Average years of schooling among adults in Mauritania
Mauritania: Average years of schooling among adults was 4.85 years in 2023. ▲ Rising
Average years of schooling among adults in Mauritania, 1990–2023
Source: UNDP, Human Development Report (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in years.
Analysis
The most recent figure for average years of schooling among adults in Mauritania is 4.85 years, measured in 2023. That is the highest value across all 34 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 15.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, average years of schooling among adults in Mauritania peaked at 4.85 years in 2021 and was at its lowest, 2.27 years, in 1990.
That places Mauritania 172nd out of 192 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 34 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 2.61 years | 2.27 years | 2.95 years | 10 |
| 2000s | 3.37 years | 3.02 years | 3.75 years | 10 |
| 2010s | 4.25 years | 3.83 years | 4.65 years | 10 |
| 2020s | 4.83 years | 4.75 years | 4.85 years | 4 |
Countries ranked near Mauritania
- 169 Papua New Guinea 4.96 years compare
- 170 Rwanda 4.88 years compare
- 171 Cote d'Ivoire 4.87 years compare
- 173 Gambia 4.67 years compare
- 174 Madagascar 4.59 years compare
- 175 Mozambique 4.59 years compare
More education data for Mauritania
- Duration of pre-primary education 3 years (2025)
- Official entrance age to pre-primary education 3 years (2025)
- Lower secondary school starting age 12 years (2025)
- Population ages 0-14 42.4% (2025)
- Primary school starting age 6 years (2025)
- Population ages 15-64 54.4% (2025)
- School enrollment, primary 105.4% (2024)
- Primary education, teachers 24,560 (2024)
- Fertility rate vs. average years of schooling 4.62 live births per woman (2024)
- School enrollment, primary, female 106.9% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is average years of schooling among adults in Mauritania?
- Average years of schooling among adults in Mauritania was 4.85 years in 2023, according to UNDP, Human Development Report (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest average years of schooling among adults recorded in Mauritania?
- The highest recorded value was 4.85 years in 2021.
- What is the lowest average years of schooling among adults recorded in Mauritania?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.27 years in 1990.
- How does Mauritania rank for average years of schooling among adults?
- Mauritania ranks 172nd out of 192 countries with data for 2023.
- Is average years of schooling among adults rising or falling in Mauritania?
- Over the last ten years it is up 15.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Mauritania data come from?
- The figures come from UNDP, Human Development Report (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Average years of schooling among adults. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Average number of years (excluding years spent repeating individual grades) adults over 25 years participated in formal education.