Migration profile Mauritania : end 2016.
Date: 2019-03-07
Institutions: Joint Research Centre
Subjects: Mauritania, development policy, migrant, migration policy, refugee, right of asylum

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MP version 3.2
This Structural Migration 
Profile aims at providing an 
overview on migration and 
development in a given 
country. Kindly note that data 
refer to the end of the year 
and are collected from 
different sources and 
methodologies. For more 
details please refer to the 
Technical Note.

Extraction Date:
24-07-2017 

European Commission
Knowledge Centre on Migration 
and Demography (KCMD)

https://ec.europa.eu/jrc/en/mi-
gration-and-demography

email: kcmd@ec.europa.eu

doi:10.2760/610814
ISBN 978-92-79-93462-9

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KCMD

Nouakchott

MAURITANIA
END 2016

© European Union, 2017

MIGRATION OUTLINE

MAURITANIA

KEY DATA ON MIGRATION
FOR MAURITANIA AND FOR THE EU 
(stock - country of origin)

MIGRANTS

REFUGEES

118 570
(2015)
2.8%
OF MAURITANIAN
POPULATION

29 577
(2015)

24.9%
OF MAURITANIAN
MIGRANTS ARE 
IN EU

36 228

0.8%
OF MAURITANIAN
POPULATION

5 805

16.0%
OF MAURITANIAN
REFUGEES 
ARE IN EU

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HEAD OF STATE
Mr. Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz  

HEAD OF GOVERNMENT
Mr. Yahya Ould Hademine 

NEIGHBOURING COUNTRIES
Algeria, Mali, Senegal

DENSITY
4.1 persons / Km2 (2015)

RURAL POPULATION
39.6%

DEMOGRAPHY

2016

 2050(projections)

HDI (2015)
157th / 188

4.3 M

TOTAL 
POPULATION

9.0 M

INCOME LEVEL GROUP 
Lower middle income

2.8

POPULATION 
GROWTH (%) 

1.7

19.7
(2015)

4.5
(2015)

MEDIAN 
AGE

25.2

CHILDREN
PER WOMAN

0.5

RELIGIONS
Muslim (official) 100%

LANGUAGES
Arabic (official and national), Pular, 
Soninke, Wolof, French

ETHNIC GROUPS
black Moors 40%, white Moors 30%, 
Sub-Saharan Mauritanians 30%

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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MIGRATION OUTLINE / MAURITANIA

THE VIEW FROM

MAURITANIA

(stock - country of origin)

The  number  of  immigrants  living  in 
Mauritania  is  roughly  equivalent  to  the 
number  of  Mauritanian  emigrants. 
Mauritania  is  not  a  country  particularly 
affected by forced displacement.

MLI

MLI

SAHARAWI
REFUGEES

CAR

REFUGEES

74 117

36 228

MAURITANIAN
REFUGEES

FRA

MLI

SEN

ASYLUM
SEEKERS

IDPs

559

7 355

ASYLUM
SEEKERS

0

SEN

SAHARAWI
REFUGEES

MIGRANTS

166 552
(2015)

118 570
(2015)

MAURITANIAN
MIGRANTS

SEN

FRA

MLI

THE VIEW FROM

EU

(stock valid residence permits - TCNs)

Over half the Mauritanians in the EU with a 
valid  residence  permit  reside  in  France. 
Nearly 1/3 of residency permits were issued 
on  the  basis  of  family  reunification,  while 
the majority were issued for ‘other reasons’.

35000

30000

25000

20000

15000

10000

5000

0

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2000

1500

1000

500

0

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25 876

-3.7%

-0.1%

+2.6%

54%
(14 082)

36%
(9 217)

4%
(1 039)

68%
620)

12%
(110)

7%
(60)

2013

2014

2015

2016

(first time applications)

910

2013

285

2014

315

2015

255

2016

245

14.5%

23.4%

20.0%

19.4%

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28.0%

FAMILY
REUNIFICATION

3.3%

EDUCATION

5.7%

17.0%

REMUNERATED
ACTIVITIES
REFUGEE+
SUBSIDIARY PROTECTION

46.0%

OTHER

293

301

145

71

2013

2014

2015

2016

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2016
40 (3.4%) 
2015
45(3.8%)
2014
75(4.9%) 
 2013
85 (4.3%)

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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 MAURITANIA / STRESSORS

AREAS

INDICATORS

EU INSTITUTIONS TOTAL 
DISBURSED AID (€ MIL.)

