Share of people who are undernourished in Mauritania
Mauritania: Share of people who are undernourished was 8.7 percent in 2023. ▼ Falling
Share of people who are undernourished in Mauritania, 2001–2023
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in percent.
Analysis
In 2023, share of people who are undernourished in Mauritania stood at 8.7 percent.
That represents a change of up 1.2% on the previous year and up 42.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of people who are undernourished in Mauritania peaked at 10.3 percent in 2005 and was at its lowest, 6.1 percent, in 2013.
Mauritania ranks 61st of 169 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 23 years of available data.
Share of people who are undernourished in Mauritania, year by year
| Year | percent | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 9.8 percent | — |
| 2002 | 9.2 percent | -6.1% |
| 2003 | 9.5 percent | +3.3% |
| 2004 | 9.5 percent | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 10.3 percent | +8.4% |
| 2006 | 9.3 percent | -9.7% |
| 2007 | 8.4 percent | -9.7% |
| 2008 | 7.3 percent | -13.1% |
| 2009 | 7.1 percent | -2.7% |
| 2010 | 7 percent | -1.4% |
| 2011 | 6.5 percent | -7.1% |
| 2012 | 6.2 percent | -4.6% |
| 2013 | 6.1 percent | -1.6% |
| 2014 | 6.3 percent | +3.3% |
| 2015 | 6.5 percent | +3.2% |
| 2016 | 6.7 percent | +3.1% |
| 2017 | 6.6 percent | -1.5% |
| 2018 | 6.5 percent | -1.5% |
| 2019 | 6.6 percent | +1.5% |
| 2020 | 7 percent | +6.1% |
| 2021 | 7.8 percent | +11.4% |
| 2022 | 8.6 percent | +10.3% |
| 2023 | 8.7 percent | +1.2% |
Mauritania compared with similar countries
- Mauritania's 8.7 percent is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 12 percent, 72% of the median. (43 countries reporting)
- Mauritania's 8.7 percent is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 19.7 percent, 44% of the median. (43 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 8.93 percent | 7.1 percent | 10.3 percent | 9 |
| 2010s | 6.5 percent | 6.1 percent | 7 percent | 10 |
| 2020s | 8.03 percent | 7 percent | 8.7 percent | 4 |
Countries ranked near Mauritania
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 share of people who are undernourished in Mauritania?
- Share of people who are undernourished in Mauritania was 8.7 percent in 2023, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of people who are undernourished recorded in Mauritania?
- The highest recorded value was 10.3 percent in 2005.
- What is the lowest share of people who are undernourished recorded in Mauritania?
- The lowest recorded value was 6.1 percent in 2013.
- How does Mauritania rank for share of people who are undernourished?
- Mauritania ranks 61st out of 169 countries with data for 2023.
- Is share of people who are undernourished rising or falling in Mauritania?
- Over the last ten years it is up 42.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Mauritania data come from?
- The figures come from Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of people who are undernourished. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 23 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Share of the population whose daily food intake does not provide enough energy to maintain a normal, active, and healthy life.