Share of the population defined as severely food insecure vs. undernourished in Mauritania
Mauritania: Share of the population defined as severely food insecure vs. undernourished was 13.1 percent in 2023. ▲ Rising
Share of the population defined as severely food insecure vs. undernourished in Mauritania, 2015–2023
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in percent.
Analysis
Mauritania recorded 13.1 percent for share of the population defined as severely food insecure vs. undernourished in 2023. That is the highest value across all 9 years on record.
The figure is up 12.9% on the previous year and up 184.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of the population defined as severely food insecure vs. undernourished in Mauritania peaked at 13.1 percent in 2023 and was at its lowest, 4.6 percent, in 2015.
That places Mauritania 30th out of 125 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top quarter.
Share of the population defined as severely food insecure vs. undernourished in Mauritania, year by year
| Year | percent | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 4.6 percent | — |
| 2016 | 5 percent | +8.7% |
| 2017 | 5.5 percent | +10.0% |
| 2018 | 5.9 percent | +7.3% |
| 2019 | 6.6 percent | +11.9% |
| 2020 | 7.2 percent | +9.1% |
| 2021 | 9.5 percent | +31.9% |
| 2022 | 11.6 percent | +22.1% |
| 2023 | 13.1 percent | +12.9% |
Mauritania compared with similar countries
- Mauritania's 13.1 percent is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 10.1 percent, 1.3× the median. (29 countries reporting)
- Mauritania's 13.1 percent is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 18.4 percent, 71% of the median. (32 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 5.52 percent | 4.6 percent | 6.6 percent | 5 |
| 2020s | 10.35 percent | 7.2 percent | 13.1 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 the population defined as severely food insecure vs. undernourished in Mauritania?
- Share of the population defined as severely food insecure vs. undernourished in Mauritania was 13.1 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 the population defined as severely food insecure vs. undernourished recorded in Mauritania?
- The highest recorded value was 13.1 percent in 2023.
- What is the lowest share of the population defined as severely food insecure vs. undernourished recorded in Mauritania?
- The lowest recorded value was 4.6 percent in 2015.
- How does Mauritania rank for share of the population defined as severely food insecure vs. undernourished?
- Mauritania ranks 30th out of 125 countries with data for 2023.
- Is share of the population defined as severely food insecure vs. undernourished rising or falling in Mauritania?
- Over the last ten years it is up 184.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- 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 the population defined as severely food insecure vs. undernourished. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 9 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Both metrics indicate that someone does not get enough food (in terms of calories) to eat: these metrics should be strongly correlated. Severe food insecurity is measured based on food security questionnaires among households. Undernourishment is based on estimates of actual calorie intake across the population.