Mauritania is a lower-middle-income country with a population of 5.17M people. The capital and largest city is Nouakchott, with 1.08M residents. Mauritania shares land borders with Mali, Morocco, Senegal and Algeria.
Mauritania ranks 152/197 by GDP ($10.8B) and 157/197 by GDP per capita ($2,083). The top export category is precious metals & jewellery, while the top import is raw materials & minerals.
Main facts and rankings
Mauritania
|
Rank | |
|---|---|---|
| Population |
5432542
|
123/197 |
| GDP |
$10.8B
2024 |
152/197 |
| GDP per capita |
$2,083
2024 |
157/197 |
| GDP per capita, PPP |
$7,271
2024 |
146/197 |
| Government debt |
$4.84B
2024 |
145/185 |
| Debt-to-GDP ratio |
45.7%
2025 |
116/185 |
| Government debt per person |
$936
2024 |
144/185 |
| Average annual personal income after taxes |
$2,194
2025 |
161/197 |
| Land area | 397,955 sq mi | 28/197 |
| Population density | 13 ppl/mi² | 188/197 |
| Fertility rate | 4.7 | 11/196 |
| Median age | 18.4 years | 185/196 |
| Life expectancy | 68.9 years | 144/197 |
Mauritania trends dashboard: time-series charts
| Year | GDP |
|---|---|
| 1961 | $159,213,430 |
| 1962 | $164,271,558 |
| 1963 | $168,186,297 |
| 1964 | $224,495,744 |
| 1965 | $255,340,475 |
| 1966 | $266,533,605 |
| 1967 | $282,615,310 |
| 1968 | $311,395,937 |
| 1969 | $295,062,308 |
| 1970 | $309,405,316 |
| 1971 | $335,568,907 |
| 1972 | $391,669,449 |
| 1973 | $493,237,876 |
| 1974 | $613,010,553 |
| 1975 | $703,377,837 |
| 1976 | $775,045,517 |
| 1977 | $799,030,017 |
| 1978 | $804,629,877 |
| 1979 | $951,900,945 |
| 1980 | $1,047,925,106 |
| 1981 | $1,105,494,682 |
| 1982 | $1,108,776,653 |
| 1983 | $1,165,171,263 |
| 1984 | $1,074,373,230 |
| 1985 | $1,009,723,326 |
| 1986 | $1,186,628,778 |
| 1987 | $1,344,664,725 |
| 1988 | $1,414,951,290 |
| 1989 | $1,450,647,019 |
| 1990 | $1,506,914,408 |
| 1991 | $2,133,692,697 |
| 1992 | $2,164,298,425 |
| 1993 | $1,847,353,211 |
| 1994 | $1,944,876,755 |
| 1995 | $2,091,726,101 |
| 1996 | $2,132,087,009 |
| 1997 | $2,071,996,564 |
| 1998 | $2,032,347,665 |
| 1999 | $1,985,922,776 |
| 2000 | $1,779,520,886 |
| 2001 | $1,746,063,558 |
| 2002 | $1,777,057,481 |
| 2003 | $2,051,147,607 |
| 2004 | $2,362,501,023 |
