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Education · Sub-Saharan Africa · Lower-middle income
Mauritania: education in numbers
Pre-primary enrolment is 10.5% (2015). Primary enrolment is 105.4% (2024), 49th of 191 in the world and 15th of 41 in Sub-Saharan Africa. Primary completion is 73.4% (2020), 143rd of 168 in the world and 17th of 36 in Sub-Saharan Africa.
Primary enrolment
MauritaniaSub-Saharan AfricaLower-middle incomeWorld
Primary completion
MauritaniaSub-Saharan AfricaLower-middle incomeWorld
12 indicators
Education: Mauritania in detail
Latest reported value, world rank and rank within Sub-Saharan Africa; values around 2000, 2010, 2020; group and world columns are World Bank aggregates.
| Indicator | Latest | World rank | In region | ~2000 | ~2010 | ~2020 | 10-year change | Region | Income group | World | Since 2000 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pre-primary enrolmentPre-primary enrolment, % gross | 10.5%2015 | — | — | · | 13.8%2011 | · | +8.7 ppsince 2004 | 28.1% | 58.5% | 60.9% | |
| Primary enrolmentPrimary school enrolment, % gross | 105.4%2024 | 49/191 | 15/41 | 82.0% | 97.9% | 93.8% | +11.5 ppsince 2014 | 97.1% | 105.4% | 102.2% | |
| Primary completionPrimary completion rate, % of age group | 73.4%2020 | 143/168 | 17/36 | 45.0%2001 | 67.7%2009 | 73.4% | +5.8 ppsince 2009 | 68.9% | 88.0% | 88.0% | |
| Secondary enrolmentSecondary school enrolment, % gross | 36.0%2020 | 169/176 | 27/34 | 18.0% | 20.4% | 36.0% | +15.6 ppsince 2010 | 45.9% | 68.0% | 77.3% | |
| Lower secondary completionLower secondary completion rate, % of age group | 49.8%2020 | 144/168 | 16/34 | 17.3%2001 | 16.3%2009 | 49.8% | +33.5 ppsince 2009 | 44.4% | 73.7% | 77.9% | |
| Tertiary enrolmentTertiary enrolment, % gross | 6.0%2020 | 164/172 | 28/34 | 3.5%2001 | 4.7% | 6.0% | +1.3 ppsince 2010 | 9.3% | 27.4% | 43.6% | |
| Out-of-school childrenChildren out of school, % of primary school age | 11.3%2024 | 40/178 | 22/38 | 40.6% | 28.6% | 25.4% | −16.8 ppsince 2014 | — | 8.3% | — | |
| Adult literacyAdult literacy rate, % of people 15+ | 59.5%2020 | 126/141 | 28/41 | 51.2% | · | 59.5% | +8.3 ppsince 2000 | 68.7% | 78.3% | 87.7% | |
| Youth literacyYouth literacy rate, % of people 15–24 | 70.9%2020 | 137/148 | 32/42 | 61.3% | · | 70.9% | +9.5 ppsince 2000 | 79.0% | 91.9% | 93.1% | |
| Pupils per teacherPupils per teacher, primary | 34.32018 | 30/173 | 24/40 | 45.0 | 37.2 | 34.32018 | −7.9%since 2008 | 37.4 | 28.9 | 23.4 | |
| Education spendingPublic spending on education, % of GDP | 7.6%2024 | 11/184 | 3/43 | 2.1%2001 | 2.3%2011 | 1.8% | +5.1 ppsince 2014 | 3.3% | 3.4% | 3.6% | |
| Education, % of budgetEducation spending, % of government expenditure | 31.9%2024 | 1/179 | 1/42 | 0.0%2001 | 13.7%2011 | 9.7% | +20.0 ppsince 2014 | 15.4% | 13.6% | 14.0% |
Source: World Bank, World Development Indicators (CC BY 4.0)“·” — no value reported within two years of that date. World rank counts countries with a recent value.
Better than ten years ago
- Pre-primary enrolment+8.7 pp10.5% in 2015
- Primary completion+5.8 pp73.4% in 2020
- Secondary enrolment+15.6 pp36.0% in 2020
- Lower secondary completion+33.5 pp49.8% in 2020
Worse than ten years ago
No rated indicator got worse over the decade.
Only indicators where higher or lower is clearly better are rated (for example, unemployment down is better, life expectancy up is better).
neighbours
Mauritania and its neighbours
Countries sharing a land border with Mauritania. Latest values since 2005; the highest in each row is marked.
| Indicator | Mauritania | Algeria | Mali | Senegal |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pre-primary enrolment | 10.5%2015 | 79.1%2011 | 7.6%2020 | 17.6%2021 |
| Primary enrolment | 105.4%2024 | 105.5%2025 | 72.8%2023 | 85.3%2024 |
| Primary completion | 73.4%2020 | 98.2%2025 | 48.4%2023 | 62.9%2024 |
| Secondary enrolment | 36.0%2020 | 105.2%2024 | 38.9%2023 | 44.1%2023 |
| Lower secondary completion | 49.8%2020 | 79.0%2025 | 28.1%2023 | 38.7%2024 |
| Tertiary enrolment | 6.0%2020 | 54.4%2024 | 5.1%2015 | 15.3%2024 |
| Out-of-school children | 11.3%2024 | 1.6%2025 | 34.0%2023 | 24.5%2024 |
| Adult literacy | 59.5%2020 | 75.1%2008 | 35.6%2024 | 50.4%2023 |
| Youth literacy | 70.9%2020 | 93.8%2008 | 50.3%2024 | 67.4%2023 |