The share and number of people living in extreme poverty in Mauritania
Mauritania: The share and number of people living in extreme poverty was 10.2% in 2019. ◆ Volatile
The share and number of people living in extreme poverty in Mauritania, 1987–2019
Source: World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2019, the share and number of people living in extreme poverty in Mauritania stood at 10.2%. That is the lowest value across all 8 years on record.
The figure is down 46.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, the share and number of people living in extreme poverty in Mauritania peaked at 54.1% in 1993 and was at its lowest, 10.2%, in 2019.
Mauritania ranks 30th of 120 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The share and number of people living in extreme poverty in Mauritania, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1987 | 50.8% | — |
| 1993 | 54.1% | +6.6% |
| 1995 | 31.7% | -41.4% |
| 2000 | 30.7% | -3.3% |
| 2004 | 28.5% | -7.1% |
| 2008 | 19.2% | -32.4% |
| 2014 | 11.7% | -39.2% |
| 2019 | 10.2% | -12.7% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 50.8% | 50.8% | 50.8% | 1 |
| 1990s | 42.9% | 31.7% | 54.1% | 2 |
| 2000s | 26.1% | 19.2% | 30.7% | 3 |
| 2010s | 11.0% | 10.2% | 11.7% | 2 |
Countries ranked near Mauritania
More poverty & inequality data for Mauritania
- Number of income/consumption surveys in the past decade available via the World Bank 1 surveys (2025)
- Number of income/consumption surveys in the past decade available via 0 surveys per person (2025)
- Number of income/consumption surveys in the past decade available via 0 surveys per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Fertility rate vs. share living in extreme poverty 4.7 live births per woman (2023)
- Cereal yield vs. share in extreme poverty 1,537 kg per hectare (2024)
- Cereal yield vs extreme poverty, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Cereal yield vs extreme poverty, annual growth rate -15.39 % change on previous year (2024)
- Tax revenues vs income inequality, gaps filled 12.58 (2023)
- Tax revenue as share of GDP vs. income inequality 12.6% (2023)
- Tax revenues vs income inequality, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is the share and number of people living in extreme poverty in Mauritania?
- The share and number of people living in extreme poverty in Mauritania was 10.2% in 2019, according to World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest the share and number of people living in extreme poverty recorded in Mauritania?
- The highest recorded value was 54.1% in 1993.
- What is the lowest the share and number of people living in extreme poverty recorded in Mauritania?
- The lowest recorded value was 10.2% in 2019.
- How does Mauritania rank for the share and number of people living in extreme poverty?
- Mauritania ranks 30th out of 120 countries with data for 2019.
- Is the share and number of people living in extreme poverty rising or falling in Mauritania?
- Over the last ten years it is down 46.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Mauritania data come from?
- The figures come from World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of The share and number of people living in extreme poverty. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 8 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Percentage of population living in households with an income or consumption below $3 per day.