| 2005 | $2,936,019,526 |
| 2006 | $3,919,577,286 |
| 2007 | $4,346,212,355 |
| 2008 | $5,206,437,194 |
| 2009 | $4,714,595,548 |
| 2010 | $5,628,878,798 |
| 2011 | $6,764,627,746 |
| 2012 | $6,728,208,836 |
| 2013 | $7,223,071,097 |
| 2014 | $6,592,537,782 |
| 2015 | $6,166,863,897 |
| 2016 | $6,398,747,592 |
| 2017 | $6,800,135,898 |
| 2018 | $7,473,550,557 |
| 2019 | $7,894,764,886 |
| 2020 | $8,260,752,385 |
| 2021 | $9,222,536,364 |
| 2022 | $9,557,966,698 |
| 2023 | $10,651,709,314 |
| 2024 | $10,766,731,874 |
| Year | GDP per capita |
|---|---|
| 1961 | $188.2 |
| 1962 | $189 |
| 1963 | $188.2 |
| 1964 | $244.3 |
| 1965 | $270 |
| 1966 | $273.6 |
| 1967 | $281.5 |
| 1968 | $301 |
| 1969 | $276.6 |
| 1970 | $281.3 |
| 1971 | $296 |
| 1972 | $335 |
| 1973 | $410 |
| 1974 | $494 |
| 1975 | $551 |
| 1976 | $589 |
| 1977 | $590 |
| 1978 | $578 |
| 1979 | $664 |
| 1980 | $711 |
| 1981 | $729 |
| 1982 | $710 |
| 1983 | $725 |
| 1984 | $650 |
| 1985 | $593 |
| 1986 | $677 |
| 1987 | $746 |
| 1988 | $762 |
| 1989 | $762 |
| 1990 | $772 |
| 1991 | $1,062 |
| 1992 | $1,036 |
| 1993 | $850 |
| 1994 | $865 |
| 1995 | $905 |
| 1996 | $904 |
| 1997 | $859 |
| 1998 | $821 |
| 1999 | $781 |
| 2000 | $681 |
| 2001 | $652 |
| 2002 | $649 |
| 2003 | $732 |
| 2004 | $824 |
| 2005 | $999 |
| 2006 | $1,301 |
| 2007 | $1,405 |
| 2008 | $1,636 |
| 2009 | $1,435 |
| 2010 | $1,660 |
| 2011 | $1,931 |
| 2012 | $1,859 |
| 2013 | $1,934 |
| 2014 | $1,713 |
| 2015 | $1,555 |
| 2016 | $1,566 |
| 2017 | $1,615 |
| 2018 | $1,723 |
| 2019 | $1,767 |
| 2020 | $1,796 |
| 2021 | $1,948 |
| 2022 | $1,960 |
| 2023 | $2,121 |
| 2024 | $2,083 |
Mauritania's life expectancy calculator
| Year | Life expectancy, years |
|---|---|
| 1950 | 38.4 |
| 1951 | 38.8 |
| 1952 | 39.2 |
| 1953 | 39.6 |
| 1954 | 40.1 |
| 1955 | 40.6 |
| 1956 | 41.1 |
| 1957 | 41.7 |
| 1958 | 42.3 |
| 1959 | 42.9 |
| 1960 | 43.6 |
| 1961 | 44.3 |
| 1962 | 45 |
| 1963 | 45.8 |
| 1964 | 46.6 |
| 1965 | 47.4 |
| 1966 | 48.1 |
| 1967 | 48.9 |
| 1968 | 49.5 |
| 1969 | 50.1 |
| 1970 | 50.5 |
| 1971 | 50.8 |
| 1972 | 51 |
| 1973 | 51.2 |
| 1974 | 51.4 |
| 1975 | 51.6 |
| 1976 | 51.8 |
| 1977 | 52 |
| 1978 | 52.3 |
| 1979 | 52.8 |
| 1980 | 53.2 |
| 1981 | 53.7 |
