Mauritania: cities by population
Mauritania has a population of 5,461,319 (UN estimate, 2026), with Nouakchott as its capital. The 50 largest of its 87 recorded towns and cities, ranked.
+109%
since 2000 (2,613,441)
+72%
projected by 2050 (9,415,598)
5
people per km²
Figures are the latest available in GeoNames (CC BY 4.0), which draws on national censuses of varying dates — treat them as recent, not same-year. Country totals are UN World Population Prospects 2024 (medium variant) where the UN lists the country separately; the handful it reports under a parent state keep a GeoNames figure and are marked as such. Sources & method.
Largest cities in Mauritania
| # | Place | Region | Population |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nouakchott | 1,184,530 | |
| 2 | Nouadhibou | Dakhlet Nouadhibou | 146,048 |
| 3 | Kiffa | Assaba | 62,051 |
| 4 | Néma | Hodh Ech Chargi | 60,000 |
| 5 | Mbera | Hodh Ech Chargi | 58,985 |
| 6 | Kaédi | Gorgol | 56,283 |
| 7 | Zouérat | Tiris Zemmour | 55,183 |
| 8 | Bougadoum | Hodh Ech Chargi | 40,341 |
| 9 | Sélibaby | Guidimaka | 32,653 |
| 10 | Atar | Adrar | 31,133 |
| 11 | Ayoun El Atrous | Hodh El Gharbi | 28,174 |
| 12 | Guerou | Assaba | 27,590 |
| 13 | Boutilimitt | Trarza | 27,170 |
| 14 | El ’Ayoûn | Assaba | 22,896 |
| 15 | Tékane | Trarza | 22,041 |
| 16 | Bogué | Brakna | 20,291 |
| 17 | Aleg | Brakna | 19,183 |
| 18 | Tembedgha | Hodh Ech Chargi | 17,465 |
| 19 | Rosso | Trarza | 15,870 |
| 20 | Akjoujt | Inchiri | 15,851 |
| 21 | Ṭinṭâne | Hodh El Gharbi | 15,684 |
| 22 | Elghabra | Assaba | 15,480 |
| 23 | Magṭa‘ Laḥjar | Brakna | 15,446 |
| 24 | Bouly | Guidimaka | 14,906 |
| 25 | Maghama | Gorgol | 13,898 |
| 26 | Tidjikja | Tagant | 13,479 |
| 27 | Dar el Barka | Brakna | 12,353 |
| 28 | Basseknou | Hodh Ech Chargi | 12,232 |
| 29 | Oualata | Hodh Ech Chargi | 11,779 |
| 30 | Lexeiba Un | Gorgol | 11,417 |
| 31 | Bagodine | Brakna | 11,263 |
| 32 | Ganki Un | Gorgol | 11,250 |
| 33 | Vassala | Hodh Ech Chargi | 10,982 |
| 34 | R'kiz | Trarza | 10,688 |
| 35 | Kobenni | Hodh El Gharbi | 8,979 |
| 36 | Bababé | Brakna | 8,869 |
| 37 | Fondé Elimane | Brakna | 8,500 |
| 38 | Ndiago | Trarza | 8,440 |
| 39 | Sagné | Gorgol | 8,430 |
| 40 | Bouhdida | Brakna | 8,316 |
| 41 | Djiguenni | Hodh Ech Chargi | 8,293 |
| 42 | Kankossa | Assaba | 8,122 |
| 43 | Wali Djantang | Gorgol | 7,716 |
| 44 | Djowol | Gorgol | 7,582 |
| 45 | Bousteila | Hodh Ech Chargi | 7,520 |
| 46 | El Ghayra | Tagant | 7,240 |
| 47 | Hassi Chegar | Guidimaka | 6,960 |
Twenty years earlier: Mauritania in the 2005 World Gazetteer — population then 2,836,848.
Common questions
What is the population of Mauritania?
Mauritania has a population of 5,461,319, the UN World Population Prospects estimate for 2026. The UN's medium-variant projection for 2050 is 9,415,598 — a forecast, not a measurement.
What is the capital of Mauritania?
Nouakchott.