Rank #121 by World Population
🇲🇷Mauritania
Mauritania has a population of 5,022,441, ranking #121 in the world. The capital is Nouakchott. Located in Sub-Saharan Africa .
World Bank: Lower middle income
5,022,441
Population
#121
World Rank
68.5
Life Expectancy
$2,136
GDP Per Capita
Mauritania, #121 by world population
Mauritania Population History (1960-2024)
The country of Mauritania had a population of 824,298 in 1960 and 5,169,395 in 2024, a 6.3× growth over 64 years. The peak was 5,169,395 in 2024. Average annual growth rate: 2.91%.
5,169,395
Population (2024)
824,298
Population (1960)
5,169,395
Peak (2024)
2.91%
Avg Annual Growth
| 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 |
Demographics
| Population | 5,022,441 |
| Population Growth Rate | 2.97% |
| Urban Population | 59.7% |
| Fertility Rate | 4.70 births/woman |
| Life Expectancy | 68.5 years |
| Infant Mortality Rate | 31.1 per 1,000 |
| Literacy Rate | 59.5% |
Economy & Trade
$2,136
GDP Per Capita
10.4%
Unemployment Rate
Lower middle income
Income Level
32.0
Gini Index (inequality)
92.2%
Trade (% of GDP)
Health & Education
4.3%
Health Expenditure (% GDP)
0.26
Physicians per 1,000
4.7%
Education Expenditure (% GDP)
59.5%
Literacy Rate
31.1
Infant Mortality (per 1,000)
Development & Connectivity
50.3%
Electricity Access
42.5%
Internet Users
138
Mobile Subs per 100
4.9
People per km2
2,999
Net Migration
Environment
0.3%
Forest Area
Other Countries in Sub-Saharan Africa
Mauritania in global context
Mauritania is one of 212 countries tracked. See how it ranks globally, regional shares of world population, and projections to 2050 / 2100.
World Population 2026: Top 10 Countries, Regions & Trends →Other related entities
Country rankings
Frequently Asked Questions
Mauritania has a population of 5,022,441, ranking #121 in the world. The annual population growth rate is 2.97%.
Life expectancy in Mauritania is 68.5 years. The infant mortality rate is 31.1 per 1,000 live births.
Mauritania's GDP per capita is $2,136. It is classified as a lower middle income country by the World Bank.
59.7% of Mauritania's population lives in urban areas. The overall population density is 4.9 people per square kilometer.
The adult literacy rate in Mauritania is 59.5%. The country spends 4.7% of GDP on education.
International data from the World Bank Open Data API. Population figures are latest available estimates. GDP per capita in current US dollars.
The this entity record above pulls directly from the U.S. Census Bureau ACS and decennial files. What follows is the per-entity context — how this entity sits in the broader U.S. population demographics distribution and which underlying factors drive the headline numbers.
The methodology behind every numeric value on this page is publicly documented on the the U.S. Census Bureau ACS and decennial files portal and described in detail on this site’s methodology page. Refresh cadence varies by underlying series; the page surfaces the as-of date for each number so readers can trace any figure back to the source release.
Practical use of this page is in combination with the comparison and ranking pages elsewhere on the site, which surface the same data for this entity’s peers within U.S. states, metros, cities, and ZIPs. A single-entity reading without peer context can be misleading when an entity is an outlier on one axis but typical on another.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS, 2026.