Geographical location :
Located in Northwest Africa, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the west, Western Sahara to the north, Algeria to the northeast, Mali to the east and southeast, and Senegal to the southwest.
Official languages: Arabic (official);
Pulaar, Soninke, Wolof, and other local languages are widely used.
(i.e. 5,169,395) World Bank / Mauritania data
nominal, current US$
Note. World Bank Data: GDP per capita, Mauritania ~ USD 2,082.82
World Bank Open Data
GDP growth in 2024: ~ 5.2 %
countryeconomy.com
Why Mauritania is considered a fragile / “failed-state” candidate.
Mauritania displays multiple features of state fragility: concentration of power, weak institutional checks, and dependency on extractive industries. According to the BTI 2024 report, debates over national identity, race, and citizenship have persistent destabilizing effects on politics.
BTI 2024
The country is highly vulnerable to external shocks—price swings in mining and oil, security spillovers from the Sahel region—and the IMF has warned that its recent macroeconomic gains are fragile and exposed.
The banking sector, though profitable, fails to provide broad financial inclusion, limiting its developmental impact.
Historically, Mauritania has oscillated between fragile stability and episodes of crisis: recurring coups, ethnic tensions, and limited state presence in border and desert regions have tested its cohesion.
