Mauritania

Mauritania is a poor country, ranking 155th (out of 188) on the UN Human Development Index in 2016. In 2018, 17% of the population was considered below the poverty level. Half of its population lives on agriculture and livestock, but as a predominantly desert country, there are large tracts of pastoral land but only 0.5% of arable land. In addition, a growing number of people have had to migrate to the big cities to escape poverty, especially following the droughts of the 1970s and 1980s. In 2017, more than half of Mauritanians lived in urban areas.

This country has an important tourist potential (history, culture, landscapes). Even if this sector is growing, it knows several constraints related to security problems in some regions of the country. In 2017, there would have been only 1,500 visitors.