cent of the land is suitable for intensive cultivation.
• Environmental degradation is driven by the expansion of cotton cultivation and the demand for fuelwood, which provides over 90 per cent of the country's energy. Approximately 100,000 hectares of forest are cleared annually for agricultural purposes.
• Water scarcity and pollution are critical issues; in urban areas, only 1.5 per cent of the population is served by a sewage system, and the Niger inner delta loses 40–50 per cent of its water annually to evapotranspiration and irrigation.
• Food insecurity is most acute in the regions of Mopti, Tombouctou, and Gao due to structural cereal deficits caused by erratic rainfall and limited natural resources.
• Migration serves as a key survival strategy for coping with climatic variability and food insecurity, with an estimated two million migrants leaving Mali for coastal West African countries between 1960 and 1990.
• Social support networks, particularly extended families, provide essential resilience by offering labour, capital, and non-monetary assistance during times of stress.

APA

Simonsson, L. (2005). Vulnerability Profile of Mali. Stockholm Environment Institute. https://www.sei.org/mediamanager/documents/Publications/Risk-livelihoods/SEI_Simonsson_Vulnerability_Mali_2005.pdf

Chicago

Simonsson, Louise. Vulnerability Profile of Mali. Stockholm Environment Institute, 2005. https://www.sei.org/mediamanager/documents/Publications/Risk-livelihoods/SEI_Simonsson_Vulnerability_Mali_2005.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Simonsson |first1=Louise |title=Vulnerability Profile of Mali |publisher=Stockholm Environment Institute |date=March 2005 |url=https://www.sei.org/mediamanager/documents/Publications/Risk-livelihoods/SEI_Simonsson_Vulnerability_Mali_2005.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{simonsson2005vulnerability, author = {Simonsson, Louise}, title = {{Vulnerability Profile of Mali}}, institution = {Stockholm Environment Institute}, year = {2005}, month = mar, url = {https://www.sei.org/mediamanager/documents/Publications/Risk-livelihoods/SEI_Simonsson_Vulnerability_Mali_2005.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }