The Poorest Countries in the World
All these extremely fragile and underdeveloped economies have either recently been through a civil war or are suffering from ongoing sectarian or ethnic conflicts.
Mauritania GDP and Economic Data
Country Report 2017 - Includes Mauritania real Gross Domestic Product growth rate, with latest forecasts and historical data, GDP per capita, GDP composition and breakdown by sector.
Browse additional economic indicators and data sets, selected by Global Finance editors, to learn more about Mauritania economic outlook, debt to GDP ratio, international trade performance and population trends. Rankings of Mauritania best banks and safest banks are also available.
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International Reserves
USD 1 billion (2012)
World Bank, data retrieved January 2017
Source
Gross Domestic Product - GDP
USD 4.8 billion (2017, estimate)
GDP (Purchasing Power Parity)
Intl$ 17.8 billion (2017, estimate)
Real GDP growth
| 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 |
| 18.9% | 2.8% | 1.1% | -1% | 4.8% | 4.7% | 5.8% |
| 2013 | 2014 | 2015* | 2016* | 2017* | ||
| 6.1% | 5.4% | 1.2% | 3.2% | 4.4% |
*Estimate
GDP (PPP) - share of world total
| 1980 | 1990 | 2000 | 2010 | 2017* |
| N/A | 0.01% | 0.01% | 0.01% | 0.01% |
*Estimate
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GDP - composition by sector
- agriculture: 24.1%
- industry: 34.8%
- services: 41.1%
(2016 estimate)
Inflation
| 2013 | 2014 | 2015* | 2016* | 2017* |
| 4.1% | 3.8% | 0.5% | 1.3% | 4.2% |
*Estimate
Unemployment rate
| 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 |
| N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
*Estimate
Public debt (General government gross debt as a % of GDP)
| 2013 | 2014 | 2015* | 2016* | 2017* |
| 66.2% | 77.1% | 91.2% | 75% | 81.5% |
*Estimate
Public deficit (General government net lending/borrowing as a % of GDP)
| 2013 | 2014 | 2015* | 2016* | 2017* |
| -0.8% | -3.3% | -3.4% | -0.4% | -1.8% |
*Estimate
Government bond ratings
Standard & Poor's: N/A
Moody's: N/A
Standard & Poor's / Moody's (Updated January 2017)
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Market value of publicly traded shares
| 2013 | 2014 | 2015 |
| N/A | N/A | N/A |
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Current account balance by percentage of GDP
-24.9% (2017 estimate)
Exports as percent of GDP (Exports of goods and services)
37.7% (2014)
Shares in world total merchandising export
0.009% (2015)
Shares in world total commercial services export
0.005% (2014)
Export commodities
Iron ore, fish and fish products, gold, copper, petroleum
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Import commodities
Machinery and equipment, petroleum products, capital goods, foodstuffs, consumer goods
Exports - major partners
China 32.7%, Switzerland 11.1%, Spain 8.6%, Italy 6.7%, Cote dIvoire 6.6%, Japan 5.7% (2015)
Imports - major partners
China 25.5%, Algeria 8.4%, France 6.3%, Morocco 5.1%, Spain 4.8%, Brazil 4.5%, US 4% (2015)
FDI inflows
| 2013 | 2014 | 2015 |
| USD 1,126 million | USD 500 million | USD 495 million |
FDI outflows
| 2013 | 2014 | 2015 |
| USD 13 million | USD 30 million | USD 15 million |
Value of cross-border M&A, by country of purchaser
| 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 |
| N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
Cross-border M&A deals worth over $3 billion completed in 2014
N/A
Cross-border M&A deals worth over $3 billion completed in 2015
N/A
Best countries for doing business
Economies are ranked on their ease of doing business. A high ease of doing business ranking means the regulatory environment is more conducive to the starting and operation of a local firm.
Overall ranking: 160 out of 190 countries (2017)
Subcategories:
Starting a business: 80 out of 190 countries
Enforcing Contracts: 83 out of 190 countries
Registering Property: 102 out of 190 countries
Getting Credit: 157 out of 190 countries
Protecting Minority Investors: 123 out of 190 countries
Trading Across Borders: 137 out of 190 countries
Paying Taxes: 188 out of 190 countries
Dealing with Construction Permits: 118 out of 190 countries
Getting Electricity: 146 out of 190 countries
Resolving Insolvency: 169 out of 190 countries
Source
Global competitiveness ranking
137 out of 138 countries
(2016-2017)
Index of Economic Freedom
Ranking: 128 / Score: 54.8 (Mostly unfree) (2016)
(100=totally free 0=totally repressed)
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Languages
Arabic (official and national), Pulaar, Soninke, Wolof (all national languages), French
Note: the spoken Arabic in Mauritania differs considerably from the modern standard Arabic used for official written purposes or in the media; the Mauritanian dialect, which incorporates many Berber words, is referred to as Hassaniya
Total population
| 1990 | 2000 | 2010 | 2016* | 2021* |
| 1.996 million | 2.643 million | 3.285 million | 3.794 million | 4.24 million |
*Estimate
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Urban population as % of total population
| 1960 | 1980 | 2000 | 2015 |
| 7% | 27% | 49% | 60% |
Literacy
Total population: 52.1%
Male: 62.6%
Female: 41.6% (2015 est.)
(age 15 and over can read and write)
% of population living on less than $3.10 a day
6% (2014)
Inequality of wealth distribution (Gini index)
32.4 (2014)
(0=perfect equality, 100=absolute inequality)
Source
Freedom House rating
Political Rights: 6
Civil Liberties: 5 (2017)
(1 represents the most free, 7 the least free rating)
Source
Total telephone subscribers as % of population
Fixed 1.26% Mobile 89.32% (2015)
(fixed-telephone subscribers and mobile-cellular subscribers)