Key media freedoms in Mauritania
Mauritania: Key media freedoms was 0.683 in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2025)
0.683
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
80th
of 175 countries
All-time high
1.27
in 2013
All-time low
-1.92
in 1979
Years of data
122
1904–2025
Key media freedoms in Mauritania, 1904–2025
Source: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
Mauritania recorded 0.683 for key media freedoms in 2025.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 46.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, key media freedoms in Mauritania peaked at 1.27 in 2013 and was at its lowest, -1.92, in 1979.
Mauritania ranks 80th of 175 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Key media freedoms in Mauritania, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1904 | -0.052 | — |
| 1905 | -0.052 | -0.0% |
| 1906 | -0.052 | -0.0% |
| 1907 | -0.052 | -0.0% |
| 1908 | -0.052 | -0.0% |
| 1909 | -0.052 | -0.0% |
| 1910 | -0.052 | -0.0% |
| 1911 | -0.052 | -0.0% |
| 1912 | -0.052 | -0.0% |
| 1913 | -0.052 | -0.0% |
| 1914 | -0.052 | -0.0% |
| 1915 | -0.052 | -0.0% |
| 1916 | -0.052 | -0.0% |
| 1917 | -0.052 | -0.0% |
| 1918 | -0.052 | -0.0% |
| 1919 | -0.052 | -0.0% |
| 1920 | -0.052 | -0.0% |
| 1921 | -0.052 | -0.0% |
| 1922 | -0.052 | -0.0% |
| 1923 | -0.052 | -0.0% |
| 1924 | -0.052 | -0.0% |
| 1925 | -0.052 | -0.0% |
| 1926 | -0.052 | -0.0% |
| 1927 | -0.052 | -0.0% |
| 1928 | -0.052 | -0.0% |
| 1929 | -0.052 | -0.0% |
| 1930 | -0.052 | -0.0% |
| 1931 | -0.052 | -0.0% |
| 1932 | -0.052 | -0.0% |
| 1933 | -0.052 | -0.0% |
| 1934 | -0.052 | -0.0% |
| 1935 | -0.052 | -0.0% |
| 1936 | -0.052 | -0.0% |
| 1937 | -0.052 | -0.0% |
| 1938 | -0.052 | -0.0% |
| 1939 | -0.052 | -0.0% |
| 1940 | -0.052 | -0.0% |
| 1941 | -0.052 | -0.0% |
| 1942 | -0.052 | -0.0% |
| 1943 | -0.052 | -0.0% |
| 1944 | -0.052 | -0.0% |
| 1945 | 0.583 | -1221.2% |
| 1946 | 0.583 | +0.0% |
| 1947 | 0.583 | +0.0% |
| 1948 | 0.583 | +0.0% |
| 1949 | 0.583 | +0.0% |
| 1950 | 0.583 | +0.0% |
| 1951 | 0.583 | +0.0% |
| 1952 | 0.583 | +0.0% |
| 1953 | 0.583 | +0.0% |
| 1954 | 0.583 | +0.0% |
| 1955 | 0.583 | +0.0% |
| 1956 | 0.583 | +0.0% |
| 1957 | 0.583 | +0.0% |
| 1958 | 0.583 | +0.0% |
| 1959 | 0.583 | +0.0% |
| 1960 | 0.238 | -59.2% |
| 1961 | 0.238 | +0.0% |
| 1962 | 0.238 | +0.0% |
| 1963 | 0.238 | +0.0% |
| 1964 | 0.238 | +0.0% |
| 1965 | 0.238 | +0.0% |
| 1966 | 0.238 | +0.0% |
| 1967 | 0.238 | +0.0% |
| 1968 | 0.238 | +0.0% |
| 1969 | 0.238 | +0.0% |
| 1970 | 0.238 | +0.0% |
| 1971 | 0.238 | +0.0% |
| 1972 | 0.238 | +0.0% |
| 1973 | 0.238 | +0.0% |
| 1974 | 0.238 | +0.0% |
| 1975 | 0.238 | +0.0% |
| 1976 | 0.238 | +0.0% |
| 1977 | 0.238 | +0.0% |
| 1978 | -1.27 | -632.8% |
| 1979 | -1.92 | +51.0% |
| 1980 | -1.92 | -0.0% |
| 1981 | -1.92 | -0.0% |
| 1982 | -1.92 | -0.0% |
| 1983 | -1.92 | -0.0% |
| 1984 | -1.92 | -0.0% |
| 1985 | -1.92 | -0.0% |
| 1986 | -1.92 | -0.0% |
| 1987 | -1.58 | -17.5% |
| 1988 | -1.58 | -0.0% |
| 1989 | -1.58 | -0.0% |
| 1990 | -1.58 | -0.0% |
| 1991 | -0.933 | -40.9% |
| 1992 | -0.013 | -98.6% |
| 1993 | -0.013 | -0.0% |
| 1994 | -0.013 | -0.0% |
| 1995 | -0.013 | -0.0% |
| 1996 | -0.013 | -0.0% |
| 1997 | -0.013 | -0.0% |
| 1998 | -0.013 | -0.0% |
