Nationality:
noun: Mauritanian(s)
adjective: Mauritanian

Ethnic groups:
black Moors (Haratines - Arab-speaking slaves, former slaves, and their descendants of African origin, enslaved by white Moors) 40%, white Moors (of Arab-Berber descent, known as Bidhan) 30%, black Africans (non-Arabic speaking, Halpulaar, Soninke, Wolof, and Bamara ethnic groups) 30%

Languages:
Arabic (official and national), Pulaar, Soninke, Wolof (all national languages), French, Hassaniya (a variety of Arabic)

Religions:
Muslim (official) 100%

Population:
3,516,806 (July 2014 est.)
country comparison to the world: 133
[see also: Population country ranks ]

Age structure:
0-14 years: 39.5% (male 697,156/female 691,548)
15-24 years: 20% (male 343,214/female 358,533)
25-54 years: 32.5% (male 528,133/female 613,324)
55-64 years: 4.5% (male 71,265/female 87,086)
65 years and over: 3.5% (male 53,705/female 72,842) (2014 est.)
population pyramid:

Dependency ratios:
total dependency ratio: 75.7 %
youth dependency ratio: 70.1 %
elderly dependency ratio: 5.6 %
potential support ratio: 17.9 (2014 est.)

Median age:
total: 19.9 years
male: 19 years
female: 20.9 years (2014 est.)

Population growth rate:
2.26% (2014 est.)
country comparison to the world: 40
[see also: Population growth rate country ranks ]

Birth rate:
31.83 births/1,000 population (2014 est.)
country comparison to the world: 36
[see also: Birth rate country ranks ]

Death rate:
8.35 deaths/1,000 population (2014 est.)
country comparison to the world: 86
[see also: Death rate country ranks ]

Net migration rate:
-0.85 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2014 est.)
country comparison to the world: 146
[see also: Net migration rate country ranks ]

Urbanization:
urban population: 41.5% of total population (2011)
rate of urbanization: 2.91% annual rate of change (2010-15 est.)

Major urban areas - population:
NOUAKCHOTT (capital) 786,000 (2011)

Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
0-14 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
15-24 years: 0.96 male(s)/female
25-54 years: 0.86 male(s)/female
55-64 years: 0.93 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.74 male(s)/female
total population: 0.93 male(s)/female (2014 est.)

Mother's mean age at first birth:
21.9
note: median age at first birth among women 25-29 (2000-01 est.)
[see also: Mother's mean age at first birth country ranks ]

Maternal mortality rate:
510 deaths/100,000 live births (2010)
country comparison to the world: 19
[see also: Maternal mortality rate country ranks ]

Infant mortality rate:
total: 56.06 deaths/1,000 live births
country comparison to the world: 28
male: 61.04 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 50.93 deaths/1,000 live births (2014 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 62.28 years
country comparison to the world: 188
male: 60 years
female: 64.63 years (2014 est.)

Total fertility rate:
4.07 children born/woman (2014 est.)
country comparison to the world: 39
[see also: Total fertility rate country ranks ]

Contraceptive prevalence rate:
9.3% (2007)
[see also: Contraceptive prevalence rate country ranks ]

Health expenditures:
5.4% of GDP (2011)
country comparison to the world: 125
[see also: Health expenditures country ranks ]

Physicians density:
0.13 physicians/1,000 population (2009)
[see also: Physicians density country ranks ]

Hospital bed density:
0.4 beds/1,000 population (2006)
[see also: Hospital bed density country ranks ]

Drinking water source:
improved:
urban: 52.3% of population
rural: 47.7% of population
total: 49.6% of population
unimproved:
urban: 47.7% of population
rural: 52.3% of population
total: 50.4% of population (2012 est.)

Sanitation facility access:
improved:
urban: 51.1% of population
rural: 9.2% of population
total: 26.7% of population
unimproved:
urban: 48.9% of population
rural: 90.8% of population
total: 73.3% of population (2012 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
0.4% (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 83
[see also: HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate country ranks ]

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
10,500 (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 100
[see also: HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS country ranks ]

HIV/AIDS - deaths:
800 (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 81
[see also: HIV/AIDS - deaths country ranks ]

Major infectious diseases:
degree of risk: very high
food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever
vectorborne diseases: malaria and dengue fever
respiratory disease: meningococcal meningitis
animal contact disease: rabies (2013)

Obesity - adult prevalence rate:
12.7% (2008)
country comparison to the world: 127
[see also: Obesity - adult prevalence rate country ranks ]

Children under the age of 5 years underweight:
19.5% (2012)
country comparison to the world: 32
[see also: Children under the age of 5 years underweight country ranks ]

Education expenditures:
3.7% of GDP (2011)
country comparison to the world: 120
[see also: Education expenditures - percent of GDP country ranks ]

Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 58.6%
male: 65.3%
female: 52% (2011 est.)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):
total: 8 years
male: 8 years
female: 8 years (2012)

Child labor - children ages 5-14:
total number: 127,251
percentage: 16 % (2007 est.)