Government expenditure on primary education as a percentage of GDP in Mauritania
Mauritania: Government expenditure on primary education as a percentage of GDP was 1.9% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Government expenditure on primary education as a percentage of GDP in Mauritania, 1997–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for government expenditure on primary education as a percentage of gdp in Mauritania is 1.9%, measured in 2024. That is the highest value across all 16 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 3.9% on the previous year and up 94.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, government expenditure on primary education as a percentage of gdp in Mauritania peaked at 1.9% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 0.9%, in 1997.
Mauritania ranks 30th of 162 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 16 years of available data.
Government expenditure on primary education as a percentage of GDP in Mauritania, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1997 | 0.9% | — |
| 1999 | 0.9% | +7.3% |
| 2005 | 0.9% | -2.7% |
| 2008 | 1.2% | +28.4% |
| 2010 | 1.3% | +12.6% |
| 2011 | 1.1% | -20.4% |
| 2012 | 1.0% | -2.9% |
| 2013 | 1.0% | -2.8% |
| 2015 | 1.2% | +18.7% |
| 2016 | 1.1% | -7.6% |
| 2019 | 0.9% | -17.9% |
| 2020 | 0.9% | +2.1% |
| 2021 | 1.0% | +12.3% |
| 2022 | 0.9% | -8.8% |
| 2023 | 1.9% | +99.3% |
| 2024 | 1.9% | +3.9% |
Mauritania compared with similar countries
- Mauritania's 1.9% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 1.7%, 1.2× the median. (38 countries reporting)
- Mauritania's 1.9% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 1.6%, 1.2× the median. (37 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Government expenditure on primary education as a percentage of GDP in Mauritania changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | +99.3% | 0.9% | 1.9% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 0.9% | 0.9% | 0.9% | 2 |
| 2000s | 1.0% | 0.9% | 1.2% | 2 |
| 2010s | 1.1% | 0.9% | 1.3% | 7 |
| 2020s | 1.3% | 0.9% | 1.9% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Mauritania
- 27 Syrian Arab Republic 2.0% compare
- 28 Jamaica 1.9% compare
- 29 Belize 1.9% compare
- 31 Afghanistan 1.9% compare
- 32 Senegal 1.9% compare
- 33 United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland 1.9% compare
More education data for Mauritania
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 9,029 (2020)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 52,338 (2020)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 258,591 (2020)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 891,821 (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 3.49 % change on previous year (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.1725 units per person (2024)
- Secondary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Enrolment in primary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 891,821 (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is government expenditure on primary education as a percentage of gdp in Mauritania?
- Government expenditure on primary education as a percentage of gdp in Mauritania was 1.9% in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest government expenditure on primary education as a percentage of gdp recorded in Mauritania?
- The highest recorded value was 1.9% in 2024.
- What is the lowest government expenditure on primary education as a percentage of gdp recorded in Mauritania?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.9% in 1997.
- How does Mauritania rank for government expenditure on primary education as a percentage of gdp?
- Mauritania ranks 30th out of 162 countries with data for 2024.
- Is government expenditure on primary education as a percentage of gdp rising or falling in Mauritania?
- Over the last ten years it is up 94.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Mauritania data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Government expenditure on primary education as a percentage of GDP (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 16 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release