Infant mortality rate by sex in Mauritania
Mauritania: Infant mortality rate by sex was 2.68 deaths per 100 live births in 2024. ▼ Falling
Infant mortality rate by sex in Mauritania, 1950–2024
Source: United Nations Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation (2025) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in deaths per 100 live births.
Analysis
Mauritania recorded 2.68 deaths per 100 live births for infant mortality rate by sex in 2024. That is the lowest value across all 75 years on record.
That represents a change of down 2.9% on the previous year and down 23.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, infant mortality rate by sex in Mauritania peaked at 13.92 deaths per 100 live births in 1950 and was at its lowest, 2.68 deaths per 100 live births, in 2024.
Mauritania ranks 46th of 199 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 75 years of available data.
Infant mortality rate by sex in Mauritania, year by year
| Year | deaths per 100 live births | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 13.92 deaths per 100 live births | — |
| 1951 | 13.82 deaths per 100 live births | -0.8% |
| 1952 | 13.7 deaths per 100 live births | -0.8% |
| 1953 | 13.58 deaths per 100 live births | -0.9% |
| 1954 | 13.43 deaths per 100 live births | -1.1% |
| 1955 | 13.27 deaths per 100 live births | -1.2% |
| 1956 | 13.1 deaths per 100 live births | -1.3% |
| 1957 | 12.92 deaths per 100 live births | -1.4% |
| 1958 | 12.73 deaths per 100 live births | -1.5% |
| 1959 | 12.51 deaths per 100 live births | -1.8% |
| 1960 | 12.25 deaths per 100 live births | -2.0% |
| 1961 | 12.01 deaths per 100 live births | -2.0% |
| 1962 | 11.75 deaths per 100 live births | -2.1% |
| 1963 | 11.5 deaths per 100 live births | -2.1% |
| 1964 | 11.24 deaths per 100 live births | -2.3% |
| 1965 | 10.96 deaths per 100 live births | -2.5% |
| 1966 | 10.66 deaths per 100 live births | -2.7% |
| 1967 | 10.36 deaths per 100 live births | -2.9% |
| 1968 | 12.33 deaths per 100 live births | +19.1% |
| 1969 | 12.04 deaths per 100 live births | -2.3% |
| 1970 | 11.86 deaths per 100 live births | -1.6% |
| 1971 | 11.75 deaths per 100 live births | -0.8% |
| 1972 | 11.74 deaths per 100 live births | -0.1% |
| 1973 | 11.75 deaths per 100 live births | +0.1% |
| 1974 | 11.74 deaths per 100 live births | -0.0% |
| 1975 | 9.82 deaths per 100 live births | -16.4% |
| 1976 | 9.72 deaths per 100 live births | -1.0% |
| 1977 | 9.55 deaths per 100 live births | -1.7% |
| 1978 | 9.33 deaths per 100 live births | -2.3% |
| 1979 | 9.1 deaths per 100 live births | -2.5% |
| 1980 | 8.86 deaths per 100 live births | -2.6% |
| 1981 | 8.64 deaths per 100 live births | -2.5% |
| 1982 | 8.41 deaths per 100 live births | -2.6% |
| 1983 | 8.16 deaths per 100 live births | -3.0% |
| 1984 | 7.89 deaths per 100 live births | -3.4% |
| 1985 | 7.57 deaths per 100 live births | -4.0% |
| 1986 | 7.27 deaths per 100 live births | -4.0% |
| 1987 | 7 deaths per 100 live births | -3.7% |
| 1988 | 6.79 deaths per 100 live births | -3.1% |
| 1989 | 6.65 deaths per 100 live births | -2.1% |
| 1990 | 6.56 deaths per 100 live births | -1.3% |
| 1991 | 6.52 deaths per 100 live births | -0.6% |
| 1992 | 6.51 deaths per 100 live births | -0.2% |
| 1993 | 6.51 deaths per 100 live births | -0.1% |
| 1994 | 6.51 deaths per 100 live births | -0.1% |
| 1995 | 6.5 deaths per 100 live births | -0.1% |
| 1996 | 6.47 deaths per 100 live births | -0.5% |
| 1997 | 6.41 deaths per 100 live births | -0.9% |
| 1998 | 6.32 deaths per 100 live births | -1.5% |
| 1999 | 6.17 deaths per 100 live births | -2.3% |
| 2000 | 5.98 deaths per 100 live births | -3.2% |
| 2001 | 5.74 deaths per 100 live births | -4.0% |
| 2002 | 5.47 deaths per 100 live births | -4.6% |
| 2003 | 5.18 deaths per 100 live births | -5.3% |
| 2004 | 4.9 deaths per 100 live births | -5.5% |
| 2005 | 4.62 deaths per 100 live births | -5.6% |
| 2006 | 4.38 deaths per 100 live births | -5.2% |
| 2007 | 4.18 deaths per 100 live births | -4.6% |
