The World Bank in Mauritania

Mauritania is predominantly a desert country, with vast stretches of pastoral land and only 0.5% arable land. The population is estimated at around 5 million (2024), and with a density of 5 inhabitants per square kilometer, it is one of the least densely populated countries in the world. In addition, more than half of Mauritanians (61.3%) live in urban areas (2024).

Political Context

Nearly one year after his re-election on June 29, 2024, President Mohamed Ould Cheikh El Ghazouani, former Chair of the African Union, continues his efforts to combat corruption, empower youth, and improve education, agricultural transformation, and security. The government remains aligned with the Mes engagements program, which is now evolving into Mon ambition pour la nation, structured around five strategic pillars: institutional governance, economic resilience, human capital development, social inclusion, and security.

Mauritania is currently facing major migration challenges, serving as a key transit point for migrants en route to Europe. Nouakchott hosts approximately 500,000 migrants in irregular situations, underscoring the country’s strategic position along migration routes. The deteriorating security situation in Mali has also triggered an influx of refugees, with approximately 170,000 Malians currently sheltered in the Mbera camp.

Economic Overview

• Economic growth is estimated at 5.1% in 2024 (2.1% per capita), down from 6.5% in 2023 (3.4% per capita), as strong export performance and resilient private consumption were offset by weaker public consumption and a slowdown in gold and iron ore production. Inflation declined to 1.5% (year-on-year) in December 2024, compared to 1.6% in 2023, driven by lower food and fuel prices and supported by the Central Bank’s tight monetary policy;
• Fiscal consolidation helped reduce the budget deficit to 0.1% of GDP in 2024, down from 2.4% in 2023, thanks to increased revenues from telecommunications taxes and withholding taxes on extractive industries, as well as spending control. The debt-to-GDP ratio fell to 44.5%, due to exchange rate stability, reduced external debt, and stronger GDP growth. Mauritania remains at moderate risk of debt distress, according to the joint debt sustainability analysis (DSA) by the World Bank and IMF conducted in December 2024;
• The current account balance narrowed in 2024 to -7.6%, driven by higher exports and lower imports of hydrocarbons, capital goods, and food products. Foreign exchange reserves increased slightly, covering 6.4 months of imports.

Medium-Term Outlook

The medium-term outlook is favorable, with GDP growth projected to average 5.1% over 2025–2027, driven by the launch of gas production and exports under the Grand Tortue Ahmeyim (GTA) project. This growth may be partially offset by a decline in gold and iron ore production. Modest agricultural performance and rising inflation are expected to push the poverty rate up to 31.8% by 2027, bringing an estimated 193,000 people into poverty. The fiscal deficit is expected to average -1.1% of GDP over 2025–2027, due to increased investment spending, partially offset by rising gas revenues. Public debt is projected to stabilize at 43.7% of GDP by 2027, enabling the country to undertake priority investments. Inflation is expected to reach 3.5% in 2025 and converge toward 4.0% thereafter. The current account deficit is projected to average 7.8% of GDP over 2025–2027, driven by increased gas exports and lower import prices, with foreign direct investment in extractive industries and aid inflows remaining the main sources of external financing.

Downside risks to the outlook remain significant. Deteriorating security conditions in the Sahel could lead to an influx of refugees and deter foreign direct investment, while climate-related shocks threaten agricultural productivity and infrastructure, exacerbating poverty and increasing pressure on the balance of payments. Global economic and geopolitical uncertainty, along with slowing growth in the euro area and China, could further disrupt trade, investment, and aid. Conversely, stable gas production under the GTA project, sound management, faster reform implementation, and easing global financing conditions could accelerate structural reforms, attract foreign direct investment, and support growth.

Social Context

According to Mauritania’s Human Capital Index (HCI), a child born today will reach only 38% of their potential productivity by adulthood. The learning-adjusted years of schooling average 4.2 years per child, while 25% of children suffer from stunting, in a context of relatively low public spending on health and education. Social assistance spending is high by regional standards (7.5% of GDP), and existing safety net programs reach 47% of the poorest quintile of the population—one of the highest coverage rates in the region (see also the “Results” section).

Last Updated: Mar 31, 2025

In 2024, the World Bank celebrated sixty years of partnership with the Islamic Republic of Mauritania—a collaboration that began in 1964 with support for the construction of the Nouakchott–Rosso road. This partnership has been guided by the 2018 Country Partnership Framework (CPF), revised in 2021, which aimed to support the creation of conditions for sustainable and inclusive growth (FY2018–2023). Preparation of the new CPF, which will cover the FY2025–2030 period, is already at an advanced stage, with submission to the World Bank Board of Executive Directors expected before the end of June 2025.

As part of the CPF and in line with the government’s development priorities, World Bank support in Mauritania aims to transform the economy and strengthen resilience through economic diversification and greater private investment attractiveness, thereby fostering sustainable growth and job creation. This support focuses on key sectors such as human capital (education, health, social inclusion, nutrition, and population), sustainable development (agriculture and food resilience, water, and environment), and infrastructure (energy and extractive industries). The current World Bank portfolio in Mauritania includes 7 national projects, one Catastrophe Deferred Drawdown Option (Cat DDO), and 7 regional operations, for a total commitment of $927.3 million.

Further engagements are expected through new operations in public spending, education, and social safety nets, delivered in the form of Program-for-Results (PforR), as well as Investment Project Financing (IPF) operations focused on women’s empowerment and the demographic dividend, and on the energy and mining sectors. Commitments from the International Finance Corporation (IFC), the World Bank Group’s private sector arm, stood at $56.5 million, while gross commitments from the Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA) totaled $300 million as of August 31, 2024.

