Country profile

Mauritania

Sub-Saharan Africa Lower middle income5.17M inhabitants

Last updated December 1, 2025

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Composite GEFRI Score

Critically unprepared

Mauritania is critically unprepared for education futures (15th percentile worldwide). Core capabilities are weak across most dimensions, and essential systems face significant constraints. Higher scores indicate a system that is better prepared to anticipate and shape the future of learning.

25.86Composite score
Global percentile
15th
Global rank
#151
Regional rank
#23
Viewing data for
Infrastructure
32.77
14th percentileGlobal avg. 56.53
Human Capital
25.14
9th percentileGlobal avg. 47.25
Innovation
28.76
21st percentileGlobal avg. 43.36
Governance
32.63
25th percentileGlobal avg. 47.71
Access & Parity
10.00
31st percentileGlobal avg. 49.41

Country profile

Mauritania trails global peers in Infrastructure (33, 14th percentile), Governance (33, 25th percentile), Innovation (29, 21st percentile), and Human Capital (25, 9th percentile). A coordinated reform effort is needed to strengthen education futures readiness.

Uneven scores across dimensions highlight areas that need targeted coordination. Limited electricity or internet coverage still constrains classrooms, preventing large-scale digital instruction. Literacy or tertiary enrollment gaps thin the talent pipeline and limit the country’s capacity to develop future-ready skills.

Sparse R&D investment and a small research workforce slow experimentation and delay new ideas from reaching learners. Policy execution and regulatory capacity remain weak, leaving reforms fragmented and hard to sustain. Girls outperform boys in secondary pathways, adding pressure to address male dropout risks.

Regionally, Human Capital lags peers the most, signalling where investment could have the highest impact.

Note: Most indicators rely on observed data, offering a dependable evidence base for decisions.

Key insights

  • Falls below many peers at the 15th percentile.
  • Places 151st worldwide.
  • Holds a regional position of 23rd within Sub-Saharan Africa .
  • Scores range from Infrastructure (32.8) to Access & Parity (10.0), reflecting variation across dimensions.

Regional peers: Sub-Saharan Africa

Composite GEFRI score

Global rankRegional rankCountryScore
641South Africa57.14
652Mauritius56.84
——SeychellesMicrostate55.82
723Botswana55.57
1084Namibia43.84
1105Ghana41.23
1146Cabo Verde39.72
1207Eswatini37.49
1278Gabon34.54
1289Equatorial Guinea34.53
13010Senegal33.52
13111Rwanda33.46
13312Kenya32.24
13513Cote d'Ivoire31.84
13714Lesotho31.43
13915Gambia, The30.95
——Sao Tome and PrincipeFCSMicrostate29.38
14216Zambia28.60
14317Tanzania28.42
14418Benin28.31
14619Togo28.16
14720Angola27.99
14821ZimbabweFCS27.68
15022CameroonFCS27.47
15123Mauritania25.86
15224Sierra Leone25.59
15325ComorosFCS25.31
15426MozambiqueFCS24.91
15527Congo, Rep.FCS24.74
15728NigeriaFCS24.13
15829Madagascar23.50
15930Malawi23.45
16031EthiopiaFCS23.38
16132Burkina FasoFCS23.24
16333MaliFCS23.05
16434Guinea22.80
16535Uganda22.62
16636Guinea-BissauFCS21.96
16737Liberia21.24
16838NigerFCS20.29
16939SudanFCS20.02
17040BurundiFCS18.76
17141EritreaFCS18.47
17242Congo, Dem. Rep.FCS18.44
17443ChadFCS15.58
17544South SudanFCS15.30
17645Somalia, Fed. Rep.FCS14.87
17746Central African RepublicFCS13.56