Political Rights Rating in Mauritania
Mauritania: Political Rights Rating was 5 in 2025. ▼ Falling
Latest (2025)
5
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
64th
of 199 countries
All-time high
7
in 1979
All-time low
4
in 2007
Years of data
53
1972–2025
Political Rights Rating in Mauritania, 1972–2025
Source: Freedom House (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2025, political rights rating in Mauritania stood at 5.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 16.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, political rights rating in Mauritania peaked at 7 in 1979 and was at its lowest, 4, in 2007.
That places Mauritania 64th out of 199 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 53 years of available data.
Political Rights Rating in Mauritania, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1972 | 6 | — |
| 1973 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 1974 | 5 | -16.7% |
| 1975 | 6 | +20.0% |
| 1976 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 1977 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 1978 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 1979 | 7 | +16.7% |
| 1980 | 7 | +0.0% |
| 1982 | 7 | +0.0% |
| 1983 | 7 | +0.0% |
| 1984 | 7 | +0.0% |
| 1985 | 7 | +0.0% |
| 1986 | 7 | +0.0% |
| 1987 | 6 | -14.3% |
| 1988 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 1989 | 7 | +16.7% |
| 1990 | 7 | +0.0% |
| 1991 | 7 | +0.0% |
| 1992 | 7 | +0.0% |
| 1993 | 7 | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 7 | +0.0% |
| 1995 | 6 | -14.3% |
| 1996 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 1997 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 1998 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 1999 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 5 | -16.7% |
| 2002 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 6 | +20.0% |
| 2004 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 5 | -16.7% |
| 2007 | 4 | -20.0% |
| 2008 | 6 | +50.0% |
| 2009 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 5 | -16.7% |
| 2020 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 2024 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 2025 | 5 | +0.0% |
Mauritania compared with similar countries
- Mauritania's 5 is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 5, 1.0× the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Mauritania's 5 is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 6, 83% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 6 | 5 | 7 | 8 |
| 1980s | 6.78 | 6 | 7 | 9 |
| 1990s | 6.5 | 6 | 7 | 10 |
| 2000s | 5.5 | 4 | 6 | 10 |
| 2010s | 5.9 | 5 | 6 | 10 |
| 2020s | 5 | 5 | 5 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Mauritania
- 64 Bangladesh 5 compare
- 64 Bosnia and Herzegovina 5 compare
- 64 Comoros 5 compare
- 64 Cote d'Ivoire 5 compare
- 64 El Salvador 5 compare
- 64 Iraq 5 compare
- 64 Jordan 5 compare
- 64 Lebanon 5 compare
- 64 Madagascar 5 compare
- 64 Morocco 5 compare
- 64 Mozambique 5 compare
- 64 Pakistan 5 compare
- 64 Turkey 5 compare
- 64 USSR 5 compare
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)
- 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)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 94.27 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is political rights rating in Mauritania?
- Political rights rating in Mauritania was 5 in 2025, according to Freedom House (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest political rights rating recorded in Mauritania?
- The highest recorded value was 7 in 1979.
- What is the lowest political rights rating recorded in Mauritania?
- The lowest recorded value was 4 in 2007.
- How does Mauritania rank for political rights rating?
- Mauritania ranks 64th out of 199 countries with data for 2025.
- Is political rights rating rising or falling in Mauritania?
- Over the last ten years it is down 16.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Mauritania data come from?
- The figures come from Freedom House (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Political Rights Rating. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Identifies the extent of free and fair elections, political pluralism and participation, and a functioning government. Lower ratings indicate more rights.