Mauritania: Secondary education, pupils

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2020, Mauritania's secondary education, pupils fell 0.5% on 2019 (from 259,873 to 258,591).

Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1988 to 2019), the average change was +6.8% and a typical year strayed about 5.3% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 1.4 standard deviations below that average, so it was larger than a typical year, though not out of the range seen before.

On record, the biggest yearly rise was 20.8% in 2012 and the biggest yearly fall was 4.7% in 1990. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2011 to 2020 the straight-line trend is upward, about 14,484 a year. A straight line explains 97% of the movement over 10 observed years.

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

A straight-line projection, tested first

Extending that straight line gives about 306,322 for 2023. We show this only because the same method, fitted on earlier years, predicted 2018 to 2020 better than "no change" would have: its average miss was 12,506, against 47,590 for assuming no change. Treat it as a continuation of the recent pattern, not a forecast of events: it cannot see a recession, a policy change or a revision to the data.

See how a linear trend forecast works and the guide on forecasting without fooling yourself.

How it compares

See how every economy compares in the full ranking.

Closest to Mauritania in the 2020 ranking

• Liberia — 1st of 3: 274,573
• Timor-Leste — 3rd of 3: 162,113

What this measures

Secondary education pupils is the total number of pupils enrolled at secondary level in public and private schools.

Regional and income-group figures are computed by the World Bank as a sum.

All 36 values

Secondary education, pupils in nearby economies

• Angola — 2.59 million (2023)
• Benin — 929,099 (2022)
• Botswana — 175,513 (2021)
• Burkina Faso — 1.19 million (2024)
• Burundi — 590,027 (2025)
• Cabo Verde — 55,831 (2022)
• Cameroon — 2.01 million (2023)
• Central African Republic — 137,844 (2017)
• Chad — 764,990 (2024)
• Comoros — 67,764 (2022)
• Congo, Dem. Rep. — 7.93 million (2023)

More education data for Mauritania

• Primary school starting age (years) — 6 (2025)
• Primary education, duration (years) — 6 (2025)
• Lower secondary school starting age (years) — 12 (2025)
• Secondary education, duration (years) — 7 (2025)
• Primary education, pupils — 891,821 (2024)
• School enrollment, primary (% gross) — 105.44% (2024)
• Primary education, teachers — 24,560 (2024)
• School enrollment, primary, female (% gross) — 106.94% (2024)
• School enrollment, primary, male (% gross) — 103.97% (2024)
• Secondary education, general pupils

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 secondary education, pupils?

258,591 in 2020, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1972?

It is up 5,565% from 4,565 in 1972 (8.77% a year on average, compounded). The highest value was 259,873 in 2019 and the lowest 4,565 in 1972.

Is the latest change in secondary education, pupils unusual for Mauritania?

In 2020, Mauritania's secondary education, pupils fell 0.5% on 2019 (from 259,873 to 258,591). Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1988 to 2019), the average change was +6.8% and a typical year strayed about 5.3% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 1.4 standard deviations below that average, so it was larger than a typical year, though not out of the range seen before.

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator SE.SEC.ENRL, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), uri: https://databrowser.uis.unesco.org/resources, note: The data are obtained through the UIS API. 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.

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