Mauritania vs Western Sahara: Urban population

Urban population in 2025: 61.5% in Mauritania and 86.9% in Western Sahara, by UN estimates. In 2025 the value was higher in Western Sahara, by 25.4 percentage points, or 1.41 times that in Mauritania.

Watch it change on the map

% of people · UN

MauritaniaWestern SaharaUN projection (World Urbanization Prospects 2025)

What the numbers say

Western Sahara has been higher in every year both have figures for since 1950.
In 2025, Mauritania ranked 130 and Western Sahara ranked 47 of 229 countries, counting from the highest.
The UN projection (World Urbanization Prospects 2025) puts Mauritania at 76.8% and Western Sahara at 89.8% in 2050.

Every year

% of people · UN

Year	Mauritania	Western Sahara
2025	61.5	86.9
2024	60.6	86.8
2023	59.7	86.8
2022	58.8	86.8
2021	57.9	86.7
2020	57	86.7
2019	56.1	86.7
2018	55.1	86.6
2017	54.2	86.6
2016	52.9	86.6
2015	51.7	86.5
2014	50.5	86.5
2013	49.4	86.4
2012	48.3	86.4
2011	47.1	86.4
2010	46	86.3
2009	44.8	86.3
2008	43.6	86.3
2007	42.4	86.2
2006	41.4	86.2
2005	40.4	86.2
2004	39.6	86.1
2003	38.9	86.1
2002	38.4	86
2001	38.1	86
2000	38.1	85.9
1999	38.1	85.9
1998	38.2	85.8
1997	38.3	85.7
1996	38.5	85.6
1995	38.7	85.6
1994	38.8	85.5
1993	39	85.3
1992	39.2	85.2
1991	39.4	85
1990	39.5	84.7
1989	39.6	84.4
1988	39.6	84.1
1987	39.4	83.7
1986	38.8	83.3
1985	37.7	82.8
1984	36.3	82.3
1983	34.5	81.7
1982	32.7	81
1981	30.7	79.6
1980	28.7	77
1979	26.7	73.6
1978	24.9	69.6
1977	23.4	65.1
1976	22.1	60.5
1975	20.8	55.8
1974	19.6	51.4
1973	18.5	47.4
1972	17.3	44
1971	16.2	41.5
1970	15.1	39.9
1969	14.1	38.6
1968	13	37.3
1967	12.1	36
1966	11.1	34.9
1965	10.2	33.9
1964	9.4	33
1963	8.8	32.3
1962	8.1	31.7
1961	7.5	31.4
1960	6.9	31.2
1959	6.3	31.2
1958	5.7	31.1
1957	5.2	31.1
1956	4.7	31.1
1955	4.2	31.1
1954	3.8	31
1953	3.4	31
1952	3.1	31
1951	2.8	31
1950	2.6	31

UN projection (World Urbanization Prospects 2025) · 2026–2050

Year	Mauritania	Western Sahara
2026	62.4	87
2027	63.2	87.1
2028	64.1	87.3
2029	64.9	87.5
2030	65.7	87.8
2031	66.5	88
2032	67.3	88.3
2033	68	88.5
2034	68.8	88.6
2035	69.5	88.8
2036	70.2	88.9
2037	70.8	89
2038	71.5	89.1
2039	72.1	89.2
2040	72.7	89.3
2041	73.2	89.4
2042	73.8	89.5
2043	74.3	89.5
2044	74.7	89.6
2045	75.2	89.7
2046	75.6	89.7
2047	75.9	89.7
2048	76.3	89.8
2049	76.6	89.8
2050	76.8	89.8

Each country on its own

Good to know

The share of people living in places the country itself counts as urban.
Source: UN DESA, World Urbanization Prospects 2025.
The dashed line is the UN projection (World Urbanization Prospects 2025), a scenario rather than a forecast.
Ranks count the 229 countries with a value in 2025, highest first.

How the layers work, where their data comes from and what they can’t tell you: Countries through time

Mauritania vs Western Sahara: Urban population

What the numbers say

Every year

Each country on its own

Good to know

Mauritania vs Western Sahara

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