People not using improved drinking water sources in Mauritania

Mauritania: People not using improved drinking water sources was 536,985 people in 2024. ▼ Falling

Latest (2024)
536,985 people
Change on year
down 5.8%
World rank
68th
of 231 countries
All-time high
1.05 million people
in 2000
All-time low
536,985 people
in 2024
Years of data
25
2000–2024

People not using improved drinking water sources in Mauritania, 2000–2024

0250.0k500.0k750.0k1.0M2000201220242000: 1.1M people2001: 1.0M people2002: 1.0M people2003: 1.0M people2004: 989.4k people2005: 971.6k people2006: 953.7k people2007: 935.9k people2008: 919.6k people2009: 904.7k people2010: 889.2k people2011: 873.0k people2012: 855.7k people2013: 836.2k people2014: 814.6k people2015: 792.0k people2016: 768.3k people2017: 743.5k people2018: 717.5k people2019: 690.4k people2020: 661.9k people2021: 632.2k people2022: 601.6k people2023: 570.1k people2024: 537.0k 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, people not using improved drinking water sources in Mauritania stood at 536,985 people. That is the lowest value across all 25 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 5.8% on the previous year and down 34.1% over ten years.

Over the whole period, people not using improved drinking water sources in Mauritania peaked at 1.05 million people in 2000 and was at its lowest, 536,985 people, in 2024.

Mauritania ranks 68th of 231 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 25 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 980,072 people 904,679 people 1.05 million people 10
2010s 798,038 people 690,359 people 889,166 people 10
2020s 600,558 people 536,985 people 661,915 people 5

Countries ranked near Mauritania

  1. 65 Canada 679,492 people compare
  2. 66 Malaysia 605,505 people compare
  3. 67 Mexico 600,172 people compare
  4. 69 Guinea-Bissau 512,949 people compare
  5. 70 Equatorial Guinea 505,844 people compare
  6. 71 Uzbekistan 461,645 people compare

See the full ranking of 231 places →

More environment data for Mauritania

All data for Mauritania →

Frequently asked questions

What is people not using improved drinking water sources in Mauritania?
People not using improved drinking water sources in Mauritania was 536,985 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 people not using improved drinking water sources recorded in Mauritania?
The highest recorded value was 1.05 million people in 2000.
What is the lowest people not using improved drinking water sources recorded in Mauritania?
The lowest recorded value was 536,985 people in 2024.
How does Mauritania rank for people not using improved drinking water sources?
Mauritania ranks 68th out of 231 countries with data for 2024.
Is people not using improved drinking water sources rising or falling in Mauritania?
Over the last ten years it is down 34.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
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 People not using improved drinking water sources. 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
People not using improved drinking water sources
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
231 places, 5,586 data points, 2000–2024
Last refreshed

Number of people not using improved drinking water sources. These people might use surface water sources or unprotected springs or wells, as no safe and reliable improved drinking water source is available to them.