Africa > Mauritania > Economy

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Agriculture > products dates, millet, sorghum, rice, corn, dates; cattle, sheep
Aid as % of GDP	22.7%		[10th of 129]
Definition: Economy > Aid as % of GDP
Source: CIA World Factbook, 28 July 2005
Debt > External	$2,500,000,000.00		[12th of 136]
Definition: Economy > Debt > External
Source: calculated on the basis of data on ODA from OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development), Development Assistance Committee. 2002. DAC Online. Database. Paris.; and data on GDP from World Bank. 2002. World Development Indicators 2002. CD-ROM. Washington, DC
Distribution of family income > Gini index	39		[12th of 43]
Definition: Economy > Distribution of family income > Gini index
Source: All CIA World Factbooks 18 December 2003 to 18 December 2008
Economic freedom	1.9		[87th of 156]
Definition: Economy > Economic freedom
Source: All CIA World Factbooks 18 December 2003 to 18 December 2008
Economy > Overview Half the population still depends on agriculture and livestock for a livelihood, even though many of the nomads and subsistence farmers were forced into the cities by recurrent droughts in the 1970s and 1980s. Mauritania has extensive deposits of iron ore, which account for nearly 40% of total exports. The nation's coastal waters are among the richest fishing areas in the world, but overexploitation by foreigners threatens this key source of revenue. The country's first deepwater port opened near Nouakchott in 1986. In the past, drought and economic mismanagement resulted in a buildup of foreign debt, which now stands at more than three times the level of annual exports. In February 2000, Mauritania qualified for debt relief under the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) initiative and in December 2001 received strong support from donor and lending countries at a triennial Consultative Group review. A new investment code approved in December 2001 improved the opportunities for direct foreign investment. Ongoing negotiations with the IMF involve problems of economic reforms and fiscal discipline. In 2001, exploratory oil wells in tracts 80 km offshore indicated potential extraction at current world oil prices. Oil prospects, while initially promising, have failed to materialize. Meantime the government emphasizes reduction of poverty, improvement of health and education, and promoting privatization of the economy.
Definition: Economy > Economy > Overview
Source: The Heritage Foundation
Exports	$1,395,000,000.00		[131st of 189]
Definition: Economy > Exports
Source: All CIA World Factbooks 18 December 2003 to 18 December 2008
GDP	$2,662,578,000.00		[133rd of 203]
Definition: Economy > GDP
Source: All CIA World Factbooks 18 December 2003 to 18 December 2008
GDP > PPP	$6,513,000,000.00		[134th of 163]
Definition: Economy > GDP > PPP
Source: World Development Indicators database and CIA World Factbook
GDP > Real growth rate	1%		[178th of 198]
Definition: Economy > GDP > Real growth rate
Source: World Bank. 2005. World Development Indicators 2005.
GDP growth > annual %	5.45 annual %		[67th of 187]
Definition: Economy > GDP growth > annual %
Source: All CIA World Factbooks 18 December 2003 to 18 December 2008
GINI index	39.01		[19th of 40]
Definition: Economy > GINI index
Source: World Development Indicators database
Gross National Income	$999,477,000.00		[138th of 172]
Definition: Economy > Gross National Income
Source: World Development Indicators database
Human Development Index	0.477		[153rd of 178]
Definition: Economy > Human Development Index
Income category	Low income
Definition: Economy > Income category
Source: Human Development Report 2006, United Nations Development Programme
Income distribution > Poorest 10%	2.5%		[61st of 114]
Definition: Economy > Income distribution > Poorest 10%
Source:
Income distribution > Richest 10%	28.4%		[68th of 114]
Definition: Economy > Income distribution > Richest 10%
Source: World Bank. 2002. World Development Indicators 2002. CD-ROM. Washington, DC
Population below poverty line	40%		[19th of 46]
Definition: Economy > Population below poverty line
Source: World Bank. 2002. World Development Indicators 2002. CD-ROM. Washington, DC
Population under $1 a day	28.6		[23rd of 59]
Definition: Economy > Population under $1 a day
Source: All CIA World Factbooks 18 December 2003 to 18 December 2008
Poverty > Share of all poor people	0.07 % of world's poor		[47th of 80]
Definition: Economy > Poverty > Share of all poor people
Source: World Bank 2002b via backone.pdf

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