Military expenditure (% of general government expenditure) in Mauritania
Mauritania: Military expenditure (% of general government expenditure) was 10.8% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Military expenditure in Mauritania, 2004–2025
Source: SIPRI Military Expenditure Database, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI). Measured in % of general government expenditure.
Analysis
Mauritania recorded 10.8% for military expenditure in 2025.
The figure is up 0.1% on the previous year and up 28.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, military expenditure in Mauritania peaked at 13.1% in 2020 and was at its lowest, 8.2%, in 2022.
That places Mauritania 32nd out of 164 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 19 years of available data.
Military expenditure (% of general government expenditure) in Mauritania, year by year
| Year | % of general government expenditure | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2004 | 12.5% | — |
| 2005 | 10.6% | -14.6% |
| 2006 | 11.0% | +3.3% |
| 2008 | 12.0% | +8.7% |
| 2009 | 12.4% | +3.8% |
| 2012 | 9.8% | -20.9% |
| 2013 | 9.9% | +1.1% |
| 2014 | 9.2% | -7.4% |
| 2015 | 8.4% | -8.6% |
| 2016 | 10.3% | +22.6% |
| 2017 | 10.4% | +1.5% |
| 2018 | 11.2% | +7.4% |
| 2019 | 11.4% | +2.0% |
| 2020 | 13.1% | +14.6% |
| 2021 | 12.0% | -8.8% |
| 2022 | 8.2% | -31.3% |
| 2023 | 10.4% | +26.2% |
| 2024 | 10.7% | +3.4% |
| 2025 | 10.8% | +0.1% |
Mauritania compared with similar countries
- Mauritania's 10.8% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 5.8%, 1.9× the median. (39 countries reporting)
- Mauritania's 10.8% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 5.9%, 1.8× the median. (46 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 11.7% | 10.6% | 12.5% | 5 |
| 2010s | 10.1% | 8.4% | 11.4% | 8 |
| 2020s | 10.9% | 8.2% | 13.1% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Mauritania
More public sector data for Mauritania
- Democracy, 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)
- Elected parliament, 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)
- Arms imports 126.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values (2024)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), per capita 24.37 SIPRI trend indicator values per person (2024)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), per unit of GDP 0.0116 SIPRI trend indicator values per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), annual growth rate -87.5 % change on previous year (2015)
Frequently asked questions
- What is military expenditure in Mauritania?
- Military expenditure in Mauritania was 10.8% in 2025, according to SIPRI Military Expenditure Database, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI).
- What is the highest military expenditure recorded in Mauritania?
- The highest recorded value was 13.1% in 2020.
- What is the lowest military expenditure recorded in Mauritania?
- The lowest recorded value was 8.2% in 2022.
- How does Mauritania rank for military expenditure?
- Mauritania ranks 32nd out of 164 countries with data for 2025.
- Is military expenditure rising or falling in Mauritania?
- Over the last ten years it is up 28.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Mauritania data come from?
- The figures come from SIPRI Military Expenditure Database, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), published as part of Military expenditure (% of general government expenditure). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Military expenditure expressed as a percentage of general government expenditure