Military spending as a share of GDP in Mauritania
Mauritania: Military spending as a share of GDP was 2.7% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Military spending as a share of GDP in Mauritania, 1985–2025
Source: Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
The most recent figure for military spending as a share of gdp in Mauritania is 2.7%, measured in 2025.
That represents a change of up 7.9% on the previous year and up 27.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, military spending as a share of gdp in Mauritania peaked at 5.9% in 1985 and was at its lowest, 1.9%, in 1998.
That places Mauritania 43rd out of 166 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 38 years of available data.
Military spending as a share of GDP in Mauritania, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1985 | 5.9% | — |
| 1986 | 5.0% | -15.3% |
| 1987 | 4.7% | -7.3% |
| 1988 | 4.5% | -3.9% |
| 1989 | 4.0% | -11.8% |
| 1990 | 3.8% | -3.4% |
| 1991 | 3.6% | -5.9% |
| 1992 | 2.7% | -25.3% |
| 1993 | 2.4% | -10.3% |
| 1994 | 2.2% | -7.1% |
| 1995 | 2.3% | +0.9% |
| 1996 | 2.6% | +16.2% |
| 1997 | 3.0% | +13.0% |
| 1998 | 1.9% | -37.2% |
| 1999 | 2.3% | +22.1% |
| 2000 | 2.9% | +28.8% |
| 2001 | 4.0% | +36.7% |
| 2002 | 2.7% | -31.6% |
| 2003 | 4.0% | +45.8% |
| 2004 | 3.8% | -3.9% |
| 2005 | 3.1% | -20.5% |
| 2006 | 2.7% | -11.7% |
| 2008 | 3.1% | +13.6% |
| 2009 | 3.1% | +2.5% |
| 2012 | 2.1% | -32.5% |
| 2013 | 2.0% | -5.6% |
| 2014 | 2.2% | +10.0% |
| 2015 | 2.2% | -1.9% |
| 2016 | 2.1% | -0.5% |
| 2017 | 2.1% | -1.1% |
| 2018 | 2.1% | +0.5% |
| 2019 | 2.0% | -4.3% |
| 2020 | 2.4% | +19.2% |
| 2021 | 2.5% | +2.3% |
| 2022 | 2.4% | -5.1% |
| 2023 | 2.6% | +9.8% |
| 2024 | 2.5% | -1.7% |
| 2025 | 2.7% | +7.9% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 4.8% | 4.0% | 5.9% | 5 |
| 1990s | 2.7% | 1.9% | 3.8% | 10 |
| 2000s | 3.3% | 2.7% | 4.0% | 9 |
| 2010s | 2.1% | 2.0% | 2.2% | 8 |
| 2020s | 2.5% | 2.4% | 2.7% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Mauritania
More economy & growth data for Mauritania
- Gross capital formation (constant 2015 US$), annual growth rate 4.25 % change on previous year (2025)
- Gross capital formation (constant 2015 US$), per unit of GDP 0.4522 constant 2015 US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Gross capital formation (constant 2015 US$), per capita 993.76 constant 2015 US$ per person (2025)
- Imports of goods and services (current US$), annual growth rate 11.44 % change on previous year (2025)
- Imports of goods and services (current US$), per unit of GDP 0.5417 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Imports of goods and services (current US$), per capita 1,190 current US$ per person (2025)
- Imports of goods and services (current LCU), annual growth rate 11.63 % change on previous year (2025)
- Imports of goods and services (current LCU), per unit of GDP 21.55 current LCU per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Imports of goods and services (current LCU), per capita 47,366 current LCU per person (2025)
- Imports of goods and services (constant 2015 US$), annual growth rate 4.98 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is military spending as a share of gdp in Mauritania?
- Military spending as a share of gdp in Mauritania was 2.7% in 2025, according to Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest military spending as a share of gdp recorded in Mauritania?
- The highest recorded value was 5.9% in 1985.
- What is the lowest military spending as a share of gdp recorded in Mauritania?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.9% in 1998.
- How does Mauritania rank for military spending as a share of gdp?
- Mauritania ranks 43rd out of 166 countries with data for 2025.
- Is military spending as a share of gdp rising or falling in Mauritania?
- Over the last ten years it is up 27.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Mauritania data come from?
- The figures come from Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Military spending as a share of GDP. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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About this data
Total military expenditure divided by gross domestic product, expressed as a percentage.