The World Bank projects 4.6% growth for Mauritania in 2026, supported by higher gas and gold production and services activity, according to its online economic overview.
The IMF's October 2026 World Economic Outlook database projects real growth of 4.4% for Mauritania and annual average inflation of 8%. These are annual forecasts, not final results or equivalent increases in household incomes.
The IMF's general Mauritania country page still displays a different consumer-price projection, at 4.1%. The comparisons below use the dated October database, whose inflation indicator measures changes in average consumer prices rather than the year-end rate.
For comparison with the period when Mokhtar Ould Diay took office as prime minister on August 5, 2024, the IMF report published that June projected 4.3% growth and 2.7% average inflation for 2024. Current projections for 2026 are 0.1 percentage point higher for growth and 5.3 points higher for inflation.
Before President Mohamed Ould Cheikh El Ghazouