{{Infobox administrative division | name = Douentza | native_name = | settlement_type = Region | image_map = Douentza in Mali 2023.svg | subdivision_type = Country | subdivision_name = Mali | seat_type = Capital | seat = Douentza | area_total_km2 = 23310 | population_total = 446179 | population_as_of = 2023 | population_density_km2 = auto | iso_code = | coordinates = {{coord|15.000000|-2.950000|type:adm1st_region:ML|display=inline,title}} }}
'''Douentza Region''' is an administrative region in Mali. It was created from parts of the Mopti Region and has its capital in the town of Douentza.
== Geography == Douentza Region is located in central Mali, east of Mopti, and borders Burkina Faso to the south-east. It covers an area of 23,310 km².<ref name=":0" /> The area lies mainly within the Sahel and is characterised by dry savannas, plains, pastureland and isolated rocky massifs. In the east of the region lies the area around Hombori, near which the Hombori Tondo, the highest elevation in Mali, is located.
== History == The area of present-day Douentza Region long belonged to Mopti Region after Mali’s independence. The creation of a separate Douentza Region had already been envisaged as part of the administrative reform of 2012. The original reform approach provided for the former Douentza Cercle to be separated from Mopti Region and formed into a new region. Law No. 2023-006 of 13 March 2023 on the creation of administrative districts in the Republic of Mali finally implemented the new territorial division and established Douentza as a separate region.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://matd.gouv.ml/creation-circonscriptions-administrative-en-republique-mali |title=Loi n°2023-006 portant création des circonscriptions administratives en République du Mali |publisher=Ministère de l'Administration Territoriale et de la Décentralisation |language=fr |access-date=8 May 2026}}</ref>
Historically, Douentza belongs to the Sahelian area between the Inner Niger Delta, Dogon country and the eastern Gourma. The area was shaped by farming, nomadic and semi-nomadic livestock herding and local trade relations. The town of Douentza lies on the important road connection between Mopti and Gao and therefore developed into a regional market and transport centre. Since the beginning of the Mali crisis in 2012, the region has been affected by insecurity, armed groups, displacement and restrictions on trade and mobility.
== Administrative divisions == The region is divided into six ''cercles''.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://data.humdata.org/dataset/cod-ab-mli |title=Mali - Subnational Administrative Boundaries |website=The Humanitarian Data Exchange (HDX) - OCHA Global Subnational Administrative Boundaries |publisher=UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs - Field Information Services Section (FISS), Geneva, Switzerland |date=2 April 2026 |format=XLSX; GeoJSON; Shape; GDB |language=en |access-date=8 May 2026}}</ref> It comprises 18 arrondissements, 24 communes and 273 villages.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://reliefweb.int/map/mali/carte-de-reference-region-de-douentza-nouveau-decoupage-administratif-du-mali-aout-2025 |title=Carte de Référence - Région de Douentza - Nouveau Découpage administratif du Mali |publisher=United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs |date=14 January 2026 |format=Map |language=fr |access-date=8 May 2026}}</ref>
{| class="wikitable" ! Cercle code ! Cercle ! Communes |- |1801 |Douentza |10 |- |1802 |Boré |3 |- |1803 |Hombori |2 |- |1804 |N'Gouma |3 |- |1805 |Mondoro |3 |- |1806 |Boni |3 |}
== Population == In 2023, the region had a population of 446,179.<ref name=":0">{{cite web |url=https://www.citypopulation.de/en/mali/cities/ |title=Mali: Regions, Cities & Urban Localities - Population Statistics, Maps, Charts, Weather and Web Information |website=Citypopulation.de |access-date=8 May 2026}}</ref> Settlement patterns are characterised by a combination of sedentary farming, semi-nomadic livestock herding and local market centres.
{| class="wikitable sortable" ! Year ! Population |- |1998 |155,831 |- |2009 |246,625 |- |2023 |446,179 |}
== Economy == The economy of Douentza Region is based mainly on livestock farming, agriculture and local trade. In the area of the former Douentza Cercle, both pure pastoralism and mixed forms of rain-fed farming and livestock herding are practised; crops grown are mainly cereals intended for subsistence use. Livestock farming is particularly important in the drier parts of the region.
== References == {{reflist}}
{{Regions of Mali}} Category:Regions of Mali