Urban population (% of total population) in Mauritania
Mauritania: Urban population (% of total population) was 61.5% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Urban population in Mauritania, 1960–2025
Source: World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN). Measured in % of total population.
Analysis
In 2025, urban population in Mauritania stood at 61.5%. That is the highest value across all 66 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 1.5% on the previous year and up 6.2% over five years.
Over the whole period, urban population in Mauritania peaked at 61.5% in 2025 and was at its lowest, 57.9%, in 2021.
Mauritania ranks 123rd of 218 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 66 years of available data.
Urban population (% of total population) in Mauritania, year by year
| Year | % of total population | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 6.9% | — |
| 1961 | 7.5% | +9.0% |
| 1962 | 8.1% | +8.5% |
| 1963 | 8.8% | +7.9% |
| 1964 | 9.4% | +7.4% |
| 1965 | 10.2% | +8.6% |
| 1966 | 11.1% | +8.8% |
| 1967 | 12.1% | +8.5% |
| 1968 | 13.0% | +8.1% |
| 1969 | 14.0% | +7.8% |
| 1970 | 15.1% | +7.5% |
| 1971 | 16.2% | +7.2% |
| 1972 | 17.3% | +6.9% |
| 1973 | 18.5% | +6.6% |
| 1974 | 19.6% | +6.4% |
| 1975 | 20.8% | +6.1% |
| 1976 | 22.1% | +5.9% |
| 1977 | 23.4% | +6.0% |
| 1978 | 24.9% | +6.6% |
| 1979 | 26.7% | +7.2% |
| 1980 | 28.7% | +7.3% |
| 1981 | 30.7% | +7.0% |
| 1982 | 32.7% | +6.5% |
| 1983 | 34.5% | +5.8% |
| 1984 | 36.2% | +4.9% |
| 1985 | 37.7% | +4.0% |
| 1986 | 38.8% | +2.9% |
| 1987 | 39.4% | +1.7% |
| 1988 | 39.6% | +0.4% |
| 1989 | 39.6% | -0.1% |
| 1990 | 39.5% | -0.2% |
| 1991 | 39.3% | -0.3% |
| 1992 | 39.2% | -0.4% |
| 1993 | 39.0% | -0.4% |
| 1994 | 38.8% | -0.5% |
| 1995 | 38.7% | -0.5% |
| 1996 | 38.5% | -0.5% |
| 1997 | 38.3% | -0.4% |
| 1998 | 38.2% | -0.3% |
| 1999 | 38.1% | -0.2% |
| 2000 | 38.1% | -0.1% |
| 2001 | 38.1% | +0.1% |
| 2002 | 38.4% | +0.7% |
| 2003 | 38.9% | +1.3% |
| 2004 | 39.6% | +1.8% |
| 2005 | 40.4% | +2.1% |
| 2006 | 41.4% | +2.4% |
| 2007 | 42.4% | +2.6% |
| 2008 | 43.6% | +2.7% |
| 2009 | 44.8% | +2.7% |
| 2010 | 46.0% | +2.7% |
| 2011 | 47.1% | +2.6% |
| 2012 | 48.3% | +2.4% |
| 2013 | 49.4% | +2.2% |
| 2014 | 50.5% | +2.3% |
| 2015 | 51.7% | +2.4% |
| 2016 | 52.9% | +2.4% |
| 2017 | 54.2% | +2.4% |
| 2018 | 55.1% | +1.7% |
| 2019 | 56.1% | +1.7% |
| 2020 | 57.0% | +1.6% |
| 2021 | 57.9% | +1.6% |
| 2022 | 58.8% | +1.6% |
| 2023 | 59.7% | +1.5% |
| 2024 | 60.6% | +1.5% |
| 2025 | 61.5% | +1.5% |
Mauritania compared with similar countries
- Mauritania's 61.5% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 50.9%, 1.2× the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Mauritania's 61.5% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 44.9%, 1.4× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 10.1% | 6.9% | 14.0% | 10 |
| 1970s | 20.5% | 15.1% | 26.7% | 10 |
| 1980s | 35.8% | 28.7% | 39.6% | 10 |
| 1990s | 38.8% | 38.1% | 39.5% | 10 |
| 2000s | 40.6% | 38.1% | 44.8% | 10 |
| 2010s | 51.1% | 46.0% | 56.1% | 10 |
| 2020s | 59.3% | 57.0% | 61.5% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Mauritania
More climate change data for Mauritania
- Nutrient nitrogen N (total) — Synthetic fertilizers (Agricultural) 5.05 million kg (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) 13,025 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 3,939 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 9,086 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 14.87 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 324.5 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) 339.5 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 60.39 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 279.11 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions 0.2279 kt (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is urban population in Mauritania?
- Urban population in Mauritania was 61.5% in 2025, according to World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN).
- What is the highest urban population recorded in Mauritania?
- The highest recorded value was 61.5% in 2025.
- What is the lowest urban population recorded in Mauritania?
- The lowest recorded value was 57.9% in 2021.
- How does Mauritania rank for urban population?
- Mauritania ranks 123rd out of 218 countries with data for 2025.
- Where does this Mauritania data come from?
- The figures come from World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN), published as part of Urban population (% of total 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
Urban population refers to people living in urban areas as defined by national statistical offices. The data are collected and smoothed by United Nations Population Division.