Share of the population at risk of catastrophic spending when surgical care is required in Mauritania
Mauritania: Share of the population at risk of catastrophic spending when surgical care is required was 69.1% in 2022. ▼ Falling
Share of the population at risk of catastrophic spending when surgical care is required in Mauritania, 2003–2022
Source: Harvard Medical School Program in Global Surgery and Social Change (PGSSC), via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in % of people at risk.
Analysis
Mauritania recorded 69.1% for share of the population at risk of catastrophic spending when surgical care is required in 2022.
The figure is down 0.1% on the previous year and up 17.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of the population at risk of catastrophic spending when surgical care is required in Mauritania peaked at 78.2% in 2003 and was at its lowest, 46.6%, in 2019.
That places Mauritania 14th out of 134 countries with data for 2022, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 20 years of available data.
Share of the population at risk of catastrophic spending when surgical care is required in Mauritania, year by year
| Year | % of people at risk | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2003 | 78.2% | — |
| 2004 | 76.5% | -2.2% |
| 2005 | 74.8% | -2.2% |
| 2006 | 74.3% | -0.7% |
| 2007 | 71.1% | -4.3% |
| 2008 | 65.4% | -8.0% |
| 2009 | 67.3% | +2.9% |
| 2010 | 67.0% | -0.4% |
| 2011 | 63.4% | -5.4% |
| 2012 | 58.7% | -7.4% |
| 2013 | 50.9% | -13.3% |
| 2014 | 47.4% | -6.9% |
| 2015 | 50.6% | +6.8% |
| 2016 | 55.8% | +10.3% |
| 2017 | 50.5% | -9.5% |
| 2018 | 47.3% | -6.3% |
| 2019 | 46.6% | -1.5% |
| 2020 | 48.8% | +4.7% |
| 2021 | 69.2% | +41.8% |
| 2022 | 69.1% | -0.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 72.5% | 65.4% | 78.2% | 7 |
| 2010s | 53.8% | 46.6% | 67.0% | 10 |
| 2020s | 62.4% | 48.8% | 69.2% | 3 |
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 the population at risk of catastrophic spending when surgical care is required in Mauritania?
- Share of the population at risk of catastrophic spending when surgical care is required in Mauritania was 69.1% in 2022, according to Harvard Medical School Program in Global Surgery and Social Change (PGSSC), via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of the population at risk of catastrophic spending when surgical care is required recorded in Mauritania?
- The highest recorded value was 78.2% in 2003.
- What is the lowest share of the population at risk of catastrophic spending when surgical care is required recorded in Mauritania?
- The lowest recorded value was 46.6% in 2019.
- How does Mauritania rank for share of the population at risk of catastrophic spending when surgical care is required?
- Mauritania ranks 14th out of 134 countries with data for 2022.
- Is share of the population at risk of catastrophic spending when surgical care is required rising or falling in Mauritania?
- Over the last ten years it is up 17.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Mauritania data come from?
- The figures come from Harvard Medical School Program in Global Surgery and Social Change (PGSSC), via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of the population at risk of catastrophic spending when surgical care is required. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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CSV · JSON — 20 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Catastrophic expenditure is defined as direct out-of-pocket payments for surgical and anaesthesia care exceeding 10% of total income.