- Only a minority of Malians believe that girls and women should be able to decide for themselves whether and when to marry (35%), as well as the number of children they wish to have and when to have them (27%).
- More than half (54%) of citizens say that contraceptives should be accessible to everyone regardless of marital status, while only four in 10 respondents (41%) think they should be accessible without regard to age.
- A majority of Malians support the teaching of sex education in schools (61%) and the right of young girls to continue their education if they become pregnant or have children (78%).
- One in four respondents (25%) say that women and girls in their communities “occasionally” or "often" terminate their pregnancies.
- o Majorities of Malians say abortion is “never justified” in cases where the pregnancy resulted from rape or incest (59%), the woman is financially unable to care for a child (75%), or the pregnancy is unwanted for whatever reason (73%).
- o Conversely, six out of 10 respondents (59%) consider abortion “sometimes justified” or “always justified” if the pregnancy endangers the woman’s health or life.
Sexual and reproductive rights encompass the rights enabling every person to access sexual and reproductive health services, receive appropriate sexuality education, maintain bodily integrity, choose their sexual partners, exercise autonomy regarding marriage on the basis of equality between spouses, lead a safe and satisfying sexual life, and freely choose their sexuality, sexual orientation, and gender identity (Starrs et al., 2018).
This integrated definition highlights the importance of sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) for economic and social development, as well as their direct link to gender equality. In many countries, including Mali, access to sexual and reproductive health services and the right to make decisions about one’s own body – free from stigma, discrimination, and any form of coercion – are not guaranteed in practice, even though the law ensures these rights equally for men and women (United Nations Population Fund, 2025).
In 2023, the utilisation rate for modern contraceptive methods in Mali stood at only 22%, with marked regional disparities ((Institut National de la Statistique, 2024). That same year, 49% of women received no assistance during childbirth and 14% had no prenatal check-ups, with significant gaps between rural and urban areas.
These shortcomings in access to reproductive health services are also reflected in maternal health indicators. In 2018, the maternal mortality rate was estimated at 325 deaths per 100,000 live births – a level far above the target set by the United Nations (UNICEF, 2024).
Access to quality sexual and reproductive health services remains limited due to several factors, notably inadequate social and health infrastructure, low health-service coverage (76% within a 15 km radius), and the weight of sociocultural norms that can affect the health of vulnerable groups (Direction Nationale de la Santé, 2017; Ministère de la Santé et des Affaires Sociales, 2019).
To improve access to and the quality of health services – including those related to sexual and reproductive health – Mali has adopted several policies and strategies (Ministère de la Santé et des Affaires Sociales, 2019). The initial documents on Family Health Policy, Standards, and Procedures, developed in 1987, have been revised multiple times to progressively incorporate reproductive health and a gender-based approach. Their most recent update, carried out in 2019, established a framework for sexual and reproductive health interventions.
Other measures have included the integration of sexual and reproductive health programmes into the training of senior health technicians (KIT Institute, n.d.).
Against this backdrop, this dispatch analyses the views and experiences of Malians regarding SRHR, drawing on data from a special module included in Afrobarometer Round 10 surveys.
Perceptions regarding SRHR in Mali are mixed. Only a minority of citizens acknowledge the right of girls and women to make their own decisions about marriage and childbearing.
Conversely, majorities of Malians favour access to contraceptives regardless of marital status and support sex education in schools, as well as the right of girls to continue their education if they become pregnant.
A quarter of Malians report that women in their community “occasionally” or “often” terminate their pregnancies. A majority consider abortion justified when the pregnancy endangers the woman’s health, but not when it resulted from rape or incest, for economic reasons, or when the pregnancy is unwanted, regardless of the reason.
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