Languages spoken in Mauritania
Africa · Capital: Nouakchott · Population 4.9 million
The official language of Mauritania is Arabic. Hassaniyya is the most widely spoken language, with an estimated 87% of the population speaking it as a first or additional language, or roughly 4.3 million people. Hassaniyya itself holds no official status in Mauritania, despite being the most widely spoken. After Hassaniyya, the most widely spoken are Arabic at 85% and French at 13%. Hassaniyya belongs to the Afro-Asiatic language family. Hassaniyya is also spoken in one of its four neighbours: Algeria. In total, four languages are recorded in Mauritania, and their shares add up to 190.7% of the population, which implies the average resident speaks about 1.9 of them.
What languages are spoken in Mauritania?
| Language | Share of population | Status | Estimated speakers |
|---|---|---|---|
| HassaniyyaAfro-Asiatic | 87% | Spoken | 4.3 million |
| ArabicAfro-Asiatic | 85% | Official | 4.2 million |
| FrenchIndo-European | 13% | Spoken | 640,579 |
| FulaNiger-Congo | 5.7% | Spoken | 280,869 |
Percentages are the share of the population that speaks each language, including as a second language, so they add up to well over 100% in multilingual countries. Speaker counts are estimates derived from the percentage and the country's population, not counted figures.
What is the official language of Mauritania?
The official language of Mauritania is Arabic. Arabic is spoken by an estimated 85% of the population, or roughly 4.2 million people, counting both first-language and additional speakers. That is not the most widely spoken language in the country: Hassaniyya is, at 87%.
Official status comes from Unicode CLDR. It distinguishes languages that are official nationwide, those used as de facto official without being named in law, and those official only in particular regions or territories.
How many people speak Hassaniyya in Mauritania?
An estimated 87% of Mauritania's 4.9 million people speak Hassaniyya, which works out at roughly 4.3 million speakers. That figure is derived from the population and the reported share, and it counts second-language speakers, so it is an estimate rather than a census count.
Key facts about Mauritania
- Capital
- Nouakchott
- Population
- 4.9 million
- Continent
- Africa
- Area
- 1,030,700 km²
- Currency
- MRU
- Languages recorded
- 4
- Land borders
- 4
- ISO codes
- MR / MRT / 478
Which countries border Mauritania?
Mauritania shares a land border with four countries: Algeria, Western Sahara, Mali, and Senegal. Hassaniyya, the most widely spoken language in Mauritania, is also spoken in Algeria.
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Language shares, population, and official status: Unicode CLDR. Capital, area, borders, and currency: mledoze/countries (ODbL 1.0). Flag image: flagcdn.com. Speaker counts are estimates derived from population and reported share.