Drinking water services in rural areas in Mauritania

Mauritania: Drinking water services in rural areas was 5,968 people in 2024. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2024)
5,968 people
Change on year
down 57.3%
World rank
87th
of 178 countries
All-time high
151,958 people
in 2000
All-time low
5,968 people
in 2024
Years of data
25
2000–2024

Drinking water services in rural areas in Mauritania, 2000–2024

050.0k100.0k150.0k2000201220242000: 152.0k people2001: 148.2k people2002: 143.1k people2003: 137.9k people2004: 132.7k people2005: 127.5k people2006: 122.2k people2007: 116.9k people2008: 111.7k people2009: 106.6k people2010: 101.3k people2011: 95.9k people2012: 90.3k people2013: 84.3k people2014: 78.1k people2015: 71.7k people2016: 65.1k people2017: 58.3k people2018: 51.4k people2019: 44.2k people2020: 36.9k people2021: 29.4k people2022: 21.8k people2023: 14.0k people2024: 6.0k people

Source: WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme for Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene (2025) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in people.

Analysis

In 2024, drinking water services in rural areas in Mauritania stood at 5,968 people. That is the lowest value across all 25 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 57.3% on the previous year and down 92.4% over ten years.

Over the whole period, drinking water services in rural areas in Mauritania peaked at 151,958 people in 2000 and was at its lowest, 5,968 people, in 2024.

That places Mauritania 87th out of 178 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.

The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 129,870 people 106,575 people 151,958 people 10
2010s 74,069 people 44,241 people 101,326 people 10
2020s 21,618 people 5,968 people 36,927 people 5

Countries ranked near Mauritania

  1. 84 Botswana 8,191 people compare
  2. 85 Egypt 7,069 people compare
  3. 86 Guyana 6,607 people compare
  4. 88 Honduras 5,020 people compare
  5. 89 Tunisia 3,828 people compare
  6. 90 Suriname 3,536 people compare

See the full ranking of 178 places →

More environment data for Mauritania

All data for Mauritania →

Frequently asked questions

What is drinking water services in rural areas in Mauritania?
Drinking water services in rural areas in Mauritania was 5,968 people in 2024, according to WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme for Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene (2025) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest drinking water services in rural areas recorded in Mauritania?
The highest recorded value was 151,958 people in 2000.
What is the lowest drinking water services in rural areas recorded in Mauritania?
The lowest recorded value was 5,968 people in 2024.
How does Mauritania rank for drinking water services in rural areas?
Mauritania ranks 87th out of 178 countries with data for 2024.
Is drinking water services in rural areas rising or falling in Mauritania?
Over the last ten years it is down 92.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Mauritania data come from?
The figures come from WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme for Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene (2025) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Drinking water services in rural areas. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 25 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).

About this data

Indicator
Drinking water services in rural areas
Unit
people
Source
WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme for Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene (2025) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
178 places, 4,232 data points, 2000–2024
Last refreshed

Number of people using drinking water directly collected from surface waters.