| 2008 | 4.02 deaths per 100 live births | -3.9% |
| 2009 | 3.9 deaths per 100 live births | -3.0% |
| 2010 | 3.8 deaths per 100 live births | -2.6% |
| 2011 | 3.72 deaths per 100 live births | -2.1% |
| 2012 | 3.65 deaths per 100 live births | -1.9% |
| 2013 | 3.58 deaths per 100 live births | -1.9% |
| 2014 | 3.5 deaths per 100 live births | -2.0% |
| 2015 | 3.43 deaths per 100 live births | -2.1% |
| 2016 | 3.35 deaths per 100 live births | -2.2% |
| 2017 | 3.27 deaths per 100 live births | -2.4% |
| 2018 | 3.19 deaths per 100 live births | -2.6% |
| 2019 | 3.1 deaths per 100 live births | -2.6% |
| 2020 | 3.01 deaths per 100 live births | -2.9% |
| 2021 | 2.93 deaths per 100 live births | -2.8% |
| 2022 | 2.84 deaths per 100 live births | -2.9% |
| 2023 | 2.76 deaths per 100 live births | -2.9% |
| 2024 | 2.68 deaths per 100 live births | -2.9% |
Mauritania compared with similar countries
- Mauritania's 2.68 deaths per 100 live births is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 2.51 deaths per 100 live births, 1.1× the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Mauritania's 2.68 deaths per 100 live births is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 3.31 deaths per 100 live births, 81% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 13.3 deaths per 100 live births | 12.51 deaths per 100 live births | 13.92 deaths per 100 live births | 10 |
| 1960s | 11.51 deaths per 100 live births | 10.36 deaths per 100 live births | 12.33 deaths per 100 live births | 10 |
| 1970s | 10.63 deaths per 100 live births | 9.1 deaths per 100 live births | 11.86 deaths per 100 live births | 10 |
| 1980s | 7.72 deaths per 100 live births | 6.65 deaths per 100 live births | 8.86 deaths per 100 live births | 10 |
| 1990s | 6.45 deaths per 100 live births | 6.17 deaths per 100 live births | 6.56 deaths per 100 live births | 10 |
| 2000s | 4.84 deaths per 100 live births | 3.9 deaths per 100 live births | 5.98 deaths per 100 live births | 10 |
| 2010s | 3.46 deaths per 100 live births | 3.1 deaths per 100 live births | 3.8 deaths per 100 live births | 10 |
| 2020s | 2.85 deaths per 100 live births | 2.68 deaths per 100 live births | 3.01 deaths per 100 live births | 5 |
Countries ranked near Mauritania
- 43 Gambia 2.85 deaths per 100 live births compare
- 44 Angola 2.83 deaths per 100 live births compare
- 45 Burundi 2.69 deaths per 100 live births compare
- 47 Rwanda 2.62 deaths per 100 live births compare
- 48 Turkmenistan 2.59 deaths per 100 live births compare
- 49 Tanzania 2.57 deaths per 100 live births 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)
- 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)
- Population ages 00-04, male, per capita 0.0789 units per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is infant mortality rate by sex in Mauritania?
- Infant mortality rate by sex in Mauritania was 2.68 deaths per 100 live births in 2024, according to United Nations Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation (2025) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest infant mortality rate by sex recorded in Mauritania?
- The highest recorded value was 13.92 deaths per 100 live births in 1950.
- What is the lowest infant mortality rate by sex recorded in Mauritania?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.68 deaths per 100 live births in 2024.
- How does Mauritania rank for infant mortality rate by sex?
- Mauritania ranks 46th out of 199 countries with data for 2024.
- Is infant mortality rate by sex rising or falling in Mauritania?
- Over the last ten years it is down 23.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Mauritania data come from?
- The figures come from United Nations Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation (2025) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Infant mortality rate by sex. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 75 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Estimated number of deaths of female children aged under one year, per 100 live births .