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.
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
- Arms imports 126.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values (2024)
- Military expenditure 2.2% (2024)
- Military expenditure 260.06 million current USD (2024)
- Armed forces personnel 2.0% (2020)
- Statistical performance indicators (SPI): Pillar 1 data use score 80 scale 0-100 (2024)
- Statistical performance indicators (SPI): Pillar 3 data products score 62.8 scale 0-100 (2024)
- Military expenditure 10.32 billion current LCU (2024)
- Proportion of seats held by women in national parliaments 23.3% (2025)
- Military expenditure 9.6% (2024)
- Internally displaced persons, new displacement associated with disaste 1,100 number of cases (2023)
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.