Out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary in Mauritania
Mauritania: Out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary was 31.2% in 2024. ▼ Falling
Out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary in Mauritania, 2001–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary in Mauritania is 31.2%, measured in 2024. That is the lowest value across all 16 years on record.
The figure is down 22.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary in Mauritania peaked at 50.6% in 2002 and was at its lowest, 31.2%, in 2024.
That places Mauritania 21st out of 178 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 16 years of available data.
Out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary in Mauritania, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 50.2% | — |
| 2002 | 50.6% | +0.8% |
| 2004 | 46.0% | -9.1% |
| 2005 | 45.5% | -1.0% |
| 2006 | 45.0% | -1.2% |
| 2011 | 42.3% | -6.1% |
| 2012 | 40.5% | -4.2% |
| 2013 | 41.0% | +1.4% |
| 2014 | 40.2% | -2.2% |
| 2015 | 38.0% | -5.5% |
| 2016 | 43.3% | +14.2% |
| 2017 | 40.8% | -5.9% |
| 2018 | 38.3% | -6.1% |
| 2019 | 37.3% | -2.6% |
| 2020 | 38.6% | +3.5% |
| 2024 | 31.2% | -19.2% |
Mauritania compared with similar countries
- Mauritania's 31.2% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 14.8%, 2.1× the median. (37 countries reporting)
- Mauritania's 31.2% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 23.5%, 1.3× the median. (34 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 47.5% | 45.0% | 50.6% | 5 |
| 2010s | 40.2% | 37.3% | 43.3% | 9 |
| 2020s | 34.9% | 31.2% | 38.6% | 2 |
Countries ranked near Mauritania
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 out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary in Mauritania?
- Out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary in Mauritania was 31.2% in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary recorded in Mauritania?
- The highest recorded value was 50.6% in 2002.
- What is the lowest out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary recorded in Mauritania?
- The lowest recorded value was 31.2% in 2024.
- How does Mauritania rank for out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary?
- Mauritania ranks 21st out of 178 countries with data for 2024.
- Is out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary rising or falling in Mauritania?
- Over the last ten years it is down 22.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Mauritania data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary, lower secondary and upper secondary school age, both sexes (%). 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