Mauritania: Broad money to total reserves ratio

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2019, Mauritania's broad money to total reserves ratio fell 0.07 on 2018 (from 2.25 to 2.18).

Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1975 to 2018), the average change was −0.08 and a typical year strayed about 1.21 from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.0 standard deviations above that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.

On record, the biggest yearly rise was 2.71 in 1969 and the biggest yearly fall was 4.82 in 2006. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2010 to 2019 there is no clear straight-line trend: a straight line explains 18% of the movement over 10 observed years, so the value is moving around more than it is heading anywhere.

Worked out from the yearly values above. How the checks work: standard deviation, z-scores and straight-line trends.

Closest to Mauritania in the 2019 ranking

• Sri Lanka — 1st of 4: 6.92
• Papua New Guinea — 2nd of 4: 2.85
• Gabon — 3rd of 4: 2.82

What this measures

Broad money is the sum of all liquid financial instruments held by money-holding sectors that are widely accepted in an economy as a medium of exchange, plus those that can be converted into a medium of exchange at short notice at, or close to, their full nominal value. Reserve assets are external assets, including monetary gold, that are readily available to and controlled by monetary authorities for meeting balance of payments financing needs, for intervention in exchange markets to affect the currency exchange rate, and for other related purposes (such as maintaining confidence in the currency and the economy, and serving as a basis for foreign borrowing). Reserve assets must be denominated and settled in foreign currency. This indicator is expressed as a ratio (a÷b).

All 45 values

Broad money to total reserves ratio in nearby economies

• Angola — 1.24 (2025)
• Botswana — 2.46 (2024)
• Burundi — 17 (2023)
• Cabo Verde — 2.29 (2025)
• Cameroon — 2.47 (2018)
• Central African Republic — 2.09 (2022)
• Chad — 12.75 (2021)
• Comoros — 1.6 (2025)
• Congo, Dem. Rep. — 2.99 (2023)
• Congo, Rep. — 6.08 (2023)
• Equatorial Guinea

More financial sector data for Mauritania

• DEC alternative conversion factor (LCU per US$) — US$39.79 (2025)
• GDP deflator (base year varies by country) — 150.07 (2025)
• Inflation, GDP deflator (annual % growth) — 3.38% (2025)
• Official exchange rate (LCU per US$, period average) — US$36.49 (2023)
• Domestic credit to private sector by banks (% of GDP) — 22.59% (2019)
• Net domestic credit (current LCU) — 89.87 billion (2019)
• Net foreign assets (current LCU) — 23.65 billion (2019)
• Monetary sector credit to private sector (% of GDP) — 22.72% (2019)
• Broad money (current LCU) — 82.31 billion (2019)

Reading data like this

• Where to find free public data, and how to check it before you trust it — 2 min read
• Data analysis examples: 6 worked from one dataset — 3 min read
• Real change or random noise? A plain guide to reading your numbers — 2 min read

Questions people ask

What is Mauritania's broad money to total reserves ratio?

2.18 in 2019, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1962?

It is up 52.42% from 1.43 in 1962 (0.74% a year on average, compounded). The highest value was 8.23 in 2005 and the lowest 0.67 in 1974.

Is the latest change in broad money to total reserves ratio unusual for Mauritania?

In 2019, Mauritania's broad money to total reserves ratio fell 0.07 on 2018 (from 2.25 to 2.18). Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1975 to 2018), the average change was −0.08 and a typical year strayed about 1.21 from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.0 standard deviations above that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.

Where does this data come from?

The World Bank's World Development Indicators, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: International Financial Statistics database, International Monetary Fund (IMF).

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator FM.LBL.BMNY.IR.ZS, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: International Financial Statistics database, International Monetary Fund (IMF) Figures are fetched from the World Bank API and refreshed monthly; see the series on data.worldbank.org. The full definition and method are in the World Bank's metadata glossary. Comparisons use the same World Bank release.

Want to ask your own questions of data like this? Try AnalyzeIt: upload a file or ask about public data in plain words, and every figure comes with its working.