Rule of Law Index in Mauritania
Mauritania: Rule of Law Index was 0.117 in 2025. ▼ Falling
Latest (2025)
0.117
Change on year
down 20.4%
World rank
156th
of 176 countries
All-time high
0.603
in 1960
All-time low
0.117
in 2025
Years of data
122
1904–2025
Rule of Law Index in Mauritania, 1904–2025
Source: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
The most recent figure for rule of law index in Mauritania is 0.117, measured in 2025. That is the lowest value across all 122 years on record.
The figure is down 20.4% on the previous year and down 40.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, rule of law index in Mauritania peaked at 0.603 in 1960 and was at its lowest, 0.117, in 2025.
That places Mauritania 156th out of 176 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 122 years of available data.
Rule of Law Index in Mauritania, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1904 | 0.446 | — |
| 1905 | 0.446 | +0.0% |
| 1906 | 0.446 | +0.0% |
| 1907 | 0.446 | +0.0% |
| 1908 | 0.446 | +0.0% |
| 1909 | 0.446 | +0.0% |
| 1910 | 0.446 | +0.0% |
| 1911 | 0.446 | +0.0% |
| 1912 | 0.446 | +0.0% |
| 1913 | 0.446 | +0.0% |
| 1914 | 0.446 | +0.0% |
| 1915 | 0.446 | +0.0% |
| 1916 | 0.446 | +0.0% |
| 1917 | 0.446 | +0.0% |
| 1918 | 0.446 | +0.0% |
| 1919 | 0.446 | +0.0% |
| 1920 | 0.446 | +0.0% |
| 1921 | 0.446 | +0.0% |
| 1922 | 0.446 | +0.0% |
| 1923 | 0.446 | +0.0% |
| 1924 | 0.446 | +0.0% |
| 1925 | 0.446 | +0.0% |
| 1926 | 0.446 | +0.0% |
| 1927 | 0.446 | +0.0% |
| 1928 | 0.446 | +0.0% |
| 1929 | 0.446 | +0.0% |
| 1930 | 0.446 | +0.0% |
| 1931 | 0.446 | +0.0% |
| 1932 | 0.446 | +0.0% |
| 1933 | 0.446 | +0.0% |
| 1934 | 0.446 | +0.0% |
| 1935 | 0.446 | +0.0% |
| 1936 | 0.446 | +0.0% |
| 1937 | 0.446 | +0.0% |
| 1938 | 0.446 | +0.0% |
| 1939 | 0.446 | +0.0% |
| 1940 | 0.446 | +0.0% |
| 1941 | 0.446 | +0.0% |
| 1942 | 0.446 | +0.0% |
| 1943 | 0.446 | +0.0% |
| 1944 | 0.446 | +0.0% |
| 1945 | 0.446 | +0.0% |
| 1946 | 0.446 | +0.0% |
| 1947 | 0.446 | +0.0% |
| 1948 | 0.446 | +0.0% |
| 1949 | 0.446 | +0.0% |
| 1950 | 0.443 | -0.7% |
| 1951 | 0.443 | +0.0% |
| 1952 | 0.443 | +0.0% |
| 1953 | 0.443 | +0.0% |
| 1954 | 0.443 | +0.0% |
| 1955 | 0.443 | +0.0% |
| 1956 | 0.443 | +0.0% |
| 1957 | 0.443 | +0.0% |
| 1958 | 0.495 | +11.7% |
| 1959 | 0.513 | +3.6% |
| 1960 | 0.603 | +17.5% |
| 1961 | 0.408 | -32.3% |
| 1962 | 0.408 | +0.0% |
| 1963 | 0.408 | +0.0% |
| 1964 | 0.408 | +0.0% |
| 1965 | 0.408 | +0.0% |
| 1966 | 0.408 | +0.0% |
| 1967 | 0.408 | +0.0% |
| 1968 | 0.408 | +0.0% |
| 1969 | 0.408 | +0.0% |
| 1970 | 0.408 | +0.0% |
| 1971 | 0.408 | +0.0% |
| 1972 | 0.408 | +0.0% |
| 1973 | 0.403 | -1.2% |
| 1974 | 0.403 | +0.0% |
| 1975 | 0.403 | +0.0% |
| 1976 | 0.403 | +0.0% |
| 1977 | 0.403 | +0.0% |
| 1978 | 0.36 | -10.7% |
| 1979 | 0.192 | -46.7% |
| 1980 | 0.192 | +0.0% |
| 1981 | 0.195 | +1.6% |
| 1982 | 0.195 | +0.0% |
| 1983 | 0.195 | +0.0% |
| 1984 | 0.195 | +0.0% |
| 1985 | 0.119 | -39.0% |
| 1986 | 0.119 | +0.0% |
| 1987 | 0.119 | +0.0% |
| 1988 | 0.119 | +0.0% |
| 1989 | 0.119 | +0.0% |
| 1990 | 0.119 | +0.0% |
| 1991 | 0.119 | +0.0% |