| 1999 | -0.013 | -0.0% |
| 2000 | 0.012 | -192.3% |
| 2001 | 0.012 | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 0.012 | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 0.012 | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 0.012 | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 0.012 | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 1.18 | +9691.7% |
| 2007 | 1.18 | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 1.18 | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 1.18 | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 0.956 | -18.6% |
| 2011 | 0.956 | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 0.956 | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 1.27 | +32.4% |
| 2014 | 1.27 | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 1.27 | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 1.27 | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 0.788 | -37.8% |
| 2018 | 0.905 | +14.8% |
| 2019 | 0.792 | -12.5% |
| 2020 | 1.02 | +29.4% |
| 2021 | 0.873 | -14.8% |
| 2022 | 0.873 | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 0.873 | +0.0% |
| 2024 | 0.683 | -21.8% |
| 2025 | 0.683 | +0.0% |
Mauritania compared with similar countries
- Mauritania's 0.683 is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 0.292, 2.3× the median. (46 countries reporting)
- Mauritania's 0.683 is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 0.123, 5.6× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1900s | -0.052 | -0.052 | -0.052 | 6 |
| 1910s | -0.052 | -0.052 | -0.052 | 10 |
| 1920s | -0.052 | -0.052 | -0.052 | 10 |
| 1930s | -0.052 | -0.052 | -0.052 | 10 |
| 1940s | 0.2655 | -0.052 | 0.583 | 10 |
| 1950s | 0.583 | 0.583 | 0.583 | 10 |
| 1960s | 0.238 | 0.238 | 0.238 | 10 |
| 1970s | -0.1279 | -1.92 | 0.238 | 10 |
| 1980s | -1.81 | -1.92 | -1.58 | 10 |
| 1990s | -0.2617 | -1.58 | -0.013 | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.4772 | 0.012 | 1.18 | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.04 | 0.788 | 1.27 | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.835 | 0.683 | 1.02 | 6 |
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 key media freedoms in Mauritania?
- Key media freedoms in Mauritania was 0.683 in 2025, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest key media freedoms recorded in Mauritania?
- The highest recorded value was 1.27 in 2013.
- What is the lowest key media freedoms recorded in Mauritania?
- The lowest recorded value was -1.92 in 1979.
- How does Mauritania rank for key media freedoms?
- Mauritania ranks 80th out of 175 countries with data for 2025.
- Is key media freedoms rising or falling in Mauritania?
- Over the last ten years it is down 46.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Mauritania data come from?
- The figures come from V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Key media freedoms. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 122 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Central estimate of the extent to which the government directly or indirectly attempts to censor political content in print and broadcast media, through formal restrictions or indirect pressures such as financial control, licensing, or access to distribution channels.