Primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates in Mauritania
Mauritania: Primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates was 105.4% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates in Mauritania, 1971–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Mauritania recorded 105.4% for primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates in 2024. That is the highest value across all 52 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 1.4% on the previous year and up 12.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates in Mauritania peaked at 105.4% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 15.5%, in 1971.
Mauritania ranks 64th of 217 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 52 years of available data.
Primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates in Mauritania, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1971 | 15.5% | — |
| 1972 | 16.2% | +4.8% |
| 1973 | 17.9% | +10.5% |
| 1974 | 18.0% | +0.5% |
| 1975 | 18.4% | +2.2% |
| 1976 | 20.0% | +8.5% |
| 1977 | 24.7% | +23.5% |
| 1978 | 27.0% | +9.2% |
| 1979 | 29.5% | +9.5% |
| 1980 | 34.0% | +15.3% |
| 1981 | 35.2% | +3.4% |
| 1982 | 38.6% | +9.7% |
| 1983 | 39.6% | +2.5% |
| 1984 | 42.8% | +8.1% |
| 1985 | 44.2% | +3.3% |
| 1986 | 47.8% | +8.0% |
| 1987 | 49.6% | +3.9% |
| 1988 | 50.3% | +1.4% |
| 1989 | 49.3% | -2.0% |
| 1990 | 46.9% | -4.9% |
| 1991 | 49.2% | +4.8% |
| 1992 | 53.9% | +9.7% |
| 1993 | 60.9% | +13.0% |
| 1994 | 67.2% | +10.2% |
| 1995 | 71.0% | +5.7% |
| 1996 | 74.6% | +5.0% |
| 1997 | 78.5% | +5.3% |
| 1998 | 80.8% | +2.9% |
| 1999 | 82.4% | +2.1% |
| 2000 | 82.0% | -0.6% |
| 2001 | 80.3% | -2.0% |
| 2002 | 81.0% | +0.9% |
| 2003 | 82.7% | +2.0% |
| 2004 | 89.0% | +7.6% |
| 2005 | 89.1% | +0.1% |
| 2006 | 92.3% | +3.6% |
| 2007 | 94.5% | +2.4% |
| 2008 | 91.2% | -3.5% |
| 2009 | 97.0% | +6.4% |
| 2010 | 97.9% | +0.8% |
| 2011 | 95.4% | -2.5% |
| 2012 | 94.9% | -0.6% |
| 2013 | 93.6% | -1.3% |
| 2014 | 93.9% | +0.3% |
| 2015 | 96.7% | +3.0% |
| 2016 | 88.7% | -8.3% |
| 2017 | 87.8% | -1.0% |
| 2018 | 90.2% | +2.7% |
| 2019 | 90.3% | +0.1% |
| 2020 | 93.8% | +3.9% |
| 2023 | 104.0% | +10.9% |
| 2024 | 105.4% | +1.4% |
Mauritania compared with similar countries
- Mauritania's 105.4% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 102.7%, 1.0× the median. (46 countries reporting)
- Mauritania's 105.4% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 100.4%, 1.0× the median. (47 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 20.8% | 15.5% | 29.5% | 9 |
| 1980s | 43.2% | 34.0% | 50.3% | 10 |
| 1990s | 66.5% | 46.9% | 82.4% | 10 |
| 2000s | 87.9% | 80.3% | 97.0% | 10 |
| 2010s | 92.9% | 87.8% | 97.9% | 10 |
| 2020s | 101.1% | 93.8% | 105.4% | 3 |
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 primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates in Mauritania?
- Primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates in Mauritania was 105.4% in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates recorded in Mauritania?
- The highest recorded value was 105.4% in 2024.
- What is the lowest primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates recorded in Mauritania?
- The lowest recorded value was 15.5% in 1971.
- How does Mauritania rank for primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates?
- Mauritania ranks 64th out of 217 countries with data for 2024.
- Is primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates rising or falling in Mauritania?
- Over the last ten years it is up 12.3%. 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 (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Number of children of any age group who are enrolled in primary education, expressed as a percentage of the total population of the official primary school age.