Statizoid

Median age in Mauritania

Mauritania: Median age was 17.12 years in 2023. ▬ Flat

Latest (2023)
17.12 years
Change on year
up 0.7%
World rank
224th
of 236 countries
All-time high
17.73 years
in 1962
All-time low
15.83 years
in 1982
Years of data
74
1950–2023

Median age in Mauritania, 1950–2023

05101520195019862023

Source: UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in years.

Analysis

Mauritania recorded 17.12 years for median age in 2023.

The figure is up 0.7% on the previous year and up 2.3% over ten years.

Over the whole period, median age in Mauritania peaked at 17.73 years in 1962 and was at its lowest, 15.83 years, in 1982.

Mauritania ranks 224th of 236 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.

Median age in Mauritania, year by year

Year years Change
1950 16.7 years —
1951 16.88 years +1.1%
1952 17.04 years +0.9%
1953 17.18 years +0.8%
1954 17.3 years +0.7%
1955 17.41 years +0.6%
1956 17.49 years +0.5%
1957 17.56 years +0.4%
1958 17.61 years +0.3%
1959 17.66 years +0.3%
1960 17.7 years +0.2%
1961 17.72 years +0.1%
1962 17.73 years +0.1%
1963 17.73 years +0.0%
1964 17.72 years -0.1%
1965 17.7 years -0.1%
1966 17.65 years -0.2%
1967 17.57 years -0.5%
1968 17.4 years -1.0%
1969 17.17 years -1.3%
1970 16.95 years -1.3%
1971 16.75 years -1.2%
1972 16.57 years -1.1%
1973 16.41 years -0.9%
1974 16.28 years -0.8%
1975 16.17 years -0.7%
1976 16.08 years -0.6%
1977 16 years -0.5%
1978 15.93 years -0.4%
1979 15.88 years -0.3%
1980 15.85 years -0.2%
1981 15.83 years -0.1%
1982 15.83 years -0.0%
1983 15.84 years +0.1%
1984 15.87 years +0.2%
1985 15.9 years +0.2%
1986 15.94 years +0.3%
1987 15.99 years +0.3%
1988 16.04 years +0.3%
1989 16.02 years -0.1%
1990 16.01 years -0.1%
1991 16.06 years +0.3%
1992 16.25 years +1.2%
1993 16.46 years +1.3%
1994 16.54 years +0.5%
1995 16.52 years -0.1%
1996 16.39 years -0.8%
1997 16.34 years -0.3%
1998 16.38 years +0.3%
1999 16.45 years +0.5%
2000 16.55 years +0.6%
2001 16.59 years +0.2%
2002 16.58 years -0.1%
2003 16.57 years -0.0%
2004 16.56 years -0.1%
2005 16.54 years -0.1%
2006 16.52 years -0.1%
2007 16.51 years -0.1%
2008 16.56 years +0.3%
2009 16.66 years +0.6%
2010 16.73 years +0.4%
2011 16.75 years +0.2%
2012 16.75 years -0.0%
2013 16.73 years -0.1%
2014 16.71 years -0.1%
2015 16.7 years -0.0%
2016 16.7 years +0.0%
2017 16.71 years +0.1%
2018 16.73 years +0.1%
2019 16.77 years +0.2%
2020 16.82 years +0.3%
2021 16.89 years +0.4%
2022 16.99 years +0.6%
2023 17.12 years +0.7%

Mauritania compared with similar countries

  • Mauritania's 17.12 years is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 21.43 years, 80% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
  • Mauritania's 17.12 years is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 18.22 years, 94% of the median. (48 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1950s 17.28 years 16.7 years 17.66 years 10
1960s 17.61 years 17.17 years 17.73 years 10
1970s 16.3 years 15.88 years 16.95 years 10
1980s 15.91 years 15.83 years 16.04 years 10
1990s 16.34 years 16.01 years 16.54 years 10
2000s 16.57 years 16.51 years 16.66 years 10
2010s 16.73 years 16.7 years 16.77 years 10
2020s 16.96 years 16.82 years 17.12 years 4

Countries ranked near Mauritania

  1. 221 Zambia 17.49 years compare
  2. 222 Burkina Faso 17.25 years compare
  3. 223 Tanzania 17.24 years compare
  4. 225 Afghanistan 16.94 years compare
  5. 226 Mayotte 16.79 years compare
  6. 227 Uganda 16.51 years compare

See the full ranking of 236 places →

More reference data data for Mauritania

All data for Mauritania →

Frequently asked questions

What is median age in Mauritania?
Median age in Mauritania was 17.12 years in 2023, according to UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest median age recorded in Mauritania?
The highest recorded value was 17.73 years in 1962.
What is the lowest median age recorded in Mauritania?
The lowest recorded value was 15.83 years in 1982.
How does Mauritania rank for median age?
Mauritania ranks 224th out of 236 countries with data for 2023.
Is median age rising or falling in Mauritania?
Over the last ten years it is up 2.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
Where does this Mauritania data come from?
The figures come from UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Median age. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Median age in Mauritania. Statizoid, drawing on UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data. Retrieved 22 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/median-age/mauritania/

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About this data

Indicator
Median age
Unit
years
Source
UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
236 places, 17,464 data points, 1950–2023
Last refreshed

Age that divides the population into two halves of equal size — half are younger and half are older.