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Mauritania
Islamic Republic of Mauritania · Western Africa
At a glance
CapitalNouakchott
Most common first languageArabic80% speak it as a mother tongue
Official languageArabic
CurrencyMauritanian ouguiya
Drives on theright
Highest pointKediet ej Jill915 m
Biggest category of goods exportedores and metals34% of goods exports, 2024
Services share of exports5.7%of everything sold abroad, 2024
Internet domain.mr
Mauritania by the numbers
Rank is out of the countries with data for that measure. Every figure is the latest year the source publishes.
| Measure | Value | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| PopulationEveryone living in the country, all ages, counted mid-year. | 5.32m (2025) | 125th of 209 |
| GDPThe total value of everything the country produces in a year, at current prices. | $11.7bn (2025) | 151st of 203 |
| Land areaTotal land area, excluding inland water and offshore territory. | 1.03m km² (2023) | 28th of 209 |
| Military spending, totalWhat the government spends on its armed forces in a year — pay, equipment and operations. | $260m (2024) | 117th of 151 |
| Exports of goods & servicesThe value of everything the country sells abroad in a year, goods and services combined. | $4.65bn (2025) | 132nd of 180 |
| Mobile subscriptionsActive mobile phone subscriptions — NOT the same as people. Many people hold two, so a country can have more subscriptions than residents. | 4.76m (2024) | 127th of 205 |
| Forest areaLand under natural or planted trees, whether or not it is productive. | 2.96k km² (2023) | 150th of 203 |
| Agricultural landCropland, land under permanent crops, and permanent pasture. | 397k km² (2023) | 28th of 206 |
| COâ‚‚ emissionsCarbon dioxide released in a year, in millions of tonnes. | 5 Mt (2024) | 135th of 198 |
| Urban populationThe number of people living in urban areas, as each country defines them. | 3.27m (2025) | 119th of 209 |
| Life expectancyHow long a baby born today would live if death rates never changed. | 68.7 years (2024) | 156th of 209 |
| GDP per personEverything the country produces in a year, divided by its population. | $2,198 (2025) | 167th of 205 |
| Internet useThe share of people who have used the internet in the last three months. | 45.8% (2024) | 153rd of 191 |
| InflationHow much prices rose over the year, measured on a basket of consumer goods. | 1.5% (2025) | 132nd of 182 |
| UnemploymentThe share of people who want a job and are looking for one but do not have one. | 10.3% (2025) | 37th of 185 |
| Urban shareThe share of the population living in urban areas. | 61.5% (2025) | 118th of 209 |
| Births per womanHow many children a woman would have across her life at current birth rates. | 4.62 (2024) | 11th of 209 |
| Military spending, share of GDPWhat the country spends on its armed forces, as a share of everything it produces. | 2.15% of GDP (2024) | 51st of 155 |
| Trade opennessImports plus exports as a share of GDP. Above 100% is normal for small trading economies. | 94.0% of GDP (2025) | 70th of 183 |
| COâ‚‚ per personCarbon dioxide from fuel and industry, divided by the population. | 0.94 t (2024) | 139th of 198 |
| Human Development IndexThe UN’s combined measure of health, education and income, on a scale from 0 to 1. | 0.563 (2023) | 163rd of 193 |
Land borders
Mauritania shares these with other countries
Drives on the right 149Has a coast and land neighbours 115Has arabic as its most common first language 17Has arabic as an official language 25Is a member of the african union 54Mainly exports ores and metals 14Sells almost only goods 34Is in western africa 16
Keep going
Country data from the World Bank (CC BY 4.0) and the UNDP Human Development Report (CC BY 3.0 IGO)
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