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Where you could be born / Africa / Western Africa

Born in Mauritania

About 1 in 764 people born in 2023 started life in Mauritania. A boy can expect to live 67 years and a girl 71, up from 37 and 39 in 1950. Most people live in cities, and 76% have basic drinking water.

1 in 764
odds of being born here
172,900 births · Ranked 89th of 230
67 / 71
years of life, boys / girls
Was 37 / 39 in 1950
$2,679
income per person a year
2021 dollars · Ranked 155th of 203 · extrapolated
60%
live in a city
The rest live in villages

Life and health

Life lasts about 30 years longer than in 1950. Child deaths fell from 311 in every 1,000 births to 38.

How long a life lasts

GirlsBoys

020406080195019852023

Years a baby born that year could expect to live.

Children who die before age 5
0100200300400195019852023

In every 1,000 births.

Life expectancy at birth66.5 years for boys, 70.5 for girlsUN WPP 2024
Children who die before age 538.0 in every 1,000 birthsUN WPP 2024
Deaths a year28,000UN WPP 2024
Doctors per 1,000 people0.3World Bank WDI
Children immunized against measles92%World Bank WDI
Adults living with HIV0.1%World Bank WDI
New tuberculosis cases a year70 per 100,000 peopleWorld Bank WDI
Malaria cases a year43 per 1,000 people at riskWorld Bank WDI

Family

Women had 5.8 children on average in 1950. Now it is 4.7.

Children per woman
02468195019852023

Average over a lifetime.

Children per woman4.70UN WPP 2024
Average age of mothers at birth30.2 yearsUN WPP 2024

Money and work

If every 100 coins of income were shared out, the richest fifth would hold 40 and the poorest fifth 8.

Who gets the income
Share of all income by fifth of the population, 2019
8%Poorest fifth
13%Second
17%Middle
23%Fourth
40%Richest fifth
Income per personabout $2,679 a year (2021 dollars, adjusted for prices)World Bank PIP, scaled between survey years Extrapolated
Share of income going to the richest fifth / poorest fifth40% / 8% (2019)World Bank PIP
Unemployment10.4% of the workforce (2023)World Bank WDI
Price rises5.0% a year (2023)World Bank WDI
Growth in output per person3.7% (2023)World Bank WDI
Jobs in farming33% of jobsWorld Bank WDI
Self-employed57% of jobs (2025)World Bank WDI
Secondary school enrolment36% (can pass 100 when older students are counted)World Bank WDI

Daily life

The largest city is Nouakchott, with 1.2 million people.

60%
live in cities
50%
have electricity at home
76%
have basic drinking water
Largest cities
People living there
Nouakchott1.2 million
Nouadhibou146,048
Kiffa62,051
Dar Naim61,089
Néma60,000
Languages
Share of people who can use each
Arabic85%
French13%
Fula6%
Arabic is official.

Cities and regions

Every state, province and large city with a page.

Largest regions

Hodh Ech Chargi176,791
Dakhlet Nouadhibou146,048
Assaba128,017
Nouakchott West105,851
Trarza65,081
Nouakchott North61,089
Gorgol56,283
Tiris Zemmour55,183
Brakna54,920
Hodh El Gharbi43,858

Sourced: GeoNames Population of each state, province or region.

Large cities

Sourced: GeoNames Cities with a page: a million people or more.

All 13 regions
  • Hodh Ech Chargi176,791
  • Dakhlet Nouadhibou146,048
  • Assaba128,017
  • Nouakchott West105,851
  • Trarza65,081
  • Nouakchott North61,089
  • Gorgol56,283
  • Tiris Zemmour55,183
  • Brakna54,920
  • Hodh El Gharbi43,858
  • Guidimaka32,653
  • Adrar31,133
  • Inchiri15,851

People on the move

About 1.8% as many people born here live abroad as live here. The most common destinations are Senegal, Mali, Gambia.

Where people born here live abroad
By country of residence, 2024
Senegal47,547
Mali27,160
Gambia3,992
Residents born abroad3.8% (2024)World Bank WDI
People born here who live abroadequal to 1.8% of the people who live hereUN DESA migrant stock
Where they go mostSenegal (47,547), Mali (27,160), Gambia (3,992)UN DESA migrant stock
Money sent home from abroadabout $94.5 million a year (2024)World Bank WDI

Safety nets

17% of older people receive a pension. Help for someone who loses a job reaches 0%.

17%
of older people receive a pension (2024)
0%
of unemployed people receive a benefit (2024)

Events in the data

The game draws real events from these records, so a life lived here can meet them.

Reported COVID-19 deaths, 2020 to 2024997Our World in Data, from WHO
Deaths in organized violence157 between 1989 and 1990UCDP

Now live it.

Born in Mauritania, to a family drawn from these numbers. Every life replays exactly from its seed.

Be born in Mauritania

Elsewhere in Africa

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How to read the sources. Every figure is sourced to a named dataset, shown beside it. A figure marked "Extrapolated" is estimated by a model because no survey covers the year. UN figures are for 2023, the latest year of UN estimates; other figures are the latest year their dataset has. Rank 1 is the highest figure among 230 countries and territories. All sources and licences