World Factbook

Mauritania

Al Jumhuriyah al Islamiyah al Muritaniyah

Last updated: 2026-03-28 (today)

Literacy

male

70.1% (2020 est.)

female

51.8% (2020 est.)

total population

59.5% (2020 est.)

Languages

note

note: the spoken Arabic in Mauritania differs considerably from Modern Standard Arabic; the Mauritanian dialect, which incorporates many Tamazight words, is referred to as Hassaniya

Languages

Arabic (official and national), Pular, Soninke, Wolof (all national languages), French

major-language sample(s)

كتاب حقائق العالم، المصدر الذي لا يمكن الاستغناء عنه للمعلومات الأساسية (Arabic) The World Factbook, the indispensable source for basic information.

Religions

Muslim (official) 100%

Sex ratio

at birth

1.03 male(s)/female

0-14 years

1.01 male(s)/female

15-64 years

0.9 male(s)/female

total population

0.93 male(s)/female (2024 est.)

65 years and over

0.73 male(s)/female

Birth rate

34.01 births/1,000 population (2025 est.)

Death rate

5.18 deaths/1,000 population (2025 est.)

Median age

male

21.1 years

total

18.6 years (2025 est.)

female

23.1 years

Population

male

2,578,114

total

5,202,109 (2025 est.)

female

2,623,995

Nationality

noun

Mauritanian(s)

adjective

Mauritanian

Tobacco use

male

15.5% (2025 est.)

total

8.3% (2025 est.)

female

1.7% (2025 est.)

Urbanization

urban population

57.7% of total population (2023)

rate of urbanization

3.84% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

Age structure

0-14 years

35.7% (male 776,035/female 770,132)

15-64 years

59.9% (male 1,227,347/female 1,363,938)

65 years and over

4.4% (2024 est.) (male 80,308/female 110,280)

Ethnic groups

Black Moors (Haratines - Arabic-speaking descendants of African origin who are or were enslaved by White Moors) 40%, White Moors (of Arab-Amazigh descent, known as Beydane) 30%, Sub-Saharan Mauritanians (non-Arabic speaking, largely resident in or originating from the Senegal River Valley, including Halpulaar, Fulani, Soninke, Wolof, and Bambara ethnic groups) 30%

Child marriage

men married by age 18

1.2% (2021)

women married by age 15

15.5% (2021)

women married by age 18

36.6% (2021)

Dependency ratios

total dependency ratio

84.7 (2025 est.)

youth dependency ratio

77.8 (2025 est.)

potential support ratio

14.3 (2025 est.)

elderly dependency ratio

7 (2025 est.)

Physician density

0.26 physicians/1,000 population (2022)

Health expenditure

Health expenditure (as % of GDP)

4.1% of GDP (2021)

Health expenditure (as % of national budget)

6.3% of national budget (2022 est.)

Net migration rate

0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2025 est.)

Total fertility rate

4.76 children born/woman (2025 est.)

Drinking water source

improved: rural

rural: 55.6% of population (2022 est.)

improved: total

total: 77.8% of population (2022 est.)

improved: urban

urban: 94.6% of population (2022 est.)

unimproved: rural

rural: 44.4% of population (2022 est.)

unimproved: total

total: 22.2% of population (2022 est.)

unimproved: urban

urban: 5.4% of population (2022 est.)

Education expenditure

Education expenditure (% GDP)

4.7% of GDP (2023 est.)

Education expenditure (% national budget)

32% national budget (2024 est.)

Infant mortality rate

male

54.8 deaths/1,000 live births

total

29.9 deaths/1,000 live births (2025 est.)

female

42.9 deaths/1,000 live births

Population growth rate

2.88% (2025 est.)

Gross reproduction rate

2.34 (2025 est.)

Population distribution

vast areas of the country, particularly in the central, northern, and eastern areas, are desert and lack sizeable population clusters; half the population lives in or around the coastal capital of Nouakchott; smaller clusters are found near the southern border with Mali and Senegal, as shown in this population distribution map

Life expectancy at birth

male

63.4 years

female

68.5 years

total population

65.9 years (2024 est.)

Maternal mortality ratio

381 deaths/100,000 live births (2023 est.)

Sanitation facility access

improved: rural

rural: 33.9% of population (2022 est.)

improved: total

total: 65.5% of population (2022 est.)

improved: urban

urban: 89.4% of population (2022 est.)

unimproved: rural

rural: 66.1% of population (2022 est.)

unimproved: total

total: 34.5% of population (2022 est.)