Share of population living in urban areas in Mauritania
Mauritania: Share of population living in urban areas was 59.1% in 2020. ▲ Rising
Share of population living in urban areas in Mauritania, 1950–2020
Source: European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2020, share of population living in urban areas in Mauritania stood at 59.1%. That is the highest value across all 15 years on record.
The figure is up 6.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of population living in urban areas in Mauritania peaked at 59.1% in 2020 and was at its lowest, 19.2%, in 1950.
Mauritania ranks 183rd of 236 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 15 years of available data.
Share of population living in urban areas in Mauritania, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 19.2% | — |
| 1955 | 19.9% | +3.7% |
| 1960 | 20.9% | +4.8% |
| 1965 | 22.1% | +5.9% |
| 1970 | 23.6% | +6.8% |
| 1975 | 25.2% | +6.7% |
| 1980 | 32.1% | +27.4% |
| 1985 | 39.2% | +22.1% |
| 1990 | 44.1% | +12.5% |
| 1995 | 46.3% | +5.0% |
| 2000 | 49.0% | +6.0% |
| 2005 | 52.4% | +6.8% |
| 2010 | 55.3% | +5.7% |
| 2015 | 58.1% | +5.1% |
| 2020 | 59.1% | +1.7% |
Mauritania compared with similar countries
- Mauritania's 59.1% is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 71.3%, 83% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Mauritania's 59.1% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 69.4%, 85% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Share of population living in urban areas 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1980 | +27.4% | 25.2% | 32.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 19.6% | 19.2% | 19.9% | 2 |
| 1960s | 21.5% | 20.9% | 22.1% | 2 |
| 1970s | 24.4% | 23.6% | 25.2% | 2 |
| 1980s | 35.7% | 32.1% | 39.2% | 2 |
| 1990s | 45.2% | 44.1% | 46.3% | 2 |
| 2000s | 50.7% | 49.0% | 52.4% | 2 |
| 2010s | 56.7% | 55.3% | 58.1% | 2 |
| 2020s | 59.1% | 59.1% | 59.1% | 1 |
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 population living in urban areas in Mauritania?
- Share of population living in urban areas in Mauritania was 59.1% in 2020, according to European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of population living in urban areas recorded in Mauritania?
- The highest recorded value was 59.1% in 2020.
- What is the lowest share of population living in urban areas recorded in Mauritania?
- The lowest recorded value was 19.2% in 1950.
- How does Mauritania rank for share of population living in urban areas?
- Mauritania ranks 183rd out of 236 countries with data for 2020.
- Is share of population living in urban areas rising or falling in Mauritania?
- Over the last ten years it is up 6.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Mauritania data come from?
- The figures come from European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of population living in urban areas. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 15 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Estimated share of the population living in urban areas (the sum of cities and towns and suburbs). Urban areas are identified using satellite imagery and population data, applying the same definitions across countries.