Economy - overview:
Half the population still depends on agriculture and livestock for a livelihood, even though many of the nomads and subsistence farmers were forced into the cities by recurrent droughts in the 1970s and 1980s. Mauritania has extensive deposits of iron ore, which account for nearly 40% of total exports. The nation's coastal waters are among the richest fishing areas in the world but overexploitation by foreigners threatens this key source of revenue. The country's first deepwater port opened near Nouakchott in 1986. Before 2000, drought and economic mismanagement resulted in a buildup of foreign debt. In February 2000, Mauritania qualified for debt relief under the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) initiative and nearly all of its foreign debt has since been forgiven. A new investment code approved in December 2001 improved the opportunities for direct foreign investment. Mauritania and the IMF agreed to a three-year Poverty Reduction and Growth Facility (PRGF) arrangement in 2006. Mauritania made satisfactory progress, but the IMF, World Bank, and other international actors suspended assistance and investment in Mauritania after the August 2008 coup. Since the presidential election in July 2009, donors have resumed assistance. Oil prospects, while initially promising, have largely failed to materialize, and the government has placed a priority on attracting private investment to spur economic growth. The Government also emphasizes reduction of poverty, improvement of health and education, and privatization of the economy.
GDP (purchasing power parity): GDP (official exchange rate): GDP - real growth rate: GDP - per capita (PPP): GDP - composition by sector: Labor force: Labor force - by occupation: Unemployment rate: Population below poverty line: Household income or consumption by percentage share: Distribution of family income - Gini index: Budget: Inflation rate (consumer prices): Central bank discount rate: Commercial bank prime lending rate: Stock of domestic credit: Market value of publicly traded shares: Agriculture - products: Industries: Industrial production growth rate: Electricity - production: Electricity - consumption: Electricity - exports: Electricity - imports: Oil - production: Oil - consumption: Oil - exports: Oil - imports: Oil - proved reserves: Natural gas - production: Natural gas - consumption: Natural gas - exports: Natural gas - imports: Natural gas - proved reserves: Current account balance: Exports: Exports - commodities: Exports - partners: Imports: Imports - commodities: Imports - partners: Debt - external: Exchange rates:
NOTE: The information regarding Mauritania on this page is re-published from the 2011 World Fact Book of the United States Central Intelligence Agency. No claims are made regarding the accuracy of Mauritania Economy 2011 information contained here. All suggestions for corrections of any errors about Mauritania Economy 2011 should be addressed to the CIA.
$6.8 billion (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 152
note:
data are in 2010 US dollars
[see also: GDP (purchasing power parity) country ranks ]
$3.486 billion (2009 est.)
[see also: GDP (official exchange rate) country ranks ]
5% (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 58
[see also: GDP - real growth rate country ranks ]
$2,100 (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 188
note:
data are in 2010 US dollars
[see also: GDP - per capita country ranks ]
agriculture: 12.5%
[see also: GDP - composition by sector - agriculture country ranks ]
industry:
46.7%
[see also: GDP - composition by sector - industry country ranks ]
services:
40.7% (2008 est.)
[see also: GDP - composition by sector - services country ranks ]
1.318 million (2007)
country comparison to the world: 135
[see also: Labor force country ranks ]
agriculture: 50%
[see also: Labor force - by occupation - agriculture country ranks ]
industry:
10%
[see also: Labor force - by occupation - industry country ranks ]
services:
40% (2001 est.)
[see also: Labor force - by occupation - services country ranks ]
30% (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 180
[see also: Unemployment rate country ranks ]
40% (2004 est.)
[see also: Population below poverty line country ranks ]
lowest 10%: 2.5%
[see also: Household income or consumption by percentage share - lowest 10% country ranks ]
highest 10%:
29.5% (2000)
[see also: Household income or consumption by percentage share - highest 10% country ranks ]
39 (2000)
country comparison to the world: 71
[see also: Distribution of family income - Gini index country ranks ]
revenues: $770 million
[see also: Budget - revenues country ranks ]
expenditures:
$770 million (2007 est.)
[see also: Budget - expenditures country ranks ]
7.3% (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 184
[see also: Inflation rate (consumer prices) country ranks ]
NA% (31 December 2009)
country comparison to the world: 33
[see also: Central bank discount rate country ranks ]
NA%
[see also: Commercial bank prime lending rate country ranks ]
$NA
[see also: Stock of domestic credit country ranks ]
$NA
[see also: Market value of publicly traded shares country ranks ]
dates, millet, sorghum, rice, corn; cattle, sheep
fish processing, oil production, mining of iron ore, gold, and copper
note:
gypsum deposits have never been exploited
2% (2000 est.)
country comparison to the world: 132
[see also: Industrial production growth rate country ranks ]
415.3 million kWh (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 163
[see also: Electricity - production country ranks ]
386.2 million kWh (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 165
[see also: Electricity - consumption country ranks ]
0 kWh (2008 est.)
[see also: Electricity - exports country ranks ]
0 kWh (2008 est.)
[see also: Electricity - imports country ranks ]
16,510 bbl/day (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 77
[see also: Oil - production country ranks ]
20,000 bbl/day (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 127
[see also: Oil - consumption country ranks ]
30,620 bbl/day (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 86
[see also: Oil - exports country ranks ]
20,610 bbl/day (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 110
[see also: Oil - imports country ranks ]
100 million bbl (1 January 2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 68
[see also: Oil - proved reserves country ranks ]
0 cu m (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 145
[see also: Natural gas - production country ranks ]
0 cu m (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 138
[see also: Natural gas - consumption country ranks ]
0 cu m (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 152
[see also: Natural gas - exports country ranks ]
0 cu m (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 94
[see also: Natural gas - imports country ranks ]
28.32 billion cu m (1 January 2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 72
[see also: Natural gas - proved reserves country ranks ]
-$184 million (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 86
[see also: Current account balance country ranks ]
$1.395 billion (2006)
country comparison to the world: 142
[see also: Exports country ranks ]
iron ore, fish and fish products, gold, copper, petroleum
China 42.06%, Italy 9.71%, Japan 7.57%, Cote d'Ivoire 6.16%, Spain 5.63%, Netherlands 4.32% (2009)
$1.475 billion (2006)
country comparison to the world: 164
[see also: Imports country ranks ]
machinery and equipment, petroleum products, capital goods, foodstuffs, consumer goods
France 14.3%, Netherlands 10.33%, China 9.94%, Brazil 5.58%, Belgium 4.87%, Germany 4.04%, Spain 4.02% (2009)
$NA
[see also: Debt - external country ranks ]
ouguiyas (MRO) per US dollar - 261.5 (2010 est.), 262.4 (2009), 238.2 (2008), 258.6 (2007), 271.3 (2006)
This page was last modified 09-Feb-11