Total natural resource rents in Mauritania
Mauritania: Total natural resource rents was 11.4% in 2021. ◆ Volatile
Total natural resource rents in Mauritania, 1970–2021
Source: The Changing Wealth of Nations, World Bank staff estimates, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
Mauritania recorded 11.4% for total natural resource rents in 2021.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 369.5% on the previous year and down 62.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, total natural resource rents in Mauritania peaked at 38.4% in 2008 and was at its lowest, 2.4%, in 2020.
Mauritania ranks 45th of 211 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Total natural resource rents in Mauritania, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 11.3% | — |
| 1971 | 10.3% | -9.3% |
| 1972 | 10.6% | +2.9% |
| 1973 | 12.2% | +15.5% |
| 1974 | 12.9% | +5.7% |
| 1975 | 8.8% | -31.9% |
| 1976 | 13.0% | +48.8% |
| 1977 | 11.8% | -9.4% |
| 1978 | 7.4% | -37.7% |
| 1979 | 8.5% | +16.0% |
| 1980 | 17.5% | +105.1% |
| 1981 | 17.6% | +0.6% |
| 1982 | 21.9% | +24.3% |
| 1983 | 18.5% | -15.6% |
| 1984 | 18.5% | +0.3% |
| 1985 | 18.4% | -0.7% |
| 1986 | 13.1% | -29.0% |
| 1987 | 9.2% | -29.9% |
| 1988 | 7.2% | -20.9% |
| 1989 | 11.0% | +51.5% |
| 1990 | 13.1% | +18.9% |
| 1991 | 4.0% | -69.4% |
| 1992 | 3.6% | -8.6% |
| 1993 | 3.6% | +0.1% |
| 1994 | 3.3% | -9.6% |
| 1995 | 3.8% | +15.1% |
| 1996 | 4.0% | +6.5% |
| 1997 | 4.1% | +1.6% |
| 1998 | 5.8% | +42.1% |
| 1999 | 3.4% | -41.8% |
| 2000 | 3.3% | -3.6% |
| 2001 | 6.8% | +106.6% |
| 2002 | 7.7% | +13.4% |
| 2003 | 4.5% | -41.9% |
| 2004 | 8.9% | +98.7% |
| 2005 | 19.4% | +118.8% |
| 2006 | 25.6% | +32.2% |
| 2007 | 32.1% | +25.2% |
| 2008 | 38.4% | +19.7% |
| 2009 | 20.8% | -45.7% |
| 2010 | 33.3% | +59.6% |
| 2011 | 30.9% | -7.3% |
| 2012 | 21.5% | -30.3% |
| 2013 | 16.9% | -21.2% |
| 2014 | 13.2% | -22.2% |
| 2015 | 6.2% | -53.0% |
| 2016 | 8.0% | +29.9% |
| 2017 | 9.1% | +13.1% |
| 2018 | 2.8% | -69.1% |
| 2019 | 2.6% | -7.0% |
| 2020 | 2.4% | -6.6% |
| 2021 | 11.4% | +369.5% |
Mauritania compared with similar countries
- Mauritania's 11.4% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 4.4%, 2.6× the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Mauritania's 11.4% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 7.7%, 1.5× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Total natural resource rents in Mauritania changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | +369.5% | 2.4% | 11.4% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 10.7% | 7.4% | 13.0% | 10 |
| 1980s | 15.3% | 7.2% | 21.9% | 10 |
| 1990s | 4.9% | 3.3% | 13.1% | 10 |
| 2000s | 16.7% | 3.3% | 38.4% | 10 |
| 2010s | 14.4% | 2.6% | 33.3% | 10 |
| 2020s | 6.9% | 2.4% | 11.4% | 2 |
Countries ranked near Mauritania
- 42 Peru 12.7% compare
- 43 Venezuela 11.8% compare
- 44 Kyrgyzstan 11.5% compare
- 46 Somalia 11.2% compare
- 47 Guinea-Bissau 10.4% compare
- 48 Central African Republic 10.3% compare
More reference data data for Mauritania
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.0975 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 3.86 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 3.98 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.0216 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 3.98 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.327 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 0.1337 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 14.4 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 14.99 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.1178 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is total natural resource rents in Mauritania?
- Total natural resource rents in Mauritania was 11.4% in 2021, according to The Changing Wealth of Nations, World Bank staff estimates, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest total natural resource rents recorded in Mauritania?
- The highest recorded value was 38.4% in 2008.
- What is the lowest total natural resource rents recorded in Mauritania?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.4% in 2020.
- How does Mauritania rank for total natural resource rents?
- Mauritania ranks 45th out of 211 countries with data for 2021.
- Is total natural resource rents rising or falling in Mauritania?
- Over the last ten years it is down 62.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Mauritania data come from?
- The figures come from The Changing Wealth of Nations, World Bank staff estimates, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Total natural resource rents. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 52 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Natural resources rents are estimated as the difference between the price of a commodity and the average cost of producing it. Total natural resources rents are the sum of oil rents, natural gas rents, coal rents, mineral rents, and forest rents.