Share of population living in cities, towns and rural areas in Mauritania
Mauritania: Share of population living in cities, towns and rural areas was 37.7% in 2020. ◆ Volatile
Share of population 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 %.
Analysis
Mauritania recorded 37.7% for share of population living in cities, towns and rural areas in 2020. That is the highest value across all 15 years on record.
That represents a change of up 28.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of population living in cities, towns and rural areas in Mauritania peaked at 37.7% in 2020 and was at its lowest, 0.0%, in 1950.
That places Mauritania 113th out of 236 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Share of population living in cities, towns and rural areas in Mauritania, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 0.0% | — |
| 1955 | 0.0% | — |
| 1960 | 0.0% | — |
| 1965 | 0.0% | — |
| 1970 | 0.0% | — |
| 1975 | 0.0% | — |
| 1980 | 7.2% | — |
| 1985 | 15.1% | +110.7% |
| 1990 | 19.9% | +31.2% |
| 1995 | 21.4% | +7.4% |
| 2000 | 21.7% | +1.7% |
| 2005 | 26.0% | +19.8% |
| 2010 | 29.4% | +12.9% |
| 2015 | 34.4% | +17.2% |
| 2020 | 37.7% | +9.5% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 2 |
| 1960s | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 2 |
| 1970s | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 2 |
| 1980s | 11.2% | 7.2% | 15.1% | 2 |
| 1990s | 20.6% | 19.9% | 21.4% | 2 |
| 2000s | 23.9% | 21.7% | 26.0% | 2 |
| 2010s | 31.9% | 29.4% | 34.4% | 2 |
| 2020s | 37.7% | 37.7% | 37.7% | 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 share of population living in cities, towns and rural areas in Mauritania?
- Share of population living in cities, towns and rural areas in Mauritania was 37.7% in 2020, according to European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of population living in cities, towns and rural areas recorded in Mauritania?
- The highest recorded value was 37.7% in 2020.
- What is the lowest share of population living in cities, towns and rural areas recorded in Mauritania?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.0% in 1950.
- How does Mauritania rank for share of population living in cities, towns and rural areas?
- Mauritania ranks 113th out of 236 countries with data for 2020.
- Is share of population living in cities, towns and rural areas rising or falling in Mauritania?
- Over the last ten years it is up 28.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- 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 Share of population 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 share of the population living in cities. Cities are identified using satellite imagery and population data, applying the same definitions across countries.