Number of people living in cities, towns and rural areas in Mauritania
Mauritania: Number of people living in cities, towns and rural areas was 1.88 million people in 2020. ▲ Rising
Number of people living in cities, towns and rural areas in Mauritania, 1950–2020
Source: European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in people.
Analysis
Mauritania recorded 1.88 million people for number of people living in cities, towns and rural areas in 2020. That is the highest value across all 15 years on record.
The figure is up 24.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, number of people living in cities, towns and rural areas in Mauritania peaked at 1.88 million people in 2020 and was at its lowest, 531,177 people, in 1950.
Mauritania ranks 108th of 236 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 15 years of available data.
Number of people living in cities, towns and rural areas in Mauritania, year by year
| Year | people | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 531,177 people | — |
| 1955 | 584,997 people | +10.1% |
| 1960 | 652,097 people | +11.5% |
| 1965 | 736,538 people | +12.9% |
| 1970 | 839,818 people | +14.0% |
| 1975 | 955,277 people | +13.7% |
| 1980 | 1.00 million people | +4.7% |
| 1985 | 1.03 million people | +3.4% |
| 1990 | 1.09 million people | +5.5% |
| 1995 | 1.24 million people | +13.8% |
| 2000 | 1.33 million people | +7.2% |
| 2005 | 1.40 million people | +5.1% |
| 2010 | 1.51 million people | +8.2% |
| 2015 | 1.66 million people | +9.6% |
| 2020 | 1.88 million people | +13.3% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 558,087 people | 531,177 people | 584,997 people | 2 |
| 1960s | 694,318 people | 652,097 people | 736,538 people | 2 |
| 1970s | 897,548 people | 839,818 people | 955,277 people | 2 |
| 1980s | 1.02 million people | 1.00 million people | 1.03 million people | 2 |
| 1990s | 1.17 million people | 1.09 million people | 1.24 million people | 2 |
| 2000s | 1.37 million people | 1.33 million people | 1.40 million people | 2 |
| 2010s | 1.59 million people | 1.51 million people | 1.66 million people | 2 |
| 2020s | 1.88 million people | 1.88 million people | 1.88 million people | 1 |
Countries ranked near Mauritania
More population data for Mauritania
- Population regions 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 long run with projections, annual growth rate 0.6195 % change on previous year (2100)
- Un population 2024 vs 2022, annual growth rate 0.5617 % change on previous year (2100)
- Projected population under age 5, annual growth rate -0.1772 % change on previous year (2100)
- World population growth 0.6% (2100)
- Population density 16.61 people per km² (2100)
- Number of children under 5, by world region 1.22 million people (2100)
- Population growth rate, by level of development 0.6% (2100)
- Number of people living in urban and rural areas, annual growth rate 4.31 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is number of people living in cities, towns and rural areas in Mauritania?
- Number of people living in cities, towns and rural areas in Mauritania was 1.88 million people in 2020, according to European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest number of people living in cities, towns and rural areas recorded in Mauritania?
- The highest recorded value was 1.88 million people in 2020.
- What is the lowest number of people living in cities, towns and rural areas recorded in Mauritania?
- The lowest recorded value was 531,177 people in 1950.
- How does Mauritania rank for number of people living in cities, towns and rural areas?
- Mauritania ranks 108th out of 236 countries with data for 2020.
- Is number of people living in cities, towns and rural areas rising or falling in Mauritania?
- Over the last ten years it is up 24.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Mauritania data come from?
- The figures come from European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Number of people living in cities, towns and rural areas. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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CSV · JSON — 15 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Estimated number of people living in rural areas. Rural areas are identified using satellite imagery and population data, applying the same definitions across countries.