Forest area in Mauritania
Mauritania: Forest area was 237,000 hectares in 2011. ▼ Falling
Forest area in Mauritania, 1990–2011
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization, electronic files and web site. Measured in hectares.
Analysis
In 2011, forest area in Mauritania stood at 237,000 hectares. That is the lowest value across all 22 years on record.
That represents a change of down 2.1% on the previous year and down 22.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, forest area in Mauritania peaked at 415,000 hectares in 1990 and was at its lowest, 237,000 hectares, in 2011.
That places Mauritania 43rd out of 53 countries with data for 2011, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 22 years of available data.
Forest area in Mauritania, year by year
| Year | hectares | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 415,000 hectares | — |
| 1991 | 405,200 hectares | -2.4% |
| 1992 | 395,400 hectares | -2.4% |
| 1993 | 385,600 hectares | -2.5% |
| 1994 | 375,800 hectares | -2.5% |
| 1995 | 366,000 hectares | -2.6% |
| 1996 | 356,200 hectares | -2.7% |
| 1997 | 346,400 hectares | -2.8% |
| 1998 | 336,600 hectares | -2.8% |
| 1999 | 326,800 hectares | -2.9% |
| 2000 | 317,000 hectares | -3.0% |
| 2001 | 307,000 hectares | -3.2% |
| 2002 | 297,000 hectares | -3.3% |
| 2003 | 287,000 hectares | -3.4% |
| 2004 | 277,000 hectares | -3.5% |
| 2005 | 267,000 hectares | -3.6% |
| 2006 | 262,000 hectares | -1.9% |
| 2007 | 257,000 hectares | -1.9% |
| 2008 | 252,000 hectares | -1.9% |
| 2009 | 247,000 hectares | -2.0% |
| 2010 | 242,000 hectares | -2.0% |
| 2011 | 237,000 hectares | -2.1% |
Mauritania compared with similar countries
- Mauritania's 237,000 hectares is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 4.98 million hectares, 5% of the median. (24 countries reporting)
- Mauritania's 237,000 hectares is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 5.59 million hectares, 4% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 370,900 hectares | 326,800 hectares | 415,000 hectares | 10 |
| 2000s | 277,000 hectares | 247,000 hectares | 317,000 hectares | 10 |
| 2010s | 239,500 hectares | 237,000 hectares | 242,000 hectares | 2 |
Countries ranked near Mauritania
More agriculture & rural data for Mauritania
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 10.81 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.1995 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 438.46 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate 0.5156 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0.0002 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.3851 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 20.0% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 20.0% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 0.2% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 0.3% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is forest area in Mauritania?
- Forest area in Mauritania was 237,000 hectares in 2011, according to Food and Agriculture Organization, electronic files and web site.
- What is the highest forest area recorded in Mauritania?
- The highest recorded value was 415,000 hectares in 1990.
- What is the lowest forest area recorded in Mauritania?
- The lowest recorded value was 237,000 hectares in 2011.
- How does Mauritania rank for forest area?
- Mauritania ranks 43rd out of 53 countries with data for 2011.
- Is forest area rising or falling in Mauritania?
- Over the last ten years it is down 22.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Mauritania data come from?
- The figures come from Food and Agriculture Organization, electronic files and web site, published as part of Forest area (hectares). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Forest area is land under natural or planted stands of trees of at least 5 meters in situ, whether productive or not, and excludes tree stands in agricultural production systems (for example, in fruit plantations and agroforestry systems) and trees in urban parks and gardens.