Sanitation facilities usage in Mauritania

Mauritania: Sanitation facilities usage was 836,671 people in 2024. ▼ Falling

Latest (2024)
836,671 people
Change on year
down 6.0%
World rank
42nd
of 232 countries
All-time high
1.54 million people
in 2000
All-time low
836,671 people
in 2024
Years of data
25
2000–2024

Sanitation facilities usage in Mauritania, 2000–2024

0500.0k1.0M1.5M2000201220242000: 1.5M people2001: 1.5M people2002: 1.5M people2003: 1.5M people2004: 1.5M people2005: 1.5M people2006: 1.4M people2007: 1.4M people2008: 1.4M people2009: 1.4M people2010: 1.4M people2011: 1.3M people2012: 1.3M people2013: 1.3M people2014: 1.3M people2015: 1.2M people2016: 1.2M people2017: 1.2M people2018: 1.1M people2019: 1.1M people2020: 1.0M people2021: 987.7k people2022: 940.0k people2023: 890.0k people2024: 836.7k people

Source: WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme for Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene (2025) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in people.

Analysis

Mauritania recorded 836,671 people for sanitation facilities usage in 2024. That is the lowest value across all 25 years on record.

The figure is down 6.0% on the previous year and down 33.3% over ten years.

Over the whole period, sanitation facilities usage in Mauritania peaked at 1.54 million people in 2000 and was at its lowest, 836,671 people, in 2024.

Mauritania ranks 42nd of 232 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 25 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 1.46 million people 1.37 million people 1.54 million people 10
2010s 1.23 million people 1.08 million people 1.35 million people 10
2020s 937,572 people 836,671 people 1.03 million people 5

Countries ranked near Mauritania

  1. 39 Cambodia 924,670 people compare
  2. 40 Bolivia 880,646 people compare
  3. 41 Venezuela 846,469 people compare
  4. 43 Guinea 687,094 people compare
  5. 44 Laos 678,318 people compare
  6. 45 Peru 657,879 people compare

See the full ranking of 232 places →

More reference data data for Mauritania

All data for Mauritania →

Frequently asked questions

What is sanitation facilities usage in Mauritania?
Sanitation facilities usage in Mauritania was 836,671 people in 2024, according to WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme for Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene (2025) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest sanitation facilities usage recorded in Mauritania?
The highest recorded value was 1.54 million people in 2000.
What is the lowest sanitation facilities usage recorded in Mauritania?
The lowest recorded value was 836,671 people in 2024.
How does Mauritania rank for sanitation facilities usage?
Mauritania ranks 42nd out of 232 countries with data for 2024.
Is sanitation facilities usage rising or falling in Mauritania?
Over the last ten years it is down 33.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Mauritania data come from?
The figures come from WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme for Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene (2025) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Sanitation facilities usage. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 25 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).

About this data

Indicator
Sanitation facilities usage
Unit
people
Source
WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme for Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene (2025) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
232 places, 5,488 data points, 2000–2024
Last refreshed

Open defecation includes defecating in fields, forests, bushes, bodies of water or other open spaces, not using any sanitation facilities.