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SECURITY
Yearly conflict events =
Political stability =
Global Peace Index =

GOVERNANCE
Government effectiveness =
Control of corruption =

27
-0.7 (2015)
120/163 rank

-1.0 (2015)
-0.9 (2015)

DEGRADATION
Natural resources 
depletion (% GNI)=
INFORM risk  on natural hazards =

16.4% (2014)
5.1 /10 scale

POVERTY
Income held by lowest 20% =
Under poverty line $1.90 p.day =
Prevalence of undernourishment = 

7.6% (2014)
5.9% (2014)
5.6% (2015)

24.0

17.3

12.5

13.6

2013

2014

2015

2016

7.0

3.3

3.9

1.7

2013

2014

2015

2016

UNEMPLOYMENT
Total UNEMPL =
Male UNEMPL =
Youth male UNEMPL =

11.7%
10.8%
16.3%

6.4

5.6

6.0

1.1

2013

2014

2015

2016

EDUCATION
Gross enrolment, primary =
Gross enrolment, tertiary =
Adult literacy rate = 

HEALTH
Under-5 mortality rate (per 1000)= 
Health expenditure per capita = 
General Government health 
expenditure (% total health exp) =

URBANIZATION
Urban pop under nat poverty line = 
Living in slum out of urban pop = 
Rural pop under nat poverty line = 

102.5% (2015)
5.3%
52.1% (2015)

84.7 (2015)
$ 48.8 (2014)

50.0% (2014)

20.8% (2008)
79.9% (2014)
59.4% (2008)

12.2

8.8

7.0

6.0

2013

2014

2015

2016

45.8%

5.8%

3.8%

20.0%

24.6% OTHER

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The mortality rate for under-5s is high, while 
health  expenditure  per  capita  remains  low. 
Just over half the adult population are literate 
and enrolment in tertiary education is ~6%. 
Nearly 2m Mauritanians live in urban slums.

CRITICAL THRESHOLDS

CRITICAL VALUE
(COMPARED TO SAME 
INCOME LEVEL GROUP 
COUNTRIES)

TREND IN TIME
(4 YEAR PERIOD)

INCREASE

STABLE
DECREASE

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
MIGRATION OUTLINE / MAURITANIA
MIGRATION OUTLINE / TUNISIA

KEY DATA ON FINANCIAL INFLOWS 
FOR MAURITANIA AND FOR THE EU

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0

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200

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P
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%
5
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461.2

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P
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%
4
5

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257.7

2013

2014

2015

2016

FDI - Foreign Direct Investment (€ MIL.)

N/A
2013

N/A
2014
Remittances received (€ MIL.)

N/A
2015

N/A
2016

REGIONAL PERSPECTIVE / MAURITANIA

INFORM HUMANITARIAN CRISES
AND DISASTERS RISK INDEX

Mauritania

Algeria

Mali

Senegal

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Net FDI fell by slightly less than half, from 
EUR 461M in 2015 to EUR 257M in 2016 
Total aid disbursed by EU institutions fell 
to EUR 29.7M in 2016.

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200

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7
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2013

2014

46.4

2015

29.7
2016

EU institutions total disbursed aid (€ MIL.)
(humanitarian + oda)

DESTINATIONS
(% of total )

Mauritania (IDPs)

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Natural Risk

Socio-Economic Risk

10

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10

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Human Risk

Vulnerable Groups Risk

Africa

EU

Other

Institutional Risk

Infrastructure Risk

MIGRANTS

IDPs &
REFUGEES