Demographics & population — Mauritania
Population size, age structure, migration, ethnicity, language, education, and health indicators.
Profile updated 2026-06-02
⚡ Demographics & population at a glance
Population size, age structure, migration, ethnicity, language, education, and health indicators. Key figure for Mauritania: 4,005,475
Immigration rules and fees change frequently — confirm current requirements on official government or embassy websites.
Population overview
- Population
4,005,475
- Population Growth Rate
2.29%
- Urban Population
- Population in Major Urban Areas
NOUAKCHOTT (capital) 786,000
Age & family
- Age Structure
- Median Age
- Birth Rate - births/1,000 population
32
- Death Rate - deaths/1,000 population
8.5
- Total Fertility Rate - children born/woman
4.15
- Contraceptive Prevalance Rate - female 12-49
9.3%
- Contraceptive Prevalence Rate - female 12-49
9.3%
- Mean Age for Mother's First Birth (age 25-49)
21.9
- Mother's mean age at first birth
21.9
- Sex Ratio at Birth - male/female
Migration
- Net Migration Rate - migrant(s)/1,000 population
-0.87
Ethnicity & language
- Ethnic Groups
mixed Maur/black 40%, Maur 30%, black 30%
- Nationality Noun
Mauritanian(s)
Education
- Literacy - total population
51.2%
- Literacy - male
51.8%
- Literacy - female
31.9%
- Literacy Definition
age 15 and over can read and write
- Education Expenditures - percent of GDP
3.7%
- Total School Life Expectancy - (primary to tertiary)
Health & living conditions
- Life Expectancy at Birth
- Infant Mortality Rate
- Infant Mortality Rate - total deaths/1,000 live births
- Maternal Mortality Rate - deaths/100,000 live births
510
- Physicians Density - physicians/1,000 population
.13
- Hospital Bed Density - beds/1,000 population
.4
- Health Expenditures - percent of GDP
5.4%
- Major Infectious Diseases - degree of risk
very high
- Obesity - adult prevalence rate
12.7%
- Drinking Water Source - percent of urban population improved
- Sanitation Facility Access - percent of urban population improved
- Underweight - percent of children under five years
19.5%