Coverage of essential health services in Mauritania
Mauritania: Coverage of essential health services was 40 in 2023. ▲ Rising
Coverage of essential health services in Mauritania, 2000–2023
Source: Universal Health Coverage Dataset, WHO, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
The most recent figure for coverage of essential health services in Mauritania is 40, measured in 2023.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 14.3% on the previous year and up 37.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, coverage of essential health services in Mauritania peaked at 41 in 2018 and was at its lowest, 23, in 2000.
That places Mauritania 184th out of 193 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 24 years of available data.
Coverage of essential health services in Mauritania, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 23 | — |
| 2001 | 23 | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 23 | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 24 | +4.3% |
| 2004 | 24 | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 24 | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 26 | +8.3% |
| 2007 | 26 | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 27 | +3.8% |
| 2009 | 30 | +11.1% |
| 2010 | 33 | +10.0% |
| 2011 | 31 | -6.1% |
| 2012 | 29 | -6.5% |
| 2013 | 29 | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 29 | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 31 | +6.9% |
| 2016 | 32 | +3.2% |
| 2017 | 39 | +21.9% |
| 2018 | 41 | +5.1% |
| 2019 | 38 | -7.3% |
| 2020 | 38 | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 39 | +2.6% |
| 2022 | 35 | -10.3% |
| 2023 | 40 | +14.3% |
Mauritania compared with similar countries
- Mauritania's 40 is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 56, 71% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Mauritania's 40 is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 48, 83% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 25 | 23 | 30 | 10 |
| 2010s | 33.2 | 29 | 41 | 10 |
| 2020s | 38 | 35 | 40 | 4 |
Countries ranked near Mauritania
- 181 Democratic Republic of Congo 41 compare
- 181 Mali 41 compare
- 181 South Sudan 41 compare
- 184 Eritrea 40 compare
- 186 Central African Republic 39 compare
- 186 Niger 39 compare
More health data for Mauritania
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -0.8878 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate 1.19 % change on previous year (2090)
- Estimated changes in temperature-related death rates compared to projected death rates 653 deaths per 1,000 people (2090)
- Number of infants who die before age 1 1,563 deaths (2100)
- Neonatal tetanus - number of reported cases, gaps filled 0 (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, annual growth rate 1.77 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, per capita 0.077 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, annual growth rate 1.77 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is coverage of essential health services in Mauritania?
- Coverage of essential health services in Mauritania was 40 in 2023, according to Universal Health Coverage Dataset, WHO, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest coverage of essential health services recorded in Mauritania?
- The highest recorded value was 41 in 2018.
- What is the lowest coverage of essential health services recorded in Mauritania?
- The lowest recorded value was 23 in 2000.
- How does Mauritania rank for coverage of essential health services?
- Mauritania ranks 184th out of 193 countries with data for 2023.
- Is coverage of essential health services rising or falling in Mauritania?
- Over the last ten years it is up 37.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Mauritania data come from?
- The figures come from Universal Health Coverage Dataset, WHO, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Coverage of essential health services. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 24 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Coverage of essential health services is measured as an index on a scale of 0 to 100 (where higher is better). This index is based on risk-standardized death rates – which give a measure of healthcare access and quality – and whether common interventions are carried out.