Rural population in Mauritania
Mauritania: Rural population was 2.05 million in 2025. ▲ Rising
Rural population in Mauritania, 1960–2025
Source: World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN).
Analysis
In 2025, rural population in Mauritania stood at 2.05 million. That is the highest value across all 66 years on record.
The figure is up 0.5% on the previous year and up 6.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, rural population in Mauritania peaked at 2.05 million in 2025 and was at its lowest, 767,779, in 1960.
That places Mauritania 105th out of 218 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 66 years of available data.
Rural population in Mauritania, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 767,779 | — |
| 1961 | 782,939 | +2.0% |
| 1962 | 798,711 | +2.0% |
| 1963 | 815,237 | +2.1% |
| 1964 | 832,566 | +2.1% |
| 1965 | 849,264 | +2.0% |
| 1966 | 865,923 | +2.0% |
| 1967 | 882,869 | +2.0% |
| 1968 | 899,906 | +1.9% |
| 1969 | 916,903 | +1.9% |
| 1970 | 933,739 | +1.8% |
| 1971 | 950,202 | +1.8% |
| 1972 | 966,178 | +1.7% |
| 1973 | 981,686 | +1.6% |
| 1974 | 996,718 | +1.5% |
| 1975 | 1.01 million | +1.4% |
| 1976 | 1.03 million | +1.4% |
| 1977 | 1.04 million | +1.2% |
| 1978 | 1.05 million | +0.8% |
| 1979 | 1.05 million | +0.4% |
| 1980 | 1.05 million | +0.2% |
| 1981 | 1.05 million | +0.0% |
| 1982 | 1.05 million | -0.0% |
| 1983 | 1.05 million | +0.0% |
| 1984 | 1.05 million | +0.2% |
| 1985 | 1.06 million | +0.6% |
| 1986 | 1.07 million | +1.1% |
| 1987 | 1.09 million | +1.8% |
| 1988 | 1.12 million | +2.7% |
| 1989 | 1.15 million | +2.6% |
| 1990 | 1.18 million | +2.7% |
| 1991 | 1.22 million | +3.2% |
| 1992 | 1.27 million | +4.2% |
| 1993 | 1.33 million | +4.4% |
| 1994 | 1.38 million | +3.8% |
| 1995 | 1.42 million | +3.1% |
| 1996 | 1.45 million | +2.3% |
| 1997 | 1.49 million | +2.5% |
| 1998 | 1.53 million | +2.8% |
| 1999 | 1.57 million | +2.9% |
| 2000 | 1.62 million | +2.9% |
| 2001 | 1.66 million | +2.4% |
| 2002 | 1.69 million | +1.8% |
| 2003 | 1.71 million | +1.5% |
| 2004 | 1.73 million | +1.2% |
| 2005 | 1.75 million | +1.0% |
| 2006 | 1.77 million | +0.9% |
| 2007 | 1.78 million | +0.8% |
| 2008 | 1.80 million | +0.9% |
| 2009 | 1.81 million | +1.0% |
| 2010 | 1.83 million | +1.0% |
| 2011 | 1.85 million | +1.0% |
| 2012 | 1.87 million | +1.1% |
| 2013 | 1.89 million | +1.0% |
| 2014 | 1.91 million | +0.8% |
| 2015 | 1.92 million | +0.6% |
| 2016 | 1.92 million | +0.4% |
| 2017 | 1.93 million | +0.2% |
| 2018 | 1.95 million | +0.9% |
| 2019 | 1.96 million | +0.9% |
| 2020 | 1.98 million | +0.8% |
| 2021 | 1.99 million | +0.7% |
| 2022 | 2.01 million | +0.7% |
| 2023 | 2.02 million | +0.8% |
| 2024 | 2.04 million | +0.6% |
| 2025 | 2.05 million | +0.5% |
Mauritania compared with similar countries
- Mauritania's 2.05 million is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 5.28 million, 39% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Mauritania's 2.05 million is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 9.41 million, 22% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 841,210 | 767,779 | 916,903 | 10 |
| 1970s | 999,736 | 933,739 | 1.05 million | 10 |
| 1980s | 1.08 million | 1.05 million | 1.15 million | 10 |
| 1990s | 1.38 million | 1.18 million | 1.57 million | 10 |
| 2000s | 1.73 million | 1.62 million | 1.81 million | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.90 million | 1.83 million | 1.96 million | 10 |
| 2020s | 2.01 million | 1.98 million | 2.05 million | 6 |
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 rural population in Mauritania?
- Rural population in Mauritania was 2.05 million in 2025, according to World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN).
- What is the highest rural population recorded in Mauritania?
- The highest recorded value was 2.05 million in 2025.
- What is the lowest rural population recorded in Mauritania?
- The lowest recorded value was 767,779 in 1960.
- How does Mauritania rank for rural population?
- Mauritania ranks 105th out of 218 countries with data for 2025.
- Is rural population rising or falling in Mauritania?
- Over the last ten years it is up 6.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Mauritania data come from?
- The figures come from World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN), published as part of Rural population. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 66 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Rural population refers to people living in rural areas as defined by national statistical offices. It is calculated as the difference between total population and urban population. Aggregation of urban and rural population may not add up to total population because of different country coverages.