Summary
- Exports
- $4.4billion
- Imports
- $5.3billion
- Trade balance
- -$962million
Products
What it exports
Iron ore (35.1%) and gold (27.9%) together make up 63% of its exports.
What it imports
Refined petroleum (19.3%) and cane and beet sugar (5.4%) together make up 24.7% of its imports.
By Harmonized System chapter (96)
| Chapter | Exports | Imports |
|---|---|---|
| 26 · Ores and slag | $1.8 billion | $137 thousand |
| 71 · Gems and precious metals | $1.2 billion | $974 thousand |
| 03 · Fish and seafood | $632 million | $1 million |
| 16 · Prepared meat and fish | $443 million | $40 million |
| 23 · Animal feed and food waste | $109 million | $29 million |
| 15 · Fats and oils | $49 million | $193 million |
| 08 · Fruit and nuts | $44 million | $35 million |
| 76 · Aluminum | $16 million | $22 million |
| 84 · Mechanical machinery | $11 million | $455 million |
| 52 · Cotton | $11 million | $70 million |
| 72 · Iron and steel | $10 million | $81 million |
| 74 · Copper | $10 million | $2 million |
| 38 · Miscellaneous chemicals | $6 million | $25 million |
| 48 · Paper and paperboard | $6 million | $75 million |
| 31 · Fertilizers | $6 million | $62 million |
| 25 · Salt, stone and cement | $4 million | $72 million |
| 39 · Plastics | $3 million | $128 million |
| 73 · Iron and steel products | $3 million | $224 million |
| 90 · Precision and medical instruments | $2 million | $52 million |
| 85 · Electrical and electronic equipment | $2 million | $268 million |
| 87 · Vehicles | $1 million | $346 million |
| 33 · Perfumes and cosmetics | $1 million | $32 million |
| 05 · Other animal products | $1 million | $24 thousand |
| 07 · Vegetables | $1 million | $81 million |
| 28 · Inorganic chemicals | $1 million | $27 million |
| 95 · Toys and sports gear | $912 thousand | $10 million |
| 19 · Baked goods and cereal products | $838 thousand | $132 million |
| 78 · Lead | $790 thousand | $109 thousand |
| 09 · Coffee, tea and spices | $749 thousand | $50 million |
| 41 · Hides and leather | $748 thousand | $56 thousand |
| 49 · Books and printed matter | $746 thousand | $5 million |
| 24 · Tobacco | $658 thousand | $20 million |
| 82 · Tools and cutlery | $534 thousand | $16 million |
| 27 · Oil, gas and coal | $532 thousand | $1.1 billion |
| 62 · Woven clothing | $515 thousand | $28 million |
| 11 · Milling products and malt | $450 thousand | $3 million |
| 04 · Dairy, eggs and honey | $370 thousand | $147 million |
| 29 · Organic chemicals | $346 thousand | $20 million |
| 64 · Footwear | $324 thousand | $38 million |
| 63 · Home textiles and used clothing | $313 thousand | $38 million |
| 97 · Art and antiques | $272 thousand | $163 thousand |
| 88 · Aircraft and spacecraft | $260 thousand | $2 million |
| 89 · Ships and boats | $257 thousand | $39 million |
| 30 · Pharmaceuticals | $209 thousand | $91 million |
| 17 · Sugar and sweets | $208 thousand | $299 million |
| 55 · Synthetic staple fibers | $185 thousand | $59 million |
| 44 · Wood | $142 thousand | $23 million |
| 86 · Railway equipment | $135 thousand | $16 million |
| 40 · Rubber | $134 thousand | $75 million |
| 12 · Oilseeds and grains | $131 thousand | $556 thousand |
| 42 · Leather goods and bags | $130 thousand | $12 million |
| 94 · Furniture and lighting | $125 thousand | $49 million |
| 20 · Preserved fruit and vegetables | $111 thousand | $23 million |
