Structure of the population

Structure of the population (Census 24.II.2013):

Population by Age Group (Estimates 1.VII.2016) (Data refer to national projections.):^[4]

Fertility and Births

Total Fertility Rate (TFR) (Wanted Fertility Rate) and Crude Birth Rate (CBR):^[6]

Fertility data as of 2010 (DHS Program):^[7]

Life expectancy

More information Period, Life expectancy in Years ...

Period	Life expectancy in Years[8]
1950–1955	41.72
1955–1960	45.19
1960–1965	47.93
1965–1970	50.28
1970–1975	52.73
1975–1980	55.76
1980–1985	57.77
1985–1990	58.89
1990–1995	59.84
1995–2000	60.27
2000–2005	61.32
2005–2010	62.64
2010–2015	63.43

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Population

4,161,925 (2022 est.)

3,840,429 (July 2018 est.)

3,381,634 (June 2011 est.)

Religions

Muslim (official) 100%

Age structure

0-14 years: 37.56% (male 755,788/female 748,671)

15-24 years: 19.71% (male 387,140/female 402,462)

25-54 years: 33.91% (male 630,693/female 727,518)

55-64 years: 4.9% (male 88,888/female 107,201)

65 years and over: 3.92% (2020 est.) (male 66,407/female 90,707)

0-14 years: 38.24% (male 737,570 /female 730,969)

15-24 years: 19.78% (male 372,070 /female 387,375)

25-54 years: 33.44% (male 595,472 /female 688,620)

55-64 years: 4.74% (male 82,197 /female 99,734)

65 years and over: 3.81% (male 62,072 /female 84,350) (2018 est.)

Median age

total: 21 years. Country comparison to the world: 187th

male: 20.1 years

female: 22 years (2020 est.)

total: 20.7 years. Country comparison to the world: 186th

male: 19.7 years

female: 21.6 years (2018 est.)

total: 19.3 years

male: 18.5 years

female: 20.2 years (2010 est.)

Birth rate

28.06 births/1,000 population (2022 est.) Country comparison to the world: 37th

29.9 births/1,000 population (2018 est.) Country comparison to the world: 38th

Death rate

7.43 deaths/1,000 population (2022 est.) Country comparison to the world: 109th

7.8 deaths/1,000 population (2018 est.) Country comparison to the world: 97th

Total fertility rate

3.46 children born/woman (2023 est.) Country comparison to the world: 39th

3.53 children born/woman (2022 est.) Country comparison to the world: 38th

3.79 children born/woman (2018 est.) Country comparison to the world: 39th

Population growth rate

1.99% (2022 est.) Country comparison to the world: 41st

2.14% (2018 est.) Country comparison to the world: 41st

2.349% (2011 est.)

Mother's mean age at first birth

21.4 years (2019-2021)

note: median age at first birth among women 25-29

Contraceptive prevalence rate

17.8% (2015)

Net migration rate

-0.72 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2022 est.) Country comparison to the world: 134th

-0.8 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2017 est.) Country comparison to the world: 132nd

Dependency ratios

total dependency ratio: 76.5 (2015 est.)

youth dependency ratio: 71 (2015 est.)

elderly dependency ratio: 5.5 (2015 est.)

potential support ratio: 18.3 (2015 est.)

Urbanization

urban population: 56.9% of total population (2022)

rate of urbanization: 3.84% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

urban population: 53.7% of total population (2018)

rate of urbanization: 4.28% annual rate of change (2015-20 est.)

Life expectancy at birth

total population: 65.22 years. Country comparison to the world: 204th

male: 62.77 years

female: 67.75 years (2022 est.)

total population: 63.8 years (2018 est.)

male: 61.4 years (2018 est.)

female: 66.2 years (2018 est.)

• total population: 60.75 years
• male: 58.57 years
• female: 62.99 years (2010 est.)

Major infectious diseases

degree of risk: very high (2020)

food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever

vectorborne diseases: malaria and dengue fever

animal contact diseases: rabies

respiratory diseases: meningococcal meningitis

note: on 21 March 2022, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued a Travel Alert for polio in Africa; Mauritania is currently considered a high risk to travelers for circulating vaccine-derived polioviruses (cVDPV); vaccine-derived poliovirus (VDPV) is a strain of the weakened poliovirus that was initially included in oral polio vaccine (OPV) and that has changed over time and behaves more like the wild or naturally occurring virus; this means it can be spread more easily to people who are unvaccinated against polio and who come in contact with the stool or respiratory secretions, such as from a sneeze, of an “infected” person who received oral polio vaccine; the CDC recommends that before any international travel, anyone unvaccinated, incompletely vaccinated, or with an unknown polio vaccination status should complete the routine polio vaccine series; before travel to any high-risk destination, CDC recommends that adults who previously completed the full, routine polio vaccine series receive a single, lifetime booster dose of polio vaccine

Sex ratio

• at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
• under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
• 15–64 years: 0.89 male(s)/female
• 65 years and over: 0.74 male(s)/female
• total population: 0.93 male(s)/female (2010 est.)

Ethnic groups

Fair Moors (bidhanes) 53% or 2.4 million people, dark Moors (haratins) 30%, 17% sub-Saharan Mauritanians (non-Arabic speaking, largely resident in or originating from the Senegal River Valley, including Helpulaar, Fulani, Soninke, Wolof, and Bambara ethnic groups)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS

9,500 (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths: less than 500 (2003 est.)

Nationality

noun: Mauritanian(s) adjective: Mauritanian

Languages

Arabic (official and national), French (widely used in media and among educated classes), Pulaar, Soninke, Wolof, Serer.^{[citation needed]}

Education expenditures

1.9% of GDP (2020) Country comparison to the world: 179th

Literacy

definition: age 15 and over can read and write

total population: 53.5%

male: 63.7%

female: 43.4% (2017)

total population: 52.1% (2015 est.)

male: 62.6% (2015 est.)

female: 41.6% (2015 est.)

total population: 51.2%

male: 59.5%

female: 43.4% (2000 census)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education)

total: 9 years

male: 9 years

female: 10 years (2019)

total: 8 years (2017)

male: 8 years (2017)

female: 8 years (2017)

Unemployment, youth ages 15-24

total: 21.1%

male: 18.8%

female: 24.9% (2017 est.)