| 1982 | 54.2 |
| 1983 | 54.6 |
| 1984 | 55.2 |
| 1985 | 55.8 |
| 1986 | 56.3 |
| 1987 | 57 |
| 1988 | 57.5 |
| 1989 | 57.7 |
| 1990 | 58.1 |
| 1991 | 58.3 |
| 1992 | 58.6 |
| 1993 | 58.7 |
| 1994 | 58.8 |
| 1995 | 58.9 |
| 1996 | 58.9 |
| 1997 | 59.4 |
| 1998 | 59.9 |
| 1999 | 60.4 |
| 2000 | 61 |
| 2001 | 61.7 |
| 2002 | 62.2 |
| 2003 | 62.8 |
| 2004 | 63.4 |
| 2005 | 63.9 |
| 2006 | 64.5 |
| 2007 | 64.9 |
| 2008 | 65.2 |
| 2009 | 65.5 |
| 2010 | 65.7 |
| 2011 | 65.8 |
| 2012 | 65.8 |
| 2013 | 65.9 |
| 2014 | 66.2 |
| 2015 | 66.5 |
| 2016 | 66.8 |
| 2017 | 67.1 |
| 2018 | 67.4 |
| 2019 | 67.6 |
| 2020 | 66.8 |
| 2021 | 66.8 |
| 2022 | 68.3 |
| 2023 | 68.5 |
| 2024 | 68.7 |
| 2025 | 68.9 |
Mauritania's population clock and projection
| Year | Population |
|---|---|
| 1960 | 824,298 |
| 1961 | 846,167 |
| 1962 | 869,184 |
| 1963 | 893,423 |
| 1964 | 918,955 |
| 1965 | 945,838 |
| 1966 | 974,157 |
| 1967 | 1,003,843 |
| 1968 | 1,034,739 |
| 1969 | 1,066,754 |
| 1970 | 1,099,806 |
| 1971 | 1,133,702 |
| 1972 | 1,168,355 |
| 1973 | 1,203,838 |
| 1974 | 1,240,188 |
| 1975 | 1,277,330 |
| 1976 | 1,315,336 |
| 1977 | 1,353,768 |
| 1978 | 1,392,713 |
| 1979 | 1,432,758 |
| 1980 | 1,474,043 |
| 1981 | 1,516,877 |
| 1982 | 1,561,176 |
| 1983 | 1,606,746 |
| 1984 | 1,653,693 |
| 1985 | 1,702,107 |
| 1986 | 1,751,835 |
| 1987 | 1,803,014 |
| 1988 | 1,855,859 |
| 1989 | 1,903,048 |
| 1990 | 1,951,878 |
| 1991 | 2,009,738 |
| 1992 | 2,088,135 |
| 1993 | 2,174,328 |
| 1994 | 2,249,454 |
| 1995 | 2,312,017 |
| 1996 | 2,358,188 |
| 1997 | 2,411,306 |
| 1998 | 2,474,651 |
| 1999 | 2,541,698 |
| 2000 | 2,613,441 |
| 2001 | 2,678,760 |
| 2002 | 2,738,655 |
| 2003 | 2,802,046 |
| 2004 | 2,868,664 |
| 2005 | 2,939,059 |
| 2006 | 3,013,660 |
| 2007 | 3,093,059 |
| 2008 | 3,183,269 |
| 2009 | 3,284,448 |
| 2010 | 3,390,965 |
| 2011 | 3,502,811 |
| 2012 | 3,619,034 |
| 2013 | 3,734,318 |
| 2014 | 3,848,514 |
| 2015 | 3,965,959 |
| 2016 | 4,086,657 |
| 2017 | 4,210,600 |
| 2018 | 4,337,685 |
| 2019 | 4,467,708 |
| 2020 | 4,600,131 |
| 2021 | 4,734,874 |
| 2022 | 4,875,637 |
| 2023 | 5,022,441 |
| 2024 | 5,169,395 |
Mauritania's birth and fertility rates
| Year | Fertility rate |
|---|---|
| 1960 | 6.15 |