| 1992 | 0.143 | +20.2% |
| 1993 | 0.151 | +5.6% |
| 1994 | 0.151 | +0.0% |
| 1995 | 0.151 | +0.0% |
| 1996 | 0.174 | +15.2% |
| 1997 | 0.174 | +0.0% |
| 1998 | 0.174 | +0.0% |
| 1999 | 0.174 | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 0.188 | +8.0% |
| 2001 | 0.188 | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 0.193 | +2.7% |
| 2003 | 0.189 | -2.1% |
| 2004 | 0.189 | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 0.204 | +7.9% |
| 2006 | 0.327 | +60.3% |
| 2007 | 0.331 | +1.2% |
| 2008 | 0.324 | -2.1% |
| 2009 | 0.308 | -4.9% |
| 2010 | 0.308 | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 0.308 | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 0.308 | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 0.198 | -35.7% |
| 2014 | 0.198 | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 0.196 | -1.0% |
| 2016 | 0.196 | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 0.216 | +10.2% |
| 2018 | 0.251 | +16.2% |
| 2019 | 0.293 | +16.7% |
| 2020 | 0.236 | -19.5% |
| 2021 | 0.217 | -8.1% |
| 2022 | 0.213 | -1.8% |
| 2023 | 0.244 | +14.6% |
| 2024 | 0.147 | -39.8% |
| 2025 | 0.117 | -20.4% |
Mauritania compared with similar countries
- Mauritania's 0.117 is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 0.3495, 33% of the median. (46 countries reporting)
- Mauritania's 0.117 is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 0.3685, 32% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1900s | 0.446 | 0.446 | 0.446 | 6 |
| 1910s | 0.446 | 0.446 | 0.446 | 10 |
| 1920s | 0.446 | 0.446 | 0.446 | 10 |
| 1930s | 0.446 | 0.446 | 0.446 | 10 |
| 1940s | 0.446 | 0.446 | 0.446 | 10 |
| 1950s | 0.4552 | 0.443 | 0.513 | 10 |
| 1960s | 0.4275 | 0.408 | 0.603 | 10 |
| 1970s | 0.3791 | 0.192 | 0.408 | 10 |
| 1980s | 0.1567 | 0.119 | 0.195 | 10 |
| 1990s | 0.153 | 0.119 | 0.174 | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.2441 | 0.188 | 0.331 | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.2472 | 0.196 | 0.308 | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.1957 | 0.117 | 0.244 | 6 |
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 rule of law index in Mauritania?
- Rule of law index in Mauritania was 0.117 in 2025, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest rule of law index recorded in Mauritania?
- The highest recorded value was 0.603 in 1960.
- What is the lowest rule of law index recorded in Mauritania?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.117 in 2025.
- How does Mauritania rank for rule of law index?
- Mauritania ranks 156th out of 176 countries with data for 2025.
- Is rule of law index rising or falling in Mauritania?
- Over the last ten years it is down 40.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Mauritania data come from?
- The figures come from V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Rule of Law Index. 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
Central estimate of the extent to which the government complies with the law, courts are independent, laws transparent, justice accessible, corruption absent, and the bureaucracy is impartial.