School life expectancy, primary, both sexes (years) (School both) in Mauritania
Mauritania: School life expectancy, primary, both sexes (years) (School both) was 6.6 years in 2024. ▲ Rising
Latest (2024)
6.6 years
Change on year
up 5.8%
World rank
48th
of 218 countries
All-time high
6.6 years
in 2024
All-time low
1.08 years
in 1971
Years of data
52
1971–2024
School life expectancy, primary, both sexes in Mauritania, 1971–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in years.
Analysis
In 2024, school life expectancy, primary, both sexes in Mauritania stood at 6.6 years. That is the highest value across all 52 years on record.
That represents a change of up 5.8% on the previous year and up 11.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, school life expectancy, primary, both sexes in Mauritania peaked at 6.6 years in 2024 and was at its lowest, 1.08 years, in 1971.
Mauritania ranks 48th of 218 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 52 years of available data.
School life expectancy, primary, both sexes (years) (School both) in Mauritania, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1971 | 1.08 years | — |
| 1972 | 1.14 years | +4.8% |
| 1973 | 1.26 years | +10.5% |
| 1974 | 1.26 years | +0.5% |
| 1975 | 1.29 years | +2.2% |
| 1976 | 1.4 years | +8.5% |
| 1977 | 1.73 years | +23.5% |
| 1978 | 1.89 years | +9.2% |
| 1979 | 2.07 years | +9.5% |
| 1980 | 2.04 years | -1.2% |
| 1981 | 2.11 years | +3.4% |
| 1982 | 2.32 years | +9.7% |
| 1983 | 2.38 years | +2.5% |
| 1984 | 2.57 years | +8.1% |
| 1985 | 2.79 years | +8.5% |
| 1986 | 2.87 years | +2.9% |
| 1987 | 2.98 years | +3.9% |
| 1988 | 3.02 years | +1.4% |
| 1989 | 2.96 years | -2.0% |
| 1990 | 2.81 years | -4.9% |
| 1991 | 2.95 years | +4.8% |
| 1992 | 3.24 years | +9.7% |
| 1993 | 3.66 years | +13.0% |
| 1994 | 4.3 years | +17.7% |
| 1995 | 4.43 years | +3.1% |
| 1996 | 4.66 years | +5.1% |
| 1997 | 4.71 years | +1.1% |
| 1998 | 5.06 years | +7.5% |
| 1999 | 5.17 years | +2.2% |
| 2000 | 5.17 years | -0.1% |
| 2001 | 5.01 years | -3.0% |
| 2002 | 5.04 years | +0.7% |
| 2003 | 5.13 years | +1.6% |
| 2004 | 5.5 years | +7.2% |
| 2005 | 5.51 years | +0.2% |
| 2006 | 5.66 years | +2.6% |
| 2007 | 5.78 years | +2.3% |
| 2008 | 5.57 years | -3.8% |
| 2009 | 5.97 years | +7.2% |
| 2010 | 6.09 years | +2.0% |
| 2011 | 5.97 years | -2.0% |
| 2012 | 5.97 years | +0.1% |
| 2013 | 5.91 years | -1.0% |
| 2014 | 5.9 years | -0.2% |
| 2015 | 6.05 years | +2.5% |
| 2016 | 5.53 years | -8.5% |
| 2017 | 5.49 years | -0.8% |
| 2018 | 5.64 years | +2.9% |
| 2019 | 5.66 years | +0.3% |
| 2020 | 5.76 years | +1.6% |
| 2023 | 6.24 years | +8.4% |
| 2024 | 6.6 years | +5.8% |
Mauritania compared with similar countries
- Mauritania's 6.6 years is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 6.02 years, 1.1× the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Mauritania's 6.6 years is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 6.13 years, 1.1× the median. (47 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 1.46 years | 1.08 years | 2.07 years | 9 |
| 1980s | 2.6 years | 2.04 years | 3.02 years | 10 |
| 1990s | 4.1 years | 2.81 years | 5.17 years | 10 |
| 2000s | 5.43 years | 5.01 years | 5.97 years | 10 |
| 2010s | 5.82 years | 5.49 years | 6.09 years | 10 |
| 2020s | 6.2 years | 5.76 years | 6.6 years | 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 school life expectancy, primary, both sexes in Mauritania?
- School life expectancy, primary, both sexes in Mauritania was 6.6 years in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest school life expectancy, primary, both sexes recorded in Mauritania?
- The highest recorded value was 6.6 years in 2024.
- What is the lowest school life expectancy, primary, both sexes recorded in Mauritania?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.08 years in 1971.
- How does Mauritania rank for school life expectancy, primary, both sexes?
- Mauritania ranks 48th out of 218 countries with data for 2024.
- Is school life expectancy, primary, both sexes rising or falling in Mauritania?
- Over the last ten years it is up 11.9%. 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, both sexes (years). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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About this data
February 2026 Data Release