Alyssa Van Denburg's Mali Marker

Category: Immigration

In July 2007, the population of Mali was estimated at 11,995,402. Currently, 50 percent of Mali’s population is Mande, 17 percent is Peul, 12 percent is Voltaic, 6 percent is Songhai, 10 percent is Tuareg and Moor, and 5 percent is other. As of 2007, the birth rate was estimated at 49.61 births/1,000 population, while the death rate was estimated at 16.51 deaths/1,000 population. Additionally, in 2007, the net migration rate was estimated at -6.28 migrants/1,000 population.
Currently, Mali continues to be battered by internal and external forces that propel migration. Migrants have obvious economic incentives, both for leaving the country to search for work and opportunities elsewhere, and for seeking out alternative economic niches within the Malian economy. Mali's per capita gross national product (GNP) is $215, at the bottom of almost any comparative ranking (158 out of 172 ranked by the World Bank). 91 percent of the population earns less than $2 per day and 73 percent bring in less than $1 per day. Income is inequitably distributed, with over half the income going to the richest 20 percent.
Most people find work in and around their village or town, at least for part of the year. One in five Malians, however, permanently migrate in pursuit of work or a more stable livelihood. The 1992-1993 National Migration Survey, conducted jointly by the National Statistics Office and the Sahel Institute's Center for Population Studies and Research, shows that 17 percent of those residing in Mali have migrated and live in a district other than their birthplace. The survey also shows that in addition to these permanent migrations, another 18 percent have moved for some time to another district.
When people begin looking for work elsewhere, they find opportunities in agriculture and services. Within the agricultural sector, the main job opportunities are in cotton, the rice crops along the irrigated areas along the Niger River, and seasonal labor chores in the subsistence grain sector. The vast majority of those working in agriculture move short distances to nearby towns or larger villages, seeking odd jobs during the dry or "dead" period. In the service sector of the economy, Malian migrants find jobs concentrated in the larger towns and cities, and especially the largest cities of Bamako and Segou. The majority of service jobs are available in commercial, retail, and domestic sectors of the economy.
The majority of migrants move within Mali, to the large cities of Bamako and Segou. Given the limited internal job prospects, however, thousands pursue opportunities outside Mali. About twice as many migrants leave Mali as arrive from other nations. Based on past migration rates, it was estimated in 2000 that there was one emigrant for every 2.7 residents in Mali. The most common destinations at that time were Ivory Coast, Senegal, France, the United States, Libya, and a handful of other Central African and European nations.
Recognizing the economic benefits to families of migration to Bamako and other cities, the government of Mali has a laissez-faire policy toward internal migration. While the government does issue identity cards, these are not used to control residence. However, access to certain benefits (schooling and health services) can be restricted to local residents.
Outside of Mali, reactions to migration have varied. The most serious threat to Malian migrants today comes from its southern neighbor, Ivory Coast. With the rise of nationalism and resentment of Malians living in Ivory Coast, thousands of Malian migrants have lost the right to own land and have fled back to Mali and neighboring Burkina Faso. Stress on the Malian migration system has also come from France. During the 1990’s, France tightened its immigration regulations, and deported Malians out of the country. Despite a Mali-France agreement on Migration in 2000, 60 percent of Mali immigrants are estimated to have arrived illegally and many do not have any future job prospects. Many Malians also migrate to the United States and congregate in large cities. As in France, they also remit large sums to money to Mali.
Migration is the Malian’s age-old solution to their difficult economic situation.