| 1961 | 6.2 |
| 1962 | 6.24 |
| 1963 | 6.31 |
| 1964 | 6.37 |
| 1965 | 6.44 |
| 1966 | 6.52 |
| 1967 | 6.57 |
| 1968 | 6.6 |
| 1969 | 6.64 |
| 1970 | 6.68 |
| 1971 | 6.7 |
| 1972 | 6.71 |
| 1973 | 6.72 |
| 1974 | 6.73 |
| 1975 | 6.71 |
| 1976 | 6.73 |
| 1977 | 6.74 |
| 1978 | 6.73 |
| 1979 | 6.7 |
| 1980 | 6.67 |
| 1981 | 6.64 |
| 1982 | 6.59 |
| 1983 | 6.54 |
| 1984 | 6.48 |
| 1985 | 6.42 |
| 1986 | 6.34 |
| 1987 | 6.27 |
| 1988 | 6.21 |
| 1989 | 6.2 |
| 1990 | 6.18 |
| 1991 | 6.16 |
| 1992 | 6.13 |
| 1993 | 6.09 |
| 1994 | 6.06 |
| 1995 | 5.96 |
| 1996 | 5.86 |
| 1997 | 5.74 |
| 1998 | 5.62 |
| 1999 | 5.52 |
| 2000 | 5.46 |
| 2001 | 5.41 |
| 2002 | 5.37 |
| 2003 | 5.36 |
| 2004 | 5.37 |
| 2005 | 5.38 |
| 2006 | 5.4 |
| 2007 | 5.43 |
| 2008 | 5.44 |
| 2009 | 5.41 |
| 2010 | 5.38 |
| 2011 | 5.38 |
| 2012 | 5.35 |
| 2013 | 5.32 |
| 2014 | 5.26 |
| 2015 | 5.21 |
| 2016 | 5.16 |
| 2017 | 5.11 |
| 2018 | 5.04 |
| 2019 | 4.98 |
| 2020 | 4.91 |
| 2021 | 4.85 |
| 2022 | 4.77 |
| 2023 | 4.7 |
| Year | Median age, years |
|---|---|
| 1960 | 18.8 |
| 1961 | 18.8 |
| 1962 | 18.8 |
| 1963 | 18.8 |
| 1964 | 18.8 |
| 1965 | 18.7 |
| 1966 | 18.6 |
| 1967 | 18.5 |
| 1968 | 18.4 |
| 1969 | 18.3 |
| 1970 | 18.1 |
| 1971 | 17.9 |
| 1972 | 17.7 |
| 1973 | 17.6 |
| 1974 | 17.4 |
| 1975 | 17.3 |
| 1976 | 17.2 |
| 1977 | 17.1 |
| 1978 | 17.1 |
| 1979 | 17 |
| 1980 | 17 |
| 1981 | 17 |
| 1982 | 17 |
| 1983 | 17 |
| 1984 | 17 |
| 1985 | 17 |
| 1986 | 17 |
| 1987 | 17.1 |
| 1988 | 17.1 |
| 1989 | 17.1 |
| 1990 | 17.1 |
| 1991 | 17.2 |
| 1992 | 17.3 |
| 1993 | 17.6 |
| 1994 | 17.6 |
| 1995 | 17.6 |
| 1996 | 17.5 |
| 1997 | 17.5 |
| 1998 | 17.5 |
| 1999 | 17.6 |
| 2000 | 17.7 |
| 2001 | 17.7 |
| 2002 | 17.7 |
| 2003 | 17.7 |
| 2004 | 17.7 |
| 2005 | 17.7 |
| 2006 | 17.6 |
| 2007 | 17.6 |
| 2008 | 17.7 |
| 2009 | 17.8 |
| 2010 | 17.8 |
| 2011 | 17.9 |
| 2012 | 17.8 |
| 2013 | 17.8 |
| 2014 | 17.8 |
| 2015 | 17.8 |
| 2016 | 17.8 |
| 2017 | 17.8 |
| 2018 | 17.8 |
| 2019 | 17.9 |
| 2020 | 17.9 |
| 2021 | 18 |
| 2022 | 18.1 |
| 2023 | 18.2 |
| 2024 | 18.4 |
Mauritania vs. World: Interactive Maps
Use the buttons below to toggle between world maps that display different statistics comparing Mauritania with other countries.
