Imports of goods and services in Mauritania
Mauritania: Imports of goods and services was 54.2% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Imports of goods and services in Mauritania, 1961–2025
Source: Country official statistics, National Statistical Offices (NSOs). Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
In 2025, imports of goods and services in Mauritania stood at 54.2%.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 3.8% on the previous year and up 14.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, imports of goods and services in Mauritania peaked at 62.5% in 2012 and was at its lowest, 14.5%, in 1966.
Mauritania ranks 70th of 193 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 65 years of available data.
Imports of goods and services in Mauritania, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 18.7% | — |
| 1962 | 21.5% | +14.9% |
| 1963 | 20.4% | -5.0% |
| 1964 | 15.6% | -23.4% |
| 1965 | 14.9% | -4.4% |
| 1966 | 14.5% | -2.6% |
| 1967 | 16.1% | +10.7% |
| 1968 | 15.2% | -5.8% |
| 1969 | 16.2% | +7.1% |
| 1970 | 17.2% | +6.2% |
| 1971 | 17.0% | -1.4% |
| 1972 | 34.0% | +100.0% |
| 1973 | 32.0% | -5.8% |
| 1974 | 40.9% | +27.9% |
| 1975 | 41.7% | +1.9% |
| 1976 | 53.8% | +29.0% |
| 1977 | 50.8% | -5.5% |
| 1978 | 44.8% | -11.9% |
| 1979 | 41.3% | -7.8% |
| 1980 | 46.0% | +11.5% |
| 1981 | 51.8% | +12.4% |
| 1982 | 58.5% | +13.0% |
| 1983 | 52.7% | -9.9% |
| 1984 | 50.5% | -4.1% |
| 1985 | 55.8% | +10.5% |
| 1986 | 54.8% | -1.8% |
| 1987 | 46.0% | -16.0% |
| 1988 | 43.5% | -5.3% |
| 1989 | 39.2% | -10.0% |
| 1990 | 41.9% | +7.0% |
| 1991 | 28.3% | -32.6% |
| 1992 | 20.0% | -29.4% |
| 1993 | 20.7% | +3.8% |
| 1994 | 28.0% | +35.1% |
| 1995 | 31.9% | +14.1% |
| 1996 | 31.3% | -2.0% |
| 1997 | 29.4% | -6.2% |
| 1998 | 26.9% | -8.3% |
| 1999 | 26.4% | -1.8% |
| 2000 | 33.4% | +26.4% |
| 2001 | 35.2% | +5.2% |
| 2002 | 32.0% | -9.0% |
| 2003 | 36.2% | +13.1% |
| 2004 | 51.9% | +43.5% |
| 2005 | 61.5% | +18.3% |
| 2006 | 40.4% | -34.2% |
| 2007 | 45.5% | +12.7% |
| 2008 | 52.5% | +15.3% |
| 2009 | 44.8% | -14.8% |
| 2010 | 47.7% | +6.5% |
| 2011 | 48.3% | +1.3% |
| 2012 | 62.5% | +29.4% |
| 2013 | 56.9% | -9.1% |
| 2014 | 54.2% | -4.6% |
| 2015 | 47.2% | -13.0% |
| 2016 | 39.2% | -16.8% |
| 2017 | 44.3% | +13.0% |
| 2018 | 52.6% | +18.6% |
| 2019 | 51.1% | -2.8% |
| 2020 | 45.4% | -11.2% |
| 2021 | 48.5% | +6.8% |
| 2022 | 62.3% | +28.6% |
| 2023 | 53.8% | -13.7% |
| 2024 | 52.2% | -2.9% |
| 2025 | 54.2% | +3.8% |
Mauritania compared with similar countries
- Mauritania's 54.2% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 41.9%, 1.3× the median. (45 countries reporting)
- Mauritania's 54.2% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 30.0%, 1.8× the median. (45 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Imports of goods and services in Mauritania changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1972 | +100.0% | 17.0% | 34.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 17.0% | 14.5% | 21.5% | 9 |
| 1970s | 37.4% | 17.0% | 53.8% | 10 |
| 1980s | 49.9% | 39.2% | 58.5% | 10 |
| 1990s | 28.5% | 20.0% | 41.9% | 10 |
| 2000s | 43.3% | 32.0% | 61.5% | 10 |
| 2010s | 50.4% | 39.2% | 62.5% | 10 |
| 2020s | 52.7% | 45.4% | 62.3% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Mauritania
More economy & growth data for Mauritania
- Foreign direct investment, net outflows (BoP, current US$), gaps 3.90 million BoP, current US$ (2024)
- Foreign direct investment, net outflows (BoP, current US$), per unit 0.0004 BoP, current US$ per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Foreign direct investment, net outflows (BoP, current US$), per capita 0.7539 BoP, current US$ per person (2024)
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$), gaps filled 1.44 billion BoP, current US$ (2024)
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$), annual 69.78 % change on previous year (2024)
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$), per unit 0.1324 BoP, current US$ per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$), per capita 278.62 BoP, current US$ per person (2024)
- Total reserves (includes gold, current US$), annual growth rate 36.52 % change on previous year (2021)
- Total reserves (includes gold, current US$), per unit of GDP 0.2211 includes gold, current US$ per US$ of GDP (2021)
- Total reserves (includes gold, current US$), per capita 430.54 includes gold, current US$ per person (2021)
Frequently asked questions
- What is imports of goods and services in Mauritania?
- Imports of goods and services in Mauritania was 54.2% in 2025, according to Country official statistics, National Statistical Offices (NSOs).
- What is the highest imports of goods and services recorded in Mauritania?
- The highest recorded value was 62.5% in 2012.
- What is the lowest imports of goods and services recorded in Mauritania?
- The lowest recorded value was 14.5% in 1966.
- How does Mauritania rank for imports of goods and services?
- Mauritania ranks 70th out of 193 countries with data for 2025.
- Is imports of goods and services rising or falling in Mauritania?
- Over the last ten years it is up 14.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Mauritania data come from?
- The figures come from Country official statistics, National Statistical Offices (NSOs), published as part of Imports of goods and services (% of GDP). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 65 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Imports of goods includes change in the economic ownership of goods from non-residents to residents of the compiling economy, irrespective of physical movement of goods across national borders. Imports of services includes services provided by non-residents to residents. This indicator is expressed as a percentage of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) which is the total income earned through the production of goods and services in an economic territory during an accounting period.