Population and Demographics of Mauritania
A very young population · 42.71% under age 15 in 2024
Mauritania's fertility estimate is 4.6 children per woman, while the 2050 medium projection reaches 9.42 million. The longer record adds perspective: the population changed by +97.8% between 2000 and 2024.
Population Over Time in Mauritania
A longer view puts Mauritania at 2.613M in 2000 and 5.169M in 2024. That works out to a 97.8% gain. The UN medium projection places 2050 at 9.416M, about 82.1% above the 2024 reference point. The chart connects dated reference points only and should not be read as an annual interpolated series.
Age Structure and Sex Balance
Looking beyond the headline population number, Mauritania's 2024 age structure is very young. Under-15s account for 42.71% of residents and people 65+ for 3.23%, leaving 54.06% in the broad 15 to 64 range. The age balance is weighted toward younger residents.
Population by broad age group
The 2024 World Bank sex-share indicator gives Mauritania a female share of 50.9% and a male share of 49.1%. Females exceed males by 1.8 percentage points.
Female and male population share
Females made up 50.9% of the population in the World Bank's 2024 series, compared with 49.1% males.
What Is Shaping Population Change
Mauritania's demographic indicators put annual change at +2.93% and fertility at 4.6, while 42.71% of residents are under 15 and 3.23% are 65 or older.
Looking back to 2000, Mauritania's 2024 population represents a +97.8% change, and the UN medium scenario changes the 2024 total by +82.2% through 2050; neither series alone identifies the separate contributions of births, deaths and migration.
2024 estimate for Mauritania. The world comparison value is 2.25 children per woman.
Mauritania vs. World
The world comparison highlights three contrasts for Mauritania. Annual change is +2.93% versus +0.87% globally, fertility is 4.6 versus 2.25, and median age is 17 versus 30.6 years.
| Indicator | Mauritania | World | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Annual population change | +2.93% | +0.87% | 2024 |
| Total fertility rate | 4.6 | 2.25 | 2024 |
| Median age | 17 | 30.6 | 2024 |
No national-only figure is inserted into this world comparison. The country and global values share the same 2024 table and source context.
Key Takeaways
The 2024 total is 5,169,395 people. Annual change in the same harmonized table is +2.93%.
The 2024 age structure is 42.71% under 15, 54.06% aged 15 to 64 and 3.23% aged 65 or older.
Females make up 50.9% of the 2024 population in the World Bank indicator, with males at 49.1%.
The 2050 medium projection is 9.416M, 82.1% above the 2024 estimate.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the population of Mauritania?
The 2024 harmonized population estimate for Mauritania is 5,169,395 people.
Is the population of Mauritania growing or declining?
In the 2024 estimate, Mauritania's population is growing, with annual change of +2.93%.
What percentage of the population of Mauritania is aged 65 or older?
People aged 65 or older account for 3.23% of Mauritania's 2024 population in the UN WPP-based broad age data.
What is the projected population of Mauritania in 2050?
The UN World Population Prospects 2024 medium projection puts Mauritania's 2050 population at 9,415,598.
What is the fertility rate in Mauritania?
The 2024 harmonized fertility estimate for Mauritania is 4.6 children per woman.
Sources & methodology
This profile uses United Nations World Population Prospects 2024 as the primary framework for globally comparable population, age, fertility and projection data. The World Bank is the primary source for the female population share. Some country values were accessed through secondary retrieval interfaces that republish or organize UN data; those interfaces are identified below as secondary and are not treated as the original statistical publishers.
View sources used for this page
Primary global framework for the population estimates and projections.
Harmonized 2024 country table based on UN World Population Prospects 2024.
Harmonized broad age shares based on UN World Population Prospects 2024.
Harmonized reference for the 2000 population point.
Harmonized 2050 country projection based on UN World Population Prospects 2024.
Used for the 2024 female share; the male share is calculated as the remainder to 100%.