| Economy | Mauritania |
 = Fields  = World Records  = Dictionary  = Bar graph  = Distribution map  = Fields History  = Definitions |
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. Economic growth remained above 5% in 2010-11, mostly because of rising prices of gold, copper, iron ore, and oil. |
GDP (purchasing power parity):
|
$7.242 billion (2011 est.)
$6.834 billion (2010 est.)
$6.528 billion (2009 est.)
note: data are in 2011 US dollars |
GDP - per capita (PPP):
|
$2,200 (2011 est.)
$2,200 (2010 est.)
$2,100 (2009 est.)
note: data are in 2011 US dollars |
GDP (official exchange rate):
|
$4 billion (2011 est.) |
GDP - real growth rate:
|
5.1% (2011 est.)
5.2% (2010 est.)
-1.2% (2009 est.) |
GDP - composition by sector:
|
agriculture: 19.2%
industry: 36.6%
services: 44.1% (2011 est.) |
Investment (gross fixed):
|
27.4% of GDP (2011 est.) |
Population below poverty line:
|
40% (2004 est.) |
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
|
lowest 10%: 2.5%
highest 10%: 29.5% (2000) |
Distribution of family income - Gini index:
|
39 (2000)
37.3 (1995) |
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
|
6.5% (2011 est.)
6.3% (2010 est.) |
Central bank discount rate:
|
9% (31 December 2009 est.)
12% (31 December 2007) |
Commercial bank prime lending rate:
|
18% (31 December 2011 est.)
17% (31 December 2010 est.) |
Stock of money:
|
$NA |
Stock of money - per capita:
|
void |
Stock of quasi money:
|
$NA |
Stock of quasi money - per capita:
|
void |
Stock of domestic credit:
|
$2.148 billion (31 December 2011 est.)
$1.718 billion (31 December 2010 est.) |
Stock of domestic credit - per capita:
|
655 USD per capita |
Stock of narrow money:
|
$1.168 billion (31 December 2011 est.)
$940.5 million (31 December 2010 est.) |
Stock of broad money:
|
$1.422 billion (31 December 2011 est.)
$1.137 billion (31 December 2010 est.) |
Labor force:
|
1.318 million (2007) |
Labor force participation rate:
|
40.16 % of population |
Labor force - by occupation:
|
agriculture: 50%
industry: 10%
services: 40% (2001 est.) |
Unemployment rate:
|
30% (2008 est.)
20% (2004 est.) |
Unemployment, youth ages 15-24:
|
void |
Budget:
|
revenues: $1.409 billion
expenditures: $1.464 billion (2011 est.) |
Budget revenues per capita:
|
430 USD per capita |
Taxes and other revenues:
|
35.2% of GDP (2011 est.) |
Budget surplus (+) or deficit (-):
|
-1.4% of GDP (2011 est.) |
Public debt:
|
void |
Industries:
|
fish processing, oil production, mining of iron ore, gold, and copper
note: gypsum deposits have never been exploited |
Industrial production growth rate:
|
2% (2000 est.) |
Electricity - production:
|
547 million kWh (2008 est.) |
Electricity - production per capita:
|
167 kWh per capita |
Electricity - consumption:
|
508.7 million kWh (2008 est.) |
Electricity - consumption - per capita:
|
156 kWh per capita |
Electricity - exports:
|
0 kWh (2009 est.) |
Electricity - imports:
|
0 kWh (2009 est.) |
Oil - production:
|
11,640 bbl/day (2010 est.) |
Oil - production per capita:
|
3,548 bbl/day per capita |
Oil - consumption:
|
20,000 bbl/day (2010 est.) |
Oil - consumption - per capita:
|
2.22 bbl/year per capita |
Oil - exports:
|
10,000 bbl/day (2009 est.) |
Oil - imports:
|
17,750 bbl/day (2009 est.) |
Oil - proved reserves:
|
100 million bbl (1 January 2011 est.) |
Natural gas - production:
|
0 cu m (2009 est.) |
Natural gas - production per capita:
|
void |
Natural gas - consumption:
|
0 cu m (2009 est.) |
Natural gas - consumption - per capita:
|
void |
Natural gas - exports:
|
0 cu m (2009 est.) |
Natural gas - imports:
|
0 cu m (2009 est.) |
Natural gas - proved reserves:
|
28.32 billion cu m (1 January 2011 est.) |
Agriculture - products:
|
dates, millet, sorghum, rice, corn; cattle, sheep |
Current account balance:
|
-$296.6 million (2011 est.)
-$457.4 million (2010 est.) |
Current account balance - per capita:
|
-90 USD per capita |
Exports:
|
$2.745 billion (2011 est.)
$2.04 billion (2010 est.) |
Exports per capita:
|
837 USD per capita |
Exports - commodities:
|
iron ore, fish and fish products, gold, copper, petroleum |
Exports - partners:
|
China 41.5%, France 9%, Cote dIvoire 6.3%, Italy 6.2%, Japan 6%, Spain 5.6%, Netherlands 4% (2010) |
Imports:
|
$2.633 billion (2011 est.)
$2.029 billion (2010 est.) |
Imports per capita:
|
803 USD per capita |
Imports - commodities:
|
machinery and equipment, petroleum products, capital goods, foodstuffs, consumer goods |
Imports - partners:
|
China 12.3%, France 11.4%, Netherlands 10.8%, Belgium 5.7%, Brazil 4.6%, Spain 4.5% (2010) |
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
|
$325 million (31 December 2011 est.)
$280 million (31 December 2010 est.) |
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold - per capita:
|
100 USD per capita |
Debt - external:
|
$2.791 billion (31 December 2011 est.)
$2.344 billion (31 December 2010 est.) |
Debt - external - per capita:
|
851 USD per capita |
Stock of direct foreign investment - at home:
|
void |
Stock of direct foreign investment - at home - per capita:
|
void |
Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad:
|
void |
Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad - per capita:
|
void |
Market value of publicly traded shares:
|
$NA |
Market value of publicly traded shares - per capita:
|
void |
Currency (code):
|
ouguiya (MRO) |
Exchange rates:
|
ouguiyas (MRO) per US dollar -
273.3 (2011 est.)
274.83 (2010 est.)
262.4 (2009)
238.2 (2008)
258.6 (2007) |
Fiscal year:
|
calendar year |
|
= Fields = World Records = Dictionary = Bar graph = Distribution map = Fields History = Definitions |
|
Home 
Geographic Names
Chiefs of State
Intl. Organizations
Intl. Environmental Agree.
Other References
