Photo: SmartDrones Aarhus, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons

Nouakchott: population

Nouakchott, Mauritania: 1.56 million people in 2025, by the UN estimate.

Rank among the cities of the country: 1 of 6.

It first had 50,000 people or more in 1980.

In 2000 it had 503,000 people, so it has grown by 210% since then.

For 2050 the UN projects 2.63 million people.

A city here is a dense area of at least 1,500 people per km² with at least 50,000 people, drawn on a population grid by the UN degree of urbanisation. It can differ from the city’s administrative borders and from national statistics. Years from 2026 on are projections.

Population, 1975 to 2050Projected from 202601M2M3M19801990200020102020203020402050
2025 Nouakchott: 1.6M

Largest cities: Mauritania

City20252050, projected
Nouakchott1,561,6172,633,046
Nouadhibou179,362328,505
Fassala105,382191,779
Kiffa80,914119,258
Kaédi59,22182,722
Zouérat54,869113,724

Mauritania: population and ages

Sources: World Urbanization Prospects 2025, UN DESA Population Division (CC BY 3.0 IGO).

All cities