Last Updated: Mar 31, 2025

Local Government Development Program

The Project to Support Decentralization and Productive Intermediate Cities contributes to the development of selected intermediate cities in the south and east of the country, and provides technical support to the decentralization process. It is financed by $66 million from the International Development Association (IDA) and $5 million from the state budget. The project has a direct impact on: (i) the population of cities and surrounding rural areas of Rosso, Kiffa, Sélibaby, and Aïoun, as well as refugees and host communities in the camps of M’bera, Bassikounou, Néma, and Adel Bagrou, who will benefit from improved access to urban services or electricity from renewable energy sources; (ii) more than 140 formal enterprises and 11,000 informal and social actors, who will benefit from improved access to infrastructure and services to support their activities; and (iii) local government staff and elected officials, whose capacities will be strengthened.

Breaking the Cycle of Intergenerational Poverty

The Social Safety Net Project supports the government’s social protection strategy aimed at protecting poor and vulnerable households and investing in their human capital, thereby helping to break the cycle of intergenerational poverty. The project supports three key instruments:

• The Social Registry (RS), launched in 2016, aims to support the identification of potential beneficiaries and provide an effective and transparent mechanism to target the poor and vulnerable. The RS has achieved national coverage, with complete data for 346,802 households. It is a valuable tool for 25 governmental and non-governmental users. The registry has launched a new data collection process to update and expand its coverage, thereby improving its effectiveness in coordinating social and humanitarian programs. To date, the update has been completed in all Moughataas except for certain localities in the Moughataa of Tekane, in the wilaya of Trarza, and a few localities in Hodh El Chargui affected by flooding;
• The National Cash Transfer Program, Tekavoul, is a conditional cash transfer (CCT) program targeting households living in extreme poverty. The five-year cycle includes quarterly cash transfers conditional on beneficiary participation in social promotion activities designed to increase knowledge of essential family practices (EFP) and investment in early childhood development (ECD). The program currently supports 131,364 households, of which 54,664 (including 10,000 refugees) are supported by the Social Safety Net System Project, with the remainder financed by the Government of Mauritania. Selected households receive a quarterly transfer of 3,600 MRU, equivalent to US$90;
• Since 2017, the shock-responsive safety net program, Elmaouna, and the Tekavoul Choc pilot have provided support to several thousand food-insecure households during the pre-harvest period. Between 2017 and 2025, more than 184,000 households benefited from this support. In 2024, the government financed 50% of the National Response Plan through Elmaouna and the Tekavoul vertical and horizontal expansion pilot.

The World Bank is supporting Mauritania in developing a low-emissions hydrogen industry, as the country has the potential to become a global leader in this emerging sector. The proposed approach is structured around a series of projects with the overarching goal of helping the country realize its natural resource potential. The first project aims to identify opportunities for integrated value chains across several sectors (renewables, hydrogen, mining), both for the domestic market and for export. To this end, the potential and feasibility of these integrated value chains will be assessed, and an enabling environment will be established—including the legal, regulatory, and institutional framework, as well as workforce capacity—to allow the country to fully benefit from the combined potential of its natural resources. Mauritania’s solar and wind potential is well suited to green hydrogen production, as its abundant renewable energy sources can be used for electrolysis. Thanks to its favorable environment, Mauritania is well positioned to become a global leader in the emerging hydrogen industry. The mining sector is expected to benefit significantly from domestic hydrogen supply, which could be used in energy-intensive processes and support the development of low-carbon products, while retaining a greater share of the value chain within the country.

Promoting Women’s Empowerment in the Sahel

The Sahel Women’s Empowerment and Demographic Dividend Project (SWEDD) aims to strengthen the empowerment of women and vulnerable groups and to accelerate the demographic transition in the region. In Mauritania, the project targets girls aged 10 to 24 through a set of evidence-based, age-appropriate interventions. These include improving life skills, keeping girls in school, increasing the financial empowerment of out-of-school girls, and combating child marriage, female genital mutilation, and gender-based violence. SWEDD has been implemented in Mauritania since 2014. The first phase was financed by the World Bank with a commitment of $15 million, the second phase with $60 million, and the third phase—currently under preparation—has a budget of $20 million, financed through IDA resources.

Supporting the Resilience of Pastoralists and Agro-Pastoralists in the Sahel

The Regional Sahel Pastoralism Support Project (PRAPS), launched following the Nouakchott Declaration (October 2013), addresses key drivers of vulnerability among (agro)pastoral communities in the Sahel to strengthen their resilience through interventions aimed at improving animal health, natural resource management, livestock value chain development, and social and economic inclusion, with a particular focus on women and youth. The livestock sector is critical to the economy, rural development, and poverty reduction, contributing between 14 and 16% of Mauritania’s GDP. More than 1.35 million people are expected to benefit from the project’s second phase (2022–2027) in the country, with total financing of $45 million from IDA.

An additional $42 million in financing for PRAPS-MR was approved in June 2022 to support short-term recovery and scale up resilience interventions in response to severe food insecurity and flooding. This will benefit at least 236,000 people in the targeted area.

Last Updated: Mar 31, 2025

Mauritania receives external financial assistance from various organizations, including the African Development Bank, the European Union, the United Nations, bilateral donors, and the International Monetary Fund. It also receives financial support from Arab funds and from China.

Last Updated: Mar 31, 2025