Out-of-school rate for children and adolescents of primary and lower in Mauritania
Mauritania: Out-of-school rate for children and adolescents of primary and lower was 20.1% in 2024. ▼ Falling
Out-of-school rate for children and adolescents of primary and lower in Mauritania, 2001–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
Mauritania recorded 20.1% for out-of-school rate for children and adolescents of primary and lower in 2024. That is the lowest value across all 16 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 36.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, out-of-school rate for children and adolescents of primary and lower in Mauritania peaked at 42.3% in 2002 and was at its lowest, 20.1%, in 2024.
That places Mauritania 29th out of 169 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 and adolescents of primary and lower in Mauritania, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 41.1% | — |
| 2002 | 42.3% | +2.8% |
| 2004 | 36.3% | -14.0% |
| 2005 | 37.3% | +2.5% |
| 2006 | 36.1% | -3.1% |
| 2011 | 30.9% | -14.4% |
| 2012 | 28.8% | -6.8% |
| 2013 | 32.2% | +11.7% |
| 2014 | 31.9% | -1.1% |
| 2015 | 29.5% | -7.4% |
| 2016 | 39.3% | +33.1% |
| 2017 | 36.3% | -7.6% |
| 2018 | 33.0% | -9.0% |
| 2019 | 32.9% | -0.3% |
| 2020 | 36.2% | +9.8% |
| 2024 | 20.1% | -44.4% |
Mauritania compared with similar countries
- Mauritania's 20.1% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 9.7%, 2.1× the median. (37 countries reporting)
- Mauritania's 20.1% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 20.5%, 98% of the median. (35 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 38.6% | 36.1% | 42.3% | 5 |
| 2010s | 32.8% | 28.8% | 39.3% | 9 |
| 2020s | 28.2% | 20.1% | 36.2% | 2 |
Countries ranked near Mauritania
- 26 Gambia 23.7% compare
- 27 Lao People's Democratic Republic 21.7% compare
- 28 Madagascar 20.5% compare
- 30 Guyana 20.0% compare
- 31 Jamaica 19.6% compare
- 32 Côte d'Ivoire 19.5% 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 out-of-school rate for children and adolescents of primary and lower in Mauritania?
- Out-of-school rate for children and adolescents of primary and lower in Mauritania was 20.1% in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest out-of-school rate for children and adolescents of primary and lower recorded in Mauritania?
- The highest recorded value was 42.3% in 2002.
- What is the lowest out-of-school rate for children and adolescents of primary and lower recorded in Mauritania?
- The lowest recorded value was 20.1% in 2024.
- How does Mauritania rank for out-of-school rate for children and adolescents of primary and lower?
- Mauritania ranks 29th out of 169 countries with data for 2024.
- Is out-of-school rate for children and adolescents of primary and lower rising or falling in Mauritania?
- Over the last ten years it is down 36.8%. 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 and adolescents of primary and lower secondary school age, male (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
February 2026 Data Release