Distribution of Democracy Index in Mauritania
Mauritania: Distribution of Democracy Index was 8 in 2018. ▲ Rising
Distribution of Democracy Index in Mauritania, 1960–2018
Source: Polity 5 (2020) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
The most recent figure for distribution of democracy index in Mauritania is 8, measured in 2018.
The figure is up 60.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, distribution of democracy index in Mauritania peaked at 14 in 2007 and was at its lowest, 3, in 1962.
Mauritania ranks 128th of 168 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 59 years of available data.
Distribution of Democracy Index in Mauritania, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 6 | — |
| 1961 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 1962 | 3 | -50.0% |
| 1963 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1964 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1965 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1966 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1967 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1968 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1969 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1970 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1971 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1972 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1973 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1974 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1975 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1976 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1977 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1978 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1979 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1980 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1981 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1982 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1983 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1984 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1985 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1986 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1987 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1988 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1989 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1990 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1991 | 4 | +33.3% |
| 1992 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 1993 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 1995 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 1996 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 1997 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 1998 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 1999 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 5 | +25.0% |
| 2006 | 7 | +40.0% |
| 2007 | 14 | +100.0% |
| 2008 | 5 | -64.3% |
| 2009 | 8 | +60.0% |
| 2010 | 8 | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 8 | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 8 | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 8 | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 8 | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 8 | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 8 | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 8 | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 8 | +0.0% |
Mauritania compared with similar countries
- Mauritania's 8 is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 15, 53% of the median. (43 countries reporting)
- Mauritania's 8 is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 14.5, 55% of the median. (46 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 3.6 | 3 | 6 | 10 |
| 1970s | 3 | 3 | 3 | 10 |
| 1980s | 3 | 3 | 3 | 10 |
| 1990s | 3.9 | 3 | 4 | 10 |
| 2000s | 5.9 | 4 | 14 | 10 |
| 2010s | 8 | 8 | 8 | 9 |
Countries ranked near Mauritania
More social development data for Mauritania
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 301,490 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 43,906 (2025)
- Political Rights Rating 5 (2025)
- Electoral democracy 0 (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, gaps filled 5 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0.0083 units per person (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 43,906 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0.0567 units per person (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is distribution of democracy index in Mauritania?
- Distribution of democracy index in Mauritania was 8 in 2018, according to Polity 5 (2020) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest distribution of democracy index recorded in Mauritania?
- The highest recorded value was 14 in 2007.
- What is the lowest distribution of democracy index recorded in Mauritania?
- The lowest recorded value was 3 in 1962.
- How does Mauritania rank for distribution of democracy index?
- Mauritania ranks 128th out of 168 countries with data for 2018.
- Is distribution of democracy index rising or falling in Mauritania?
- Over the last ten years it is up 60.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Mauritania data come from?
- The figures come from Polity 5 (2020) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Distribution of Democracy Index. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 59 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
It combines information on the extent to which open, multi-party, and competitive elections choose a chief executive who faces comprehensive institutional constraints, and political participation is competitive. It ranges from 0 to 20 (fully democratic).