| 56 · Felt, nonwovens and rope | $100 thousand | $13 million |
| 61 · Knitted clothing | $97 thousand | $30 million |
| 65 · Hats | $89 thousand | $2 million |
| 32 · Dyes, paints and tanning agents | $74 thousand | $16 million |
| 34 · Soap and cleaning products | $71 thousand | $42 million |
| 06 · Live plants and flowers | $42 thousand | $2 million |
| 69 · Ceramics | $41 thousand | $39 million |
| 35 · Glues, starches and enzymes | $35 thousand | $5 million |
| 54 · Synthetic filaments | $33 thousand | $20 million |
| 83 · Miscellaneous metal goods | $26 thousand | $20 million |
| 21 · Food preparations | $24 thousand | $51 million |
| 70 · Glass | $22 thousand | $14 million |
| 10 · Cereals | $19 thousand | $265 million |
| 68 · Stone, plaster and cement articles | $18 thousand | $13 million |
| 79 · Zinc | $17 thousand | $1 million |
| 57 · Carpets and rugs | $17 thousand | $35 million |
| 22 · Beverages and spirits | $17 thousand | $14 million |
| 96 · Other manufactured goods | $16 thousand | $9 million |
| 18 · Cocoa and chocolate | $11 thousand | $7 million |
| 46 · Wicker and basketware | $4 thousand | $1 million |
| 59 · Coated and technical textiles | $2 thousand | $6 million |
| 51 · Wool | $2 thousand | $14 thousand |
| 91 · Watches and clocks | $2 thousand | $574 thousand |
| 58 · Special fabrics and lace | $2 thousand | $6 million |
| 81 · Other base metals | $1 thousand | $36 thousand |
| 01 · Live animals | $465 | $316 thousand |
| 02 · Meat and offal | $386 | $76 million |
| 13 · Gums and plant extracts | $52 | $2 million |
| 60 · Knitted fabric | $21 | $5 million |
| 93 · Weapons and ammunition | $0 | $14 million |
| 36 · Explosives and matches | $0 | $8 million |
| 47 · Wood pulp | $0 | $1 million |
| 67 · Feathers and artificial flowers | $0 | $667 thousand |
| 53 · Other plant fibers | $0 | $658 thousand |
| 66 · Umbrellas and canes | $0 | $481 thousand |
| 37 · Photographic goods | $0 | $439 thousand |
| 14 · Other plant products | $0 | $332 thousand |
| 75 · Nickel | $0 | $228 thousand |
| 80 · Tin | $0 | $118 thousand |
| 92 · Musical instruments | $0 | $80 thousand |
| 45 · Cork | $0 | $32 thousand |
| 43 · Fur and fur goods | $0 | $25 thousand |
| 50 · Silk | $0 | $22 thousand |
Trading partners
China is its main destination (31.3% of exports) and source (17% of imports).
Who it sells to
| Partner | Value (USD billions) | Share | Mode |
|---|---|---|---|
| China | 1.4 | 31.3% | Sea |
| Canada | 0.71 | 16.1% | Air |
| Spain | 0.39 | 8.9% | Sea |
| Switzerland | 0.37 | 8.5% | Air |
| United Arab Emirates | 0.15 | 3.4% | Air |
| Côte d'Ivoire | 0.14 | 3.3% | Sea |
| Italy | 0.14 | 3.1% | Sea |
| Algeria | 0.13 | 3.1% | Sea |
| Japan | 0.13 | 3% | Sea |
| Australia | 0.12 | 2.6% | Sea |
Who it buys from
| Partner | Value (USD millions) | Share | Mode |
|---|---|---|---|
| China | 906 | 17% | Sea |
| United Arab Emirates | 838 | 15.7% | Sea |
| Morocco | 386 | 7.2% | Sea |
| Spain | 315 | 5.9% | Sea |
| France | 315 | 5.9% | Sea |
| Brazil | 255 | 4.8% | Sea |
| Belgium | 224 | 4.2% | Sea |
| Turkey | 211 | 3.9% | Sea |
| United States | 177 | 3.3% | Sea |
| Netherlands | 130 | 2.4% | Sea |
Overview 1995–2024
In 2024, Mauritania accounted for 0.02% of world exports, compared with 0.01% in 1995.
Exports and imports
Exports grew 7-fold since 1995
USD billions (current). Bars: trade balance (green surplus, red deficit).
