Mauritania: Quick Facts

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Last updated

Oct. 1, 2026

Also Known As	Mauritanie • Mūrītānīyā • Al-Jumhūriyyah al-Islāmiyyah al-Mūrītāniyyah • Islamic Republic of Mauritania • République Islamique de Mauritanie
Head Of State And Government	President: Mohamed Ould Cheikh Ghazouani, assisted by Prime Minister: Mokhtar Ould Diay
Capital	Nouakchott
Population	(2026 est.) 5,311,000
Form Of Government	republic with one legislative house (National Assembly [157])
Official Language	Arabic¹
Official Religion	Islam
Official Name	Al-Jumhūriyyah al-Islāmiyyah al-Mūrītāniyyah (Arabic) (Islamic Republic of Mauritania)
Total Area (Sq Km)	1,030,700
Total Area (Sq Mi)	397,955
Monetary Unit	ouguiya (UM)
Population Rank	(2026) 126
Population Projection 2030	5,284,000
Density: Persons Per Sq Mi	(2026) 13.3
Density: Persons Per Sq Km	(2026) 5.2
Urban-Rural Population	Urban: (2024) 58.5% • Rural: (2024) 41.5%
Life Expectancy At Birth	Male: (2021) 68.4 years • Female: (2021) 69.4 years
Literacy: Percentage Of Population Age 15 And Over Literate	Male: (2020) 70.1% • Female: (2020) 51.8%
Gni (U.S.$ ’000,000)	(2024) 10,951
Gni Per Capita (U.S.$)	(2024) 2,120
¹The 1991 constitution named Arabic as the official language and Arabic, Fula, Soninke, and Wolof as national languages.