Democracy (Lexical Index) in Mauritania
Mauritania: Democracy (Lexical Index) was 3 in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2025)
3
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
116th
of 198 countries
All-time high
3
in 1992
All-time low
0
in 1904
Years of data
122
1904–2025
Democracy in Mauritania, 1904–2025
Source: Lexical Index (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
Mauritania recorded 3 for democracy in 2025. That is the highest value across all 122 years on record.
That represents a change of unchanged over ten years.
Over the whole period, democracy in Mauritania peaked at 3 in 1992 and was at its lowest, 0, in 1904.
That places Mauritania 116th out of 198 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Democracy (Lexical Index) in Mauritania, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1904 | 0 | — |
| 1905 | 0 | — |
| 1906 | 0 | — |
| 1907 | 0 | — |
| 1908 | 0 | — |
| 1909 | 0 | — |
| 1910 | 0 | — |
| 1911 | 0 | — |
| 1912 | 0 | — |
| 1913 | 0 | — |
| 1914 | 0 | — |
| 1915 | 0 | — |
| 1916 | 0 | — |
| 1917 | 0 | — |
| 1918 | 0 | — |
| 1919 | 0 | — |
| 1920 | 0 | — |
| 1921 | 0 | — |
| 1922 | 0 | — |
| 1923 | 0 | — |
| 1924 | 0 | — |
| 1925 | 0 | — |
| 1926 | 0 | — |
| 1927 | 0 | — |
| 1928 | 0 | — |
| 1929 | 0 | — |
| 1930 | 0 | — |
| 1931 | 0 | — |
| 1932 | 0 | — |
| 1933 | 0 | — |
| 1934 | 0 | — |
| 1935 | 0 | — |
| 1936 | 0 | — |
| 1937 | 0 | — |
| 1938 | 0 | — |
| 1939 | 0 | — |
| 1940 | 0 | — |
| 1941 | 0 | — |
| 1942 | 0 | — |
| 1943 | 0 | — |
| 1944 | 0 | — |
| 1945 | 0 | — |
| 1946 | 2 | — |
| 1947 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 1948 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 1949 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 1950 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 1951 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 1952 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 1953 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 1954 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 1955 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 1956 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 1957 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 1958 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 1959 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 1960 | 1 | -50.0% |
| 1961 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1962 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1963 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1964 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1965 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1966 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1967 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1968 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1969 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1970 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1971 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1972 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1973 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1974 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1975 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1976 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1977 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1978 | 0 | -100.0% |
| 1979 | 0 | — |
| 1980 | 0 | — |
| 1981 | 0 | — |
| 1982 | 0 | — |
| 1983 | 0 | — |
| 1984 | 0 | — |
| 1985 | 0 | — |
| 1986 | 0 | — |
| 1987 | 0 | — |
| 1988 | 0 | — |
| 1989 | 0 | — |
| 1990 | 0 | — |
| 1991 | 0 | — |
| 1992 | 3 | — |
| 1993 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1995 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1996 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1997 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1998 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1999 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 0 | -100.0% |
| 2006 | 0 | — |
| 2007 | 3 | — |
| 2008 | 2 | -33.3% |
| 2009 | 3 | +50.0% |
| 2010 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 1 | -66.7% |
| 2012 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 3 | +200.0% |
| 2014 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 2024 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 2025 | 3 | +0.0% |
Mauritania compared with similar countries
- Mauritania's 3 is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 3, 1.0× the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Mauritania's 3 is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 3, 1.0× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1900s | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
| 1910s | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| 1920s | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| 1930s | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| 1940s | 0.8 | 0 | 2 | 10 |
| 1950s | 2 | 2 | 2 | 10 |
| 1960s | 1 | 1 | 1 | 10 |
| 1970s | 0.8 | 0 | 1 | 10 |
| 1980s | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| 1990s | 2.4 | 0 | 3 | 10 |
| 2000s | 2.3 | 0 | 3 | 10 |
| 2010s | 2.6 | 1 | 3 | 10 |
| 2020s | 3 | 3 | 3 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Mauritania
- 116 Algeria 3 compare
- 116 Angola 3 compare
- 116 Azerbaijan 3 compare
- 116 Benin 3 compare
- 116 Burundi 3 compare
- 116 Cameroon 3 compare
- 116 Central African Republic 3 compare
- 116 Chad 3 compare
- 116 Comoros 3 compare
- 116 Congo 3 compare
- 116 Cote d'Ivoire 3 compare
- 116 Democratic Republic of Congo 3 compare
- 116 Djibouti 3 compare
- 116 Egypt 3 compare
- 116 El Salvador 3 compare
- 116 Equatorial Guinea 3 compare
- 116 Ethiopia 3 compare
- 116 Gabon 3 compare
- 116 Georgia 3 compare
- 116 Kazakhstan 3 compare
- 116 Kyrgyzstan 3 compare
- 116 Mozambique 3 compare
- 116 Nigeria 3 compare
- 116 Pakistan 3 compare
- 116 Rwanda 3 compare
- 116 Serbia 3 compare
- 116 Sierra Leone 3 compare
- 116 Singapore 3 compare
- 116 Tajikistan 3 compare
- 116 Tanzania 3 compare
- 116 Thailand 3 compare
- 116 Togo 3 compare
- 116 Turkey 3 compare
- 116 USSR 3 compare
- 116 Uganda 3 compare
- 116 Uzbekistan 3 compare
- 116 Zimbabwe 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 democracy in Mauritania?
- Democracy in Mauritania was 3 in 2025, according to Lexical Index (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest democracy recorded in Mauritania?
- The highest recorded value was 3 in 1992.
- What is the lowest democracy recorded in Mauritania?
- The lowest recorded value was 0 in 1904.
- How does Mauritania rank for democracy?
- Mauritania ranks 116th out of 198 countries with data for 2025.
- Is democracy rising or falling in Mauritania?
- Over the last ten years it is unchanged. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Mauritania data come from?
- The figures come from Lexical Index (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Democracy. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 122 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Identifies the political regime of a country. It distinguishes between non-electoral autocracies (score 0), one-party autocracies (score 1), multi-party autocracies without elected executive (score 2), multi-party autocracies (score 3), exclusive democracies (score 4), male democracies (score 5), electoral democracies (score 6), and full democracies (score 7).