AI access, cost and use · Western Africa · Africa · data read 1 Oct 2026

Mali

In Mali, a $20-a-month AI plan costs 45% of the median living standard, 57 times the share it takes in the United States; for 98% of people it is over a tenth of what they live on. Claude, OpenAI's API and Gemini are all officially offered. 37% of people use the internet.

45%of the median living standard for a $20 planAfrica median 38% · United States 0.79%

98%of people for whom the plan is over a tenth of their living standardabout 25 m people

3of 3leading services officially offeredClaude · OpenAI · Gemini

37%of people use the internetworld 74% · 25 m people

The figuresMali

People25 m

Median living standard$529a year per person · consumption

A $20 plan takes45%of that · 57× the US share

For whom it is over a tenth98%of people

Survey2021revalued at 2025 prices

GNI per person$1,120plan is 21% of it

Claude use per personnot reported

Notable AI models built here0

Officially offered here3 of 3

Run it yourself →

Claude · claude.ai appYes

OpenAI · APIYes

Gemini · web appYes

From each lab's own published list: Anthropic's Claude.ai countries, OpenAI's API countries and Google's Gemini web app countries. Not listed means not officially served; open-weight models can be run anywhere.

Against Africa and the worldregional figures are medians or population-weighted

Measure	Mali	Africa	World
A $20 plan ÷ median living standard	45%	38%	9.9%
People for whom it is over a tenth	98%	96%	63%
Plan price ÷ GNI per person	21%	14%	2.9%
People using the internet	37%	40%	74%
Claude use per working-age person	not reported	0.24×	1.00×
Notable AI models built	0	0	1,256

NeighboursWestern Africa · lightest burden first

Country	People	Online	$20 plan ÷ median living standard	Over a tenth	Claude use per person	Official lists
Cabo Verde	527k	75%	17%	74%	not reported	3 of 3
Senegal	19 m	60%	28%	94%	0.41×	3 of 3
Mauritania	5.3 m	46%	28%	96%	not reported	3 of 3
Côte d'Ivoire	33 m	41%	30%	94%	0.30×	3 of 3
Liberia	5.7 m	32%	33%	97%	not reported	3 of 3
Ghana	35 m	72%	36%	95%	0.38×	3 of 3
Guinea	15 m	33%	36%	99%	not reported	3 of 3
Togo	8.6 m	39%	38%	97%	0.22×	3 of 3
Benin	15 m	34%	39%	98%	0.39×	3 of 3
Gambia	2.8 m	49%	41%	97%	not reported	3 of 3
Guinea-Bissau	2.2 m	30%	41%	98%	not reported	3 of 3
Mali	25 m	37%	45%	98%	not reported	3 of 3
Burkina Faso	24 m	28%	49%	98%	0.15×	3 of 3
Niger	28 m	16%	61%	99%	not reported	3 of 3
Sierra Leone	8.8 m	25%	70%	99%	not reported	3 of 3
Nigeria	238 m	41%	78%	99%+	0.24×	3 of 3

All countries →

The foundationsMali against the world

World Bank ↗

People using the internet

37%world 74%

People with electricity

50%world 92%

Mobile subscriptions per 100 people

112world 112

Fixed broadband lines per 100 people

0.8world 20.1

Enrolled in university-level education

5%world 44%

Research spending, share of GDP

0.15%world 2.6%

Researchers per million people

26world 1,652

Secure internet servers per million people

21world 16,381

The latest World Bank figure for each measure. The tick marks the world figure.

A $20-a-month plan ($240 a year, US list price) against the median household living standard per person in each country. The median is from the latest national household survey (World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform), revalued from 2021 purchasing-power dollars into US dollars at recent prices and official exchange rates, assuming real living standards have not changed since the survey. Some surveys measure income and others consumption, which includes food people grow and housing they own, so this is a living standard, not cash to spare. Countries with no survey since 2015 or no defensible exchange rate are left blank.

World Bank household surveys ↗Anthropic countries ↗OpenAI countries ↗Gemini countries ↗Anthropic Economic Index ↗Epoch AI notable models ↗