School life expectancy, primary and secondary, both sexes (years) in Mauritania
Mauritania: School life expectancy, primary and secondary, both sexes (years) was 8.35 years in 2020. ▲ Rising
School life expectancy, primary and secondary, both sexes in Mauritania, 1972–2020
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in years.
Analysis
Mauritania recorded 8.35 years for school life expectancy, primary and secondary, both sexes in 2020.
That represents a change of down 0.5% on the previous year and up 11.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, school life expectancy, primary and secondary, both sexes in Mauritania peaked at 8.39 years in 2019 and was at its lowest, 1.34 years, in 1972.
That places Mauritania 191st out of 213 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 36 years of available data.
School life expectancy, primary and secondary, both sexes (years) in Mauritania, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1972 | 1.34 years | — |
| 1981 | 2.75 years | +105.1% |
| 1986 | 3.74 years | +36.2% |
| 1987 | 3.88 years | +3.6% |
| 1988 | 3.93 years | +1.3% |
| 1989 | 3.84 years | -2.2% |
| 1990 | 3.63 years | -5.4% |
| 1991 | 3.75 years | +3.3% |
| 1992 | 4.06 years | +8.2% |
| 1993 | 4.51 years | +11.2% |
| 1994 | 5.19 years | +15.0% |
| 1995 | 5.35 years | +3.2% |
| 1996 | 5.61 years | +4.8% |
| 1997 | 5.65 years | +0.8% |
| 1998 | 6.05 years | +7.0% |
| 1999 | 6.22 years | +2.8% |
| 2000 | 6.25 years | +0.5% |
| 2001 | 6.32 years | +1.2% |
| 2002 | 6.36 years | +0.5% |
| 2003 | 6.42 years | +1.0% |
| 2004 | 6.9 years | +7.4% |
| 2005 | 6.94 years | +0.6% |
| 2006 | 7.14 years | +2.9% |
| 2008 | 6.87 years | -3.7% |
| 2009 | 7.37 years | +7.3% |
| 2010 | 7.52 years | +2.0% |
| 2011 | 7.56 years | +0.5% |
| 2012 | 7.88 years | +4.3% |
| 2013 | 8.15 years | +3.3% |
| 2014 | 8.14 years | -0.1% |
| 2015 | 8.31 years | +2.1% |
| 2016 | 7.87 years | -5.3% |
| 2017 | 7.79 years | -1.0% |
| 2018 | 8.22 years | +5.6% |
| 2019 | 8.39 years | +2.0% |
| 2020 | 8.35 years | -0.5% |
Mauritania compared with similar countries
- Mauritania's 8.35 years is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 10.58 years, 79% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Mauritania's 8.35 years is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 10.03 years, 83% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where School life expectancy, primary and secondary, both sexes (years) 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1981 | +105.1% | 1.34 years | 2.75 years |
| 1986 | +36.2% | 2.75 years | 3.74 years |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 1.34 years | 1.34 years | 1.34 years | 1 |
| 1980s | 3.63 years | 2.75 years | 3.93 years | 5 |
| 1990s | 5 years | 3.63 years | 6.22 years | 10 |
| 2000s | 6.73 years | 6.25 years | 7.37 years | 9 |
| 2010s | 7.98 years | 7.52 years | 8.39 years | 10 |
| 2020s | 8.35 years | 8.35 years | 8.35 years | 1 |
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 school life expectancy, primary and secondary, both sexes in Mauritania?
- School life expectancy, primary and secondary, both sexes in Mauritania was 8.35 years in 2020, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest school life expectancy, primary and secondary, both sexes recorded in Mauritania?
- The highest recorded value was 8.39 years in 2019.
- What is the lowest school life expectancy, primary and secondary, both sexes recorded in Mauritania?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.34 years in 1972.
- How does Mauritania rank for school life expectancy, primary and secondary, both sexes?
- Mauritania ranks 191st out of 213 countries with data for 2020.
- Is school life expectancy, primary and secondary, both sexes rising or falling in Mauritania?
- Over the last ten years it is up 11.1%. 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 School life expectancy, primary and secondary, both sexes (years). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
February 2026 Data Release