Sikasso Region

Sikasso Region
Region
Location within Mali
Location within Mali
Coordinates: 11°11′59″N 7°5′49″W / 11.19972°N 7.09694°W / 11.19972; -7.09694
Country Mali
CapitalSikasso
Government
 • GovernorKanté Marie Claire Dembélé
Area
 • Total
20,800 km2 (8,000 sq mi)
Population
 (2023)
 • Total
1,512,247
 • Density72.7/km2 (188/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC±0 (UTC)
HDI (2017)0.410
low · 3rd

Sikasso Region (Bambara: ߛߌߞߊߛߏ ߘߌߣߋߖߊ tr. Sikaso Dineja; Supyire: Sukwoo Síŋi) is the southernmost region of Mali. The region's capital city, Sikasso, is the country's second-largest city. Major ethnic groups include the Senoufo, known for masks and reverence for animals, the Samogo, known for being Mali's best farmers, and the main ethnic group in Mali, the Bambara people.

Administrative divisions

Sikasso Region is divided into seven cercles:

Cercle nameArea (km2)Population
Census 1998		Population
Census 2009
Bougouni20,028307,633459,509
Kadiolo5,375130,730239,713
Kolondiéba9,200141,861202,618
Koutiala8,740382,350575,253
Sikasso15,375514,764725,494
Yanfolila9,240163,798211,824
Yorosso5,500141,021211,508

The city of Sikasso has an outdoor market which features fabrics, numerous vegetables and fruits such as mangoes. Sikasso is an ethnic and linguistic melting pot consisting of people from outlying villages, immigrants from Côte d'Ivoire and Burkina Faso and refugees.

The southwest corner of the Sikasso region is traditionally known as Wassoulou. This area is known for its unique music and strong tradition of hunting. The main city of Wassoulou is Yanfolila.

Besides the regional capital, the other urban communes and major cities in Sikasso Region where Bougouni, a junction town en route to Bamako and Koutiala in the northern part of Sikasso Region, which is a hub of Mali's cotton industry, one of the country's few exports. In 2023 Bougouni and Koutiala became independent regions of Mali.

Communities

Demographics

Ethnicity in Sikasso (2022)
  1. Senufo (45.7%)
  2. Bambara (27.5%)
  3. Fula (11.2%)
  4. Samogo (6.65%)
  5. Dogon (1.89%)
  6. Malinké (1.77%)
  7. Soninke (1.10%)
  8. Bobo / Bwa (0.99%)
  9. Other (3.27%)

In 2023, the Sikasso Region had a population of 1,512,247. It is the third most populated region in Mali, with around 1,533,123 inhabitants as of 2022. The settlement pattern is predominantly rural, with 28.8% of the population urbanized.

Mother tongues in Sikasso region (2022 census)
  1. Bambara (46.85%)
  2. Senufo (33.58%)
  3. Fula (5.94%)
  4. Samogo (5.73%)
  5. Minianka (1.95%)
  6. Dogon (1.60%)
  7. Malinke (1.26%)
  8. Other Malian (2.87%)
  9. Other African (0.05%)
  10. Other foreign (0.17%)

With a total fertility rate of 6.3 births per woman, Sikasso has a slightly higher TFR than the Malian national average TFR of 6.1 births per woman.

Year Population
1998 645,494
2009 978,395
2023 1,512,247

Ethnicity

Mamelon of Sikasso constructed by the king of Kénédougou

Sikasso is ethnically and linguistically diverse. The Senufo–primarily belonging to the Supyire subgroup–accounted for 45.71% of the regional population in 2022. Sikasso is one of only two Malian regions, the other being Koutiala, where the Senufo constitute the largest ethnic group. Other significant ethnic groups in the region include the Bambara, Fula, Samogo, Dogon, Malinké, Soninke, and Bobo/Bwa. Sikasso also has the highest concentration of Samogo people in the entirety of Mali.

Religion

The 2022 census found that 96.30% of the population in Sikasso was Muslim, 1.50% was Christian, 0.93% identified with traditional faiths, 1.04% had no religion, and 0.23% practiced other religions. Although Islam is the dominant religion among all the ethnic groups in the region (except the Bobo/Bwa), a significant minority of Senufo identify with traditional faiths.

See also

References

  1. 1 2 "Mali: Regions, Cities & Urban Localities - Population Statistics, Maps, Charts, Weather and Web Information". Citypopulation.de. Retrieved 8 May 2026.
  2. ↑ "Sub-national HDI - Area Database - Global Data Lab". hdi.globaldatalab.org. Retrieved 2018-09-13.
  3. 1 2 Carlson, Robert (1994). A Grammar of Supyire. Germany: Mouton de Gruyter. pp. 1, 503. ISBN 978-3-11-014057-6.
  4. ↑ Loi N°99-035/ du 10 Aout 1999 Portant Création des Collectivités Territoriales de Cercles et de Régions (PDF) (in French), Ministère de l'Administration Territoriales et des Collectivités Locales, République du Mali, 1999.
  5. ↑ Communes de la Région de Sikasso (PDF) (in French), Ministère de l’administration territoriale et des collectivités locales, République du Mali, archived (PDF) from the original on 3 December 2013.
  6. 1 2 3 4 Institut National de la Statistique (INSTAT) (December 2024). "RAPPORT D'ANALYSE DES DONNEES DU RGPH5 THÈME : CARACTERISTIQUES CULTURELLES DE LA POPULATION". Retrieved 13 June 2026.
  7. ↑ Institut National de la Statistique (INSTAT) (December 2024). "CINQUIEME RECENSEMENT GENERAL DE LA POPULATION ET DE L'HABITAT (RGPH5)" (PDF). Retrieved 8 June 2026.
  8. ↑ Institut National de la Statistique (INSTAT) (December 2024). "RAPPORT D'ANALYSE DES DONNEES DU RGPH5 THÈME : NATALITE ET FECONDITE (RGPH5)". Retrieved 13 June 2026.