Armed forces personnel, total in Mauritania
Mauritania: Armed forces personnel, total was 21,000 in 2020. ▲ Rising
Armed forces personnel, total in Mauritania, 1985–2020
Source: The Military Balance, International Institute for Strategic Studies.
Analysis
The most recent figure for armed forces personnel, total in Mauritania is 21,000, measured in 2020. That is the highest value across all 33 years on record.
That represents a change of up 0.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, armed forces personnel, total in Mauritania peaked at 21,000 in 2005 and was at its lowest, 8,500, in 1985.
Mauritania ranks 104th of 173 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 33 years of available data.
Armed forces personnel, total in Mauritania, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1985 | 8,500 | — |
| 1989 | 16,000 | +88.2% |
| 1990 | 17,000 | +6.2% |
| 1991 | 17,000 | +0.0% |
| 1992 | 16,000 | -5.9% |
| 1993 | 16,000 | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 11,000 | -31.2% |
| 1995 | 20,700 | +88.2% |
| 1996 | 20,700 | +0.0% |
| 1997 | 20,650 | -0.2% |
| 1998 | 20,650 | +0.0% |
| 1999 | 20,650 | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 20,700 | +0.2% |
| 2001 | 20,600 | -0.5% |
| 2002 | 20,700 | +0.5% |
| 2003 | 20,700 | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 20,000 | -3.4% |
| 2005 | 21,000 | +5.0% |
| 2006 | 21,000 | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 21,000 | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 21,000 | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 20,870 | -0.6% |
| 2010 | 20,870 | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 20,850 | -0.1% |
| 2012 | 20,850 | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 20,850 | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 20,850 | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 20,850 | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 20,850 | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 21,000 | +0.7% |
| 2018 | 20,850 | -0.7% |
| 2019 | 21,000 | +0.7% |
| 2020 | 21,000 | +0.0% |
Mauritania compared with similar countries
- Mauritania's 21,000 is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 23,000, 91% of the median. (43 countries reporting)
- Mauritania's 21,000 is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 16,000, 1.3× the median. (47 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Armed forces personnel, total in Mauritania changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1989 | +88.2% | 8,500 | 16,000 |
| 1995 | +88.2% | 11,000 | 20,700 |
| 1994 | -31.2% | 16,000 | 11,000 |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 12,250 | 8,500 | 16,000 | 2 |
| 1990s | 18,035 | 11,000 | 20,700 | 10 |
| 2000s | 20,757 | 20,000 | 21,000 | 10 |
| 2010s | 20,882 | 20,850 | 21,000 | 10 |
| 2020s | 21,000 | 21,000 | 21,000 | 1 |
Countries ranked near Mauritania
- 104 Kyrgyzstan 21,000 compare
- 106 Croatia 20,000 compare
- 106 Switzerland 20,000 compare
More public sector data for Mauritania
- Democracy, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Men's universal right to vote, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Universal right to vote, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Universal right to vote in practice, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Elected parliament, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Chief executive of the government is elected, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Democracy 3 (2025)
- Chief executive of the government is elected 1 (2025)
- Elected parliament 1 (2025)
- Men's universal right to vote 1 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is armed forces personnel, total in Mauritania?
- Armed forces personnel, total in Mauritania was 21,000 in 2020, according to The Military Balance, International Institute for Strategic Studies.
- What is the highest armed forces personnel, total recorded in Mauritania?
- The highest recorded value was 21,000 in 2005.
- What is the lowest armed forces personnel, total recorded in Mauritania?
- The lowest recorded value was 8,500 in 1985.
- How does Mauritania rank for armed forces personnel, total?
- Mauritania ranks 104th out of 173 countries with data for 2020.
- Is armed forces personnel, total rising or falling in Mauritania?
- Over the last ten years it is up 0.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Mauritania data come from?
- The figures come from The Military Balance, International Institute for Strategic Studies, published as part of Armed forces personnel, total. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Armed forces personnel are active duty military personnel, including paramilitary forces if the training, organization, equipment, and control suggest they may be used to support or replace regular military forces.