Share of population living in cities with more than 1 million residents in Mauritania

Mauritania: Share of population living in cities with more than 1 million residents was 29.6% in 2020. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2020)
29.6%
World rank
38th
of 180 countries
All-time high
29.6%
in 2020
All-time low
0.0%
in 1980
Years of data
9
1980–2020

Share of population living in cities with more than 1 million residents in Mauritania, 1980–2020

01020301980200020201980: 0 %1985: 0 %1990: 0 %1995: 0 %2000: 0 %2005: 0 %2010: 0 %2015: 28 %2020: 29.6 %

Source: European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.

Analysis

The most recent figure for share of population living in cities with more than 1 million residents in Mauritania is 29.6%, measured in 2020. That is the highest value across all 9 years on record.

That represents a change of up 5.9% over five years.

Over the whole period, share of population living in cities with more than 1 million residents in Mauritania peaked at 29.6% in 2020 and was at its lowest, 0.0%, in 1980.

That places Mauritania 38th out of 180 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the top quarter.

Share of population living in cities with more than 1 million residents in Mauritania, year by year

Annual values for Share of population living in cities with more than 1 million residents in Mauritania, 1980 to 2020.
Year % Change
1980 0.0%
1985 0.0%
1990 0.0%
1995 0.0%
2000 0.0%
2005 0.0%
2010 0.0%
2015 28.0%
2020 29.6% +5.9%

Mauritania compared with similar countries

  • Mauritania's 29.6% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 17.4%, 1.7× the median. (45 countries reporting)
  • Mauritania's 29.6% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 12.2%, 2.4× the median. (47 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1980s 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 2
1990s 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 2
2000s 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 2
2010s 14.0% 0.0% 28.0% 2
2020s 29.6% 29.6% 29.6% 1

Countries ranked near Mauritania

  1. 35 Lebanon 30.6% compare
  2. 36 Peru 30.6% compare
  3. 37 Greece 30.6% compare
  4. 39 Australia 29.5% compare
  5. 40 South Africa 29.5% compare
  6. 41 Israel 28.1% compare

See the full ranking of 180 places →

More reference data data for Mauritania

All data for Mauritania →

Frequently asked questions

What is share of population living in cities with more than 1 million residents in Mauritania?
Share of population living in cities with more than 1 million residents in Mauritania was 29.6% in 2020, according to European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
What is the highest share of population living in cities with more than 1 million residents recorded in Mauritania?
The highest recorded value was 29.6% in 2020.
What is the lowest share of population living in cities with more than 1 million residents recorded in Mauritania?
The lowest recorded value was 0.0% in 1980.
How does Mauritania rank for share of population living in cities with more than 1 million residents?
Mauritania ranks 38th out of 180 countries with data for 2020.
Where does this Mauritania data come from?
The figures come from European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of population living in cities with more than 1 million residents. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Share of population living in cities with more than 1 million residents in Mauritania. Statizoid, drawing on European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Retrieved 24 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/urban-agglomerations-1-million-percent/mauritania/

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About this data

Indicator
Share of population living in cities with more than 1 million residents
Unit
%
Source
European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
180 places, 2,505 data points, 1950–2020
Last refreshed

Percentage of the total population living in cities with 1 million or more people. City boundaries are defined using a consistent global approach based on satellite imagery and population data.