Share of population with access to basic handwashing facilities in Mauritania
Mauritania: Share of population with access to basic handwashing facilities was 40.7% in 2024. ▼ Falling
Share of population with access to basic handwashing facilities in Mauritania, 2009–2024
Source: WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme for Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene (2025) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2024, share of population with access to basic handwashing facilities in Mauritania stood at 40.7%.
The figure is up 0.8% on the previous year and down 23.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of population with access to basic handwashing facilities in Mauritania peaked at 54.7% in 2013 and was at its lowest, 40.4%, in 2023.
That places Mauritania 81st out of 120 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 16 years of available data.
Share of population with access to basic handwashing facilities in Mauritania, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2009 | 53.7% | — |
| 2010 | 54.0% | +0.5% |
| 2011 | 54.2% | +0.5% |
| 2012 | 54.5% | +0.5% |
| 2013 | 54.7% | +0.5% |
| 2014 | 53.2% | -2.8% |
| 2015 | 51.7% | -2.8% |
| 2016 | 50.2% | -2.9% |
| 2017 | 48.8% | -2.9% |
| 2018 | 47.3% | -2.9% |
| 2019 | 45.9% | -3.0% |
| 2020 | 44.5% | -3.1% |
| 2021 | 43.1% | -3.1% |
| 2022 | 41.8% | -3.2% |
| 2023 | 40.4% | -3.2% |
| 2024 | 40.7% | +0.8% |
Mauritania compared with similar countries
- Mauritania's 40.7% is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 45.5%, 89% of the median. (43 countries reporting)
- Mauritania's 40.7% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 22.2%, 1.8× the median. (44 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 53.7% | 53.7% | 53.7% | 1 |
| 2010s | 51.4% | 45.9% | 54.7% | 10 |
| 2020s | 42.1% | 40.4% | 44.5% | 5 |
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 share of population with access to basic handwashing facilities in Mauritania?
- Share of population with access to basic handwashing facilities in Mauritania was 40.7% in 2024, according to WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme for Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene (2025) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of population with access to basic handwashing facilities recorded in Mauritania?
- The highest recorded value was 54.7% in 2013.
- What is the lowest share of population with access to basic handwashing facilities recorded in Mauritania?
- The lowest recorded value was 40.4% in 2023.
- How does Mauritania rank for share of population with access to basic handwashing facilities?
- Mauritania ranks 81st out of 120 countries with data for 2024.
- Is share of population with access to basic handwashing facilities rising or falling in Mauritania?
- Over the last ten years it is down 23.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Mauritania data come from?
- The figures come from WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme for Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene (2025) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of population with access to basic handwashing facilities. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Proportion of people with access to a handwashing facility with soap and water available at home.