School life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes (years) (both) in Mauritania
Mauritania: School life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes (years) (both) was 8.69 years in 2020. ▲ Rising
Latest (2020)
8.69 years
Change on year
down 0.4%
World rank
168th
of 186 countries
All-time high
8.72 years
in 2019
All-time low
3.79 years
in 1990
Years of data
32
1986–2020
School life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes in Mauritania, 1986–2020
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in years.
Analysis
The most recent figure for school life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes in Mauritania is 8.69 years, measured in 2020.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.4% on the previous year and up 12.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, school life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes in Mauritania peaked at 8.72 years in 2019 and was at its lowest, 3.79 years, in 1990.
That places Mauritania 168th out of 186 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 32 years of available data.
School life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes (years) (both) in Mauritania, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1986 | 3.88 years | — |
| 1987 | 4.03 years | +4.0% |
| 1988 | 4.08 years | +1.1% |
| 1989 | 4 years | -2.0% |
| 1990 | 3.79 years | -5.3% |
| 1991 | 3.89 years | +2.7% |
| 1992 | 4.2 years | +8.1% |
| 1993 | 4.69 years | +11.5% |
| 1994 | 5.36 years | +14.4% |
| 1995 | 5.53 years | +3.1% |
| 1996 | 5.79 years | +4.9% |
| 1997 | 5.85 years | +1.0% |
| 1998 | 6.25 years | +6.7% |
| 1999 | 6.43 years | +3.0% |
| 2001 | 6.51 years | +1.1% |
| 2002 | 6.53 years | +0.3% |
| 2003 | 6.6 years | +1.0% |
| 2004 | 7.08 years | +7.3% |
| 2005 | 7.12 years | +0.7% |
| 2006 | 7.35 years | +3.2% |
| 2008 | 7.13 years | -3.1% |
| 2009 | 7.64 years | +7.2% |
| 2010 | 7.75 years | +1.5% |
| 2011 | 7.87 years | +1.6% |
| 2012 | 8.23 years | +4.6% |
| 2013 | 8.52 years | +3.5% |
| 2015 | 8.67 years | +1.7% |
| 2016 | 8.2 years | -5.4% |
| 2017 | 8.1 years | -1.3% |
| 2018 | 8.52 years | +5.3% |
| 2019 | 8.72 years | +2.3% |
| 2020 | 8.69 years | -0.4% |
Mauritania compared with similar countries
- Mauritania's 8.69 years is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 11.12 years, 78% of the median. (43 countries reporting)
- Mauritania's 8.69 years is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 10.16 years, 85% of the median. (43 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 4 years | 3.88 years | 4.08 years | 4 |
| 1990s | 5.18 years | 3.79 years | 6.43 years | 10 |
| 2000s | 6.99 years | 6.51 years | 7.64 years | 8 |
| 2010s | 8.29 years | 7.75 years | 8.72 years | 9 |
| 2020s | 8.69 years | 8.69 years | 8.69 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 to tertiary, both sexes in Mauritania?
- School life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes in Mauritania was 8.69 years in 2020, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest school life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes recorded in Mauritania?
- The highest recorded value was 8.72 years in 2019.
- What is the lowest school life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes recorded in Mauritania?
- The lowest recorded value was 3.79 years in 1990.
- How does Mauritania rank for school life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes?
- Mauritania ranks 168th out of 186 countries with data for 2020.
- Is school life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes rising or falling in Mauritania?
- Over the last ten years it is up 12.1%. 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 to tertiary, both sexes (years). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 32 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release