GDP per capita
GDP
Life expectancy
Population
Population density
Fertility rate
Median age
Land area
Mauritania: National Statistics
Finance
|
Mauritania
|
Rank | |
|---|---|---|
| GNI, Atlas method |
$10.8B
2024 |
150/194 |
| Government expenditure, % of GDP |
25.5%
2025 |
122/195 |
| Education expenditure, % of GDP |
4.72%
2023 |
72/193 |
| Military expenditure, % of GDP |
2.55%
2023 |
44/163 |
| Armed forces personnel |
21,000
2020 |
105/174 |
| Deficit/surplus, % of GDP |
-1.27%
2025 |
44/188 |
| Unemployment rate |
10.4%
2019 |
36/196 |
| Services, % of GDP |
43.2%
2024 |
166/191 |
| Industry, % of GDP |
30.6%
2024 |
54/194 |
| Economic freedom index |
54.9
2025 |
131/197 |
| Income share by richest 10% |
24.6%
2019 |
126/169 |
| Income share by poorest 10% |
3.1%
2019 |
53/169 |
| Total reserves including gold |
$2.04B
2021 |
126/177 |
| Personal remittances received |
$94.5M
2024 |
150/190 |
| International tourist arrivals |
30,000
2000 |
178/188 |
| International tourism as share of exports |
0.23%
2020 |
180/184 |
| Banked people share |
27.3%
2024 |
144/158 |
Energy
|
Mauritania
|
Rank | |
|---|---|---|
| Carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions |
4.65 megatons
2023 |
133/187 |
| CO2 emissions per capita |
0.93 tons
2023 |
133/187 |
| Renewable energy use share |
19.6%
2022 |
108/193 |
| Renewable electricity output share |
19.4%
2021 |
115/192 |
| Hydroelectric share |
0%
2021 |
173/192 |
| Nuclear share |
0%
2021 |
126/192 |
| Electricity access |
50.3%
2023 |
179/195 |
Society
|
Mauritania
|
Rank | |
|---|---|---|
| % of world population |
0.06%
2024 |
125/197 |
| Annual migration change |
-2,185
2024 |
105/196 |
| Urban population |
58.5%
2024 |
112/195 |
| Male:Female ratio |
50:50
2024 |
N/A |
| Average male height |
5.43 ft
2025 |
177/190 |
| Average female height |
5.25 ft
2025 |
105/190 |
| Quality of life index |
29.4
2025 |
154/197 |
| Corruption Perceptions Index |
30
2024 |
148/197 |
| Higher education index |
14
2025 |
159/183 |
| Homicides per 100K people |
1.02
2020 |
150/197 |
| Road traffic mortality per 100K people |
25.6
2019 |
47/197 |
| Visa free countries |
65
2025 |
158/195 |
| Adult literacy rate |
67%
2021 |
173/196 |
| English speaking |
4%
2025 |
153/197 |
| People using the Internet |
37.4%
2023 |
159/195 |
Health
|
Mauritania
|
Rank | |
|---|---|---|
| Government health expenditure per capita |
$90.4
2022 |
146/191 |
| Out-of-pocket health expenditure per capita |
$36.9
2022 |
135/191 |
| Life expectancy |
68.9 years
2025 |
144/197 |
| Foreign aid share of health expenditure |
17.5%
2022 |
50/178 |
| Physicians per 1,000 people |
0.24
2022 |
154/193 |
| Age at first childbirth |
21.8 years
2025 |
88/137 |
| Maternal mortality per 100K births |
381
2023 |
15/193 |
| Mortality rate before reaching 5 years of age, per 1,000 live births |
37.8
2023 |
51/192 |
| Obesity rate |
23%
2022 |
92/189 |
| Diabetes prevalence |
5.2%
2024 |
163/195 |
| Air quality index |
26
2025 |
148/197 |
| Tobacco use prevalence |
9.5%
2022 |
136/164 |
| Pure alcohol consumption per capita |
0 liters
2020 |
184/186 |
Territory
|
Mauritania
|
Rank | |
|---|---|---|
| % of world land |
0.69%
2025 |
28/197 |
| Land area per capita |
76,983 sq mi
2024 |
10/197 |
| Agricultural land area |
153,321 sq mi
2025 |
28/194 |
| Forest area |
1,145 sq mi
2025 |
149/196 |
| Roads length |
7,614 mi
2018 |
114/175 |
Compare Mauritania with other countries
Relevant pages:
Mauritania topic pages:
Facts comparisons