- Exports 4.4
- Imports 5.3
- Balance -1
Source: CEPII BACI
Show the numbers
| Year | Exports | Imports | Trade balance |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | $632 million | $522 million | $110 million |
| 1996 | $683 million | $540 million | $143 million |
| 1997 | $678 million | $520 million | $158 million |
| 1998 | $592 million | $547 million | $44 million |
| 1999 | $642 million | $498 million | $144 million |
| 2000 | $629 million | $608 million | $21 million |
| 2001 | $630 million | $694 million | -$64 million |
| 2002 | $671 million | $801 million | -$130 million |
| 2003 | $713 million | $895 million | -$182 million |
| 2004 | $943 million | $1.8 billion | -$875 million |
| 2005 | $1.1 billion | $1.7 billion | -$601 million |
| 2006 | $1.7 billion | $1.5 billion | $273 million |
| 2007 | $2 billion | $2 billion | $52 million |
| 2008 | $3 billion | $2.2 billion | $703 million |
| 2009 | $2.3 billion | $2.1 billion | $222 million |
| 2010 | $3.1 billion | $2.6 billion | $460 million |
| 2011 | $3.8 billion | $4.1 billion | -$299 million |
| 2012 | $4.1 billion | $4.8 billion | -$676 million |
| 2013 | $5 billion | $5.8 billion | -$823 million |
| 2014 | $4.4 billion | $5.6 billion | -$1.2 billion |
| 2015 | $3.2 billion | $5 billion | -$1.8 billion |
| 2016 | $3.2 billion | $3.6 billion | -$432 million |
| 2017 | $3.6 billion | $5.1 billion | -$1.5 billion |
| 2018 | $4.7 billion | $4.3 billion | $368 million |
| 2019 | $4.8 billion | $4.7 billion | $82 million |
| 2020 | $4.2 billion | $3.6 billion | $601 million |
| 2021 | $4.3 billion | $5.1 billion | -$747 million |
| 2022 | $5.1 billion | $6.1 billion | -$1.1 billion |
| 2023 | $5.1 billion | $5.5 billion | -$382 million |
| 2024 | $4.4 billion | $5.3 billion | -$962 million |
World rank
Mauritania fell from 123rd to 125th among the world's exporters
Rank among 222 countries by export value (1st at the top).
- 123rd in 1995
- 125th in 2024
Source: CEPII BACI
Show the numbers
| Year | Rank |
|---|---|
| 1995 | 123rd |
| 1996 | 123rd |
| 1997 | 130th |
| 1998 | 133rd |
| 1999 | 135th |
| 2000 | 140th |
| 2001 | 139th |
| 2002 | 138th |
| 2003 | 144th |
| 2004 | 141st |
| 2005 | 141st |
| 2006 | 131st |
| 2007 | 135th |
| 2008 | 123rd |
| 2009 | 122nd |
| 2010 | 121st |
| 2011 | 125th |
| 2012 | 123rd |
| 2013 | 119th |
| 2014 | 122nd |
| 2015 | 125th |
| 2016 | 125th |
| 2017 | 125th |
| 2018 | 124th |
| 2019 | 123rd |
| 2020 | 124th |
| 2021 | 129th |
| 2022 | 127th |
| 2023 | 128th |
| 2024 | 125th |
What it sells
Ores and slag became its top export group: from 43% to 40%
% of exports by Harmonized System chapter.
- Other 2%
- Aluminum 0%
- Fruit and nuts 1%
- Fats and oils 1%
- Animal feed and food waste 3%
- Prepared meat and fish 10%
- Fish and seafood 14%
- Gems and precious metals 28%
- Ores and slag 40%
Source: CEPII BACI
Show the numbers
| Chapter | 1995 | 2024 |
|---|---|---|
| Ores and slag | 42.9% | 40.5% |
| Gems and precious metals | 0.03% | 27.9% |
| Fish and seafood | 55.5% | 14.4% |
| Prepared meat and fish | 0.01% | 10.1% |
| Animal feed and food waste | 0.3% | 2.5% |
| Fats and oils | 0% | 1.1% |
| Fruit and nuts | 0% | 1% |
| Aluminum | 0.01% | 0.36% |
| Other | 1.2% | 2.1% |
Who it trades with
China went from 3% to 23% of Mauritania's trade
% of total trade (exports + imports) with each partner.
- China 23%
- United Arab Emirates 10%
- Canada 8%
- Spain 7%
- Morocco 4%
Source: CEPII BACI
Show the numbers
| Partner | 1995 | 2024 |
|---|---|---|
| China | 2.8% | 23.4% |
| United Arab Emirates | 0% | 10.1% |
| Canada | 0.16% | 7.6% |
| Spain | 10.1% | 7.3% |
| Morocco | 0.71% | 4% |
Production hubs
Largest industrial emission sources (Climate TRACE, 2025)
No hubs above the globe threshold.
View on the globeSources and methodology
Sources and licenses
- CEPII BACI · Licence Ouverte Etalab 2.0
- Climate TRACE · CC BY 4.0 (emissions by asset; the 3 largest per country are shown)
- Kummu et al., gridded GDP · CC BY 4.0 (hubs aggregated by this site)
- Natural Earth · Public domain
Methodology
Goods trade from CEPII BACI (BACI_HS92_V202601), in current US dollars, with exports and imports reconciled between countries. The transport mode is our own estimate based on value per kilo and geography. Ranks are computed among the countries with data each year. Services are not included. Data up to 2024.