Birth rate in Mauritania
Mauritania: Birth rate was 34.42 births per 1,000 people in 2023. ▼ Falling
Latest (2023)
34.42 births per 1,000 people
Change on year
down 1.2%
World rank
14th
of 236 countries
All-time high
47.8 births per 1,000 people
in 1966
All-time low
34.42 births per 1,000 people
in 2023
Years of data
74
1950–2023
Birth rate in Mauritania, 1950–2023
Source: Human Mortality Database (2025); UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in births per 1,000 people.
Analysis
In 2023, birth rate in Mauritania stood at 34.42 births per 1,000 people. That is the lowest value across all 74 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 1.2% on the previous year and down 10.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, birth rate in Mauritania peaked at 47.8 births per 1,000 people in 1966 and was at its lowest, 34.42 births per 1,000 people, in 2023.
Mauritania ranks 14th of 236 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 74 years of available data.
Birth rate in Mauritania, year by year
| Year | births per 1,000 people | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 43.04 births per 1,000 people | — |
| 1951 | 43.3 births per 1,000 people | +0.6% |
| 1952 | 43.52 births per 1,000 people | +0.5% |
| 1953 | 43.76 births per 1,000 people | +0.6% |
| 1954 | 44.02 births per 1,000 people | +0.6% |
| 1955 | 44.45 births per 1,000 people | +1.0% |
| 1956 | 44.8 births per 1,000 people | +0.8% |
| 1957 | 45.13 births per 1,000 people | +0.7% |
| 1958 | 45.49 births per 1,000 people | +0.8% |
| 1959 | 45.81 births per 1,000 people | +0.7% |
| 1960 | 46.25 births per 1,000 people | +1.0% |
| 1961 | 46.6 births per 1,000 people | +0.8% |
| 1962 | 46.8 births per 1,000 people | +0.4% |
| 1963 | 47.12 births per 1,000 people | +0.7% |
| 1964 | 47.31 births per 1,000 people | +0.4% |
| 1965 | 47.6 births per 1,000 people | +0.6% |
| 1966 | 47.8 births per 1,000 people | +0.4% |
| 1967 | 47.8 births per 1,000 people | -0.0% |
| 1968 | 47.63 births per 1,000 people | -0.3% |
| 1969 | 47.49 births per 1,000 people | -0.3% |
| 1970 | 47.28 births per 1,000 people | -0.4% |
| 1971 | 46.99 births per 1,000 people | -0.6% |
| 1972 | 46.64 births per 1,000 people | -0.7% |
| 1973 | 46.37 births per 1,000 people | -0.6% |
| 1974 | 46.1 births per 1,000 people | -0.6% |
| 1975 | 45.75 births per 1,000 people | -0.8% |
| 1976 | 45.6 births per 1,000 people | -0.3% |
| 1977 | 45.44 births per 1,000 people | -0.3% |
| 1978 | 45.17 births per 1,000 people | -0.6% |
| 1979 | 44.69 births per 1,000 people | -1.1% |
| 1980 | 44.52 births per 1,000 people | -0.4% |
| 1981 | 44.4 births per 1,000 people | -0.3% |
| 1982 | 43.98 births per 1,000 people | -0.9% |
| 1983 | 43.59 births per 1,000 people | -0.9% |
| 1984 | 43.23 births per 1,000 people | -0.8% |
| 1985 | 42.77 births per 1,000 people | -1.0% |
| 1986 | 42.22 births per 1,000 people | -1.3% |
| 1987 | 41.91 births per 1,000 people | -0.7% |
| 1988 | 41.59 births per 1,000 people | -0.8% |
| 1989 | 41.78 births per 1,000 people | +0.5% |
| 1990 | 41.4 births per 1,000 people | -0.9% |
| 1991 | 41.3 births per 1,000 people | -0.2% |
| 1992 | 40.71 births per 1,000 people | -1.4% |
| 1993 | 41.67 births per 1,000 people | +2.3% |
| 1994 | 41.68 births per 1,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1995 | 41.54 births per 1,000 people | -0.3% |
| 1996 | 40.71 births per 1,000 people | -2.0% |
| 1997 | 39.4 births per 1,000 people | -3.2% |
| 1998 | 38.62 births per 1,000 people | -2.0% |
| 1999 | 38.12 births per 1,000 people | -1.3% |
| 2000 | 37.91 births per 1,000 people | -0.5% |
| 2001 | 37.98 births per 1,000 people | +0.2% |
| 2002 | 37.85 births per 1,000 people | -0.3% |
| 2003 | 37.91 births per 1,000 people | +0.2% |
| 2004 | 38.27 births per 1,000 people | +1.0% |
| 2005 | 38.44 births per 1,000 people | +0.4% |
| 2006 | 38.76 births per 1,000 people | +0.8% |
| 2007 | 39.04 births per 1,000 people | +0.7% |
| 2008 | 39.07 births per 1,000 people | +0.1% |
| 2009 | 39.01 births per 1,000 people | -0.2% |
| 2010 | 38.94 births per 1,000 people | -0.2% |
| 2011 | 38.94 births per 1,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 38.74 births per 1,000 people | -0.5% |
| 2013 | 38.51 births per 1,000 people | -0.6% |
| 2014 | 38.13 births per 1,000 people | -1.0% |
| 2015 | 37.78 births per 1,000 people | -0.9% |
| 2016 | 37.4 births per 1,000 people | -1.0% |
| 2017 | 37.05 births per 1,000 people | -1.0% |
| 2018 | 36.62 births per 1,000 people | -1.1% |
| 2019 | 36.21 births per 1,000 people | -1.1% |
| 2020 | 35.73 births per 1,000 people | -1.3% |
| 2021 | 35.34 births per 1,000 people | -1.1% |
| 2022 | 34.84 births per 1,000 people | -1.4% |
| 2023 | 34.42 births per 1,000 people | -1.2% |
Mauritania compared with similar countries
- Mauritania's 34.42 births per 1,000 people is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 25.89 births per 1,000 people, 1.3× the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Mauritania's 34.42 births per 1,000 people is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 31.17 births per 1,000 people, 1.1× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 44.33 births per 1,000 people | 43.04 births per 1,000 people | 45.81 births per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 1960s | 47.24 births per 1,000 people | 46.25 births per 1,000 people | 47.8 births per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 1970s | 46 births per 1,000 people | 44.69 births per 1,000 people | 47.28 births per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 1980s | 43 births per 1,000 people | 41.59 births per 1,000 people | 44.52 births per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 1990s | 40.51 births per 1,000 people | 38.12 births per 1,000 people | 41.68 births per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 2000s | 38.43 births per 1,000 people | 37.85 births per 1,000 people | 39.07 births per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 2010s | 37.83 births per 1,000 people | 36.21 births per 1,000 people | 38.94 births per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 2020s | 35.09 births per 1,000 people | 34.42 births per 1,000 people | 35.73 births per 1,000 people | 4 |
Countries ranked near Mauritania
More population data for Mauritania
- Un population 2024 vs 2022, annual growth rate 0.5617 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population long run with projections, annual growth rate 0.6195 % change on previous year (2100)
- Urban and rural population 2050, annual growth rate 0.8005 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population regions with projections, annual growth rate 0.6195 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population growth rate, by level of development 0.6% (2100)
- Number of children under 5, by world region 1.22 million people (2100)
- Population density 16.61 people per km² (2100)
- World population growth 0.6% (2100)
- Projected population under age 5, annual growth rate -0.1772 % change on previous year (2100)
- Urban and rural population 2050, per capita 0.3851 units per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is birth rate in Mauritania?
- Birth rate in Mauritania was 34.42 births per 1,000 people in 2023, according to Human Mortality Database (2025); UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest birth rate recorded in Mauritania?
- The highest recorded value was 47.8 births per 1,000 people in 1966.
- What is the lowest birth rate recorded in Mauritania?
- The lowest recorded value was 34.42 births per 1,000 people in 2023.
- How does Mauritania rank for birth rate?
- Mauritania ranks 14th out of 236 countries with data for 2023.
- Is birth rate rising or falling in Mauritania?
- Over the last ten years it is down 10.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Mauritania data come from?
- The figures come from Human Mortality Database (2025); UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Birth rate. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 74 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Total number of births per 1,000 people in a given year.