Government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Mauritania
Mauritania: Government spending on education overall vs. primary education was 7.6% in 2024. ◆ Volatile
Government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Mauritania, 1997–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
Mauritania recorded 7.6% for government spending on education overall vs. primary education in 2024. That is the highest value across all 19 years on record.
The figure is up 61.4% on the previous year and up 197.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Mauritania peaked at 7.6% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 1.4%, in 2022.
That places Mauritania 11th out of 199 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top 10%.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Mauritania, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1997 | 1.6% | — |
| 1999 | 1.7% | +8.6% |
| 2001 | 2.1% | +22.3% |
| 2002 | 2.3% | +8.1% |
| 2003 | 2.4% | +3.9% |
| 2004 | 2.0% | -17.5% |
| 2006 | 2.0% | +0.4% |
| 2011 | 2.3% | +19.0% |
| 2012 | 2.2% | -7.4% |
| 2013 | 2.3% | +6.3% |
| 2014 | 2.6% | +11.5% |
| 2015 | 2.8% | +10.6% |
| 2016 | 1.9% | -31.3% |
| 2019 | 1.8% | -6.2% |
| 2020 | 1.8% | -1.1% |
| 2021 | 1.9% | +5.0% |
| 2022 | 1.4% | -26.5% |
| 2023 | 4.7% | +239.3% |
| 2024 | 7.6% | +61.4% |
Mauritania compared with similar countries
- Mauritania's 7.6% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 4.0%, 1.9× the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Mauritania's 7.6% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 3.2%, 2.4× the median. (47 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Government spending on education overall vs. primary education 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | +239.3% | 1.4% | 4.7% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 1.7% | 1.6% | 1.7% | 2 |
| 2000s | 2.1% | 2.0% | 2.4% | 5 |
| 2010s | 2.3% | 1.8% | 2.8% | 7 |
| 2020s | 3.5% | 1.4% | 7.6% | 5 |
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 government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Mauritania?
- Government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Mauritania was 7.6% in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest government spending on education overall vs. primary education recorded in Mauritania?
- The highest recorded value was 7.6% in 2024.
- What is the lowest government spending on education overall vs. primary education recorded in Mauritania?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.4% in 2022.
- How does Mauritania rank for government spending on education overall vs. primary education?
- Mauritania ranks 11th out of 199 countries with data for 2024.
- Is government spending on education overall vs. primary education rising or falling in Mauritania?
- Over the last ten years it is up 197.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Mauritania data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Government spending on education overall vs. primary education. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 19 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Total annual general government spending on all levels of education, expressed as a percentage of GDP.