Mauritania Population
Mauritania population, 1990–2100
Medium projection with low/high uncertainty band
Explore Mauritania by year
Drag to read any year's indicators, 1950–2100
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Mauritania in context
Mauritania stretches across the western Sahara, and its story is one of a nomadic desert society becoming an urban one, with a large share of the population now around the capital Nouakchott. Fertility remains high at over four children per woman and the median age is just 17. The projection sees the population roughly tripling by 2100.
The Mauritania demographic outlook
With roughly 5.4 million people as of 2026, Mauritania ranks 124th in the world by population. A country of Western Africa, its trajectory to 2100 is governed by how births, deaths and migration play out. It packs in roughly 5 people per square kilometre.
The defining marker in Mauritania's future is its peak, expected around 2100 at about 17.1 million. After that the population eases back toward 17.1 million by 2100, having passed through 9.3 million at mid-century.
With about 4.63 births per woman, Mauritania still has one of the higher fertility rates in the world, driving fast expansion.
The median age is set to climb from about 17 today to roughly 35 by 2100, while life expectancy, near 69 years, keeps rising. For now it remains one of the world's youngest populations, with a large generation about to reach working age. An older population gradually reshapes the labour force, pension systems and healthcare demand.
These figures follow the UN's medium variant, the most widely cited scenario. The low and high variants, driven mainly by differing fertility assumptions, fan out into a wide range by 2100, so treat each number as a central estimate rather than a precise forecast.
Migration & natural change
Net migration against natural change (births − deaths), 2026
Mauritania is a net source of migration: roughly 5,842 more people leave than arrive each year. Births still outnumber deaths, adding about 152,757 people a year on their own.
Who supports whom
Dependants (under 15 and 65+) per 100 working-age adults (15–64)
| Year | Youth | Old-age | Total | 65+ share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 79 | 6 | 85 | 3% |
| 2050 | 55 | 8 | 62 | 5% |
| 2100 | 34 | 24 | 58 | 15% |
A total ratio of 100 means as many dependants as working-age adults. Rising old-age figures signal an ageing population and growing pressure on pensions and healthcare.
Key milestones
Age structure
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Demographic indicators
| Population 2024 | 5.1 million |
| Population 2050 | 9.3 million |
| Population 2075 | 13.7 million |
| Population 2100 | 17.1 million |
| Median age 2050 | 22.3 years |
| Fertility rate 2050 | 3.14 |
| Life expectancy 2100 | 81.2 years |