Mauritania — Education spending
Government Education Spending (% of GDP) for Mauritania, 1997–2024.
Education spending for Mauritania was 7.61% in 2024, according to the latest World Bank data. The series covers 19 years, from 1997 to 2024. The latest year is also the highest value on record for this series. The lowest was 1.39% in 2022 (about 5.5× the low point). Across that span the compound annual growth rate works out to 5.98% per year.
Mauritania ranks 8 of 172 economies on this measure (1 = highest), putting it in the top 5%. The median for Sub-Saharan Africa is 3.61%, so Mauritania sits above it. Over the last decade (2014–2024) the figure moved up 198%. Within Sub-Saharan Africa it ranks 3 of 41 economies; Lesotho (6.62%) is just below it. Its sharpest one-year move was up 239% in 2023. That is 158% above this series' own ten-year average.
Data highlights
From its 1997 level: doubled by 2023. Doubling roughly every 12 years at that pace.
World ranking. Climbed: 33rd of 36 in 1997 → 152nd of 157 in 2020 → 4th of 39 in 2024.
Key figures
Full history — 1997 to 2024
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 7.61% | +2.9 pp |
| 2023 | 4.72% | +3.3 pp |
| 2022 | 1.39% | -0.5 pp |
| 2021 | 1.89% | +0.1 pp |
| 2020 | 1.8% | -0.0 pp |
| 2019 | 1.82% | -0.1 pp |
| 2016 | 1.94% | -0.9 pp |
| 2015 | 2.83% | +0.3 pp |
| 2014 | 2.56% | +0.3 pp |
| 2013 | 2.29% | +0.1 pp |
| 2012 | 2.16% | -0.2 pp |
| 2011 | 2.33% | +0.4 pp |
| 2006 | 1.96% | +0.0 pp |
| 2004 | 1.95% | -0.4 pp |
| 2003 | 2.37% | +0.1 pp |
| 2002 | 2.28% | +0.2 pp |
| 2001 | 2.11% | +0.4 pp |
| 1999 | 1.72% | +0.1 pp |
| 1997 | 1.59% | — |
Frequently asked questions
What was Mauritania’s Education spending in 1999?
1.72% (1999). The full year-by-year table above lists every published year, most recent first.
Are changes in this series measured in percentage points?
Yes. The series is a share expressed in % of GDP, so year-over-year movements in the Change column are percentage points (pp), not percent.
Is Mauritania’s Education spending growing or shrinking?
Between 1997 and 2024 the series was growing overall: +379.9% in total — about 6.0% a year compounded.
Where does this data come from?
World Bank Open Data (CC BY-4.0), indicator SE.XPD.TOTL.GD.ZS. Values are reproduced as published; this page only computes summary statistics such as change, CAGR and extremes.
What are the most recent published figures?
The last five published years: 2024: 7.61%; 2023: 4.72%; 2022: 1.39%; 2021: 1.89%; 2020: 1.8%. Earlier years are in the full-history table below.
Related data
SE.XPD.TOTL.GD.ZS — Government Education Spending (% of GDP). Data licensed under CC BY 4.0. Values are reproduced as published; this page computes the summary statistics (change, CAGR, extremes) from the underlying annual series. View the original dataset on data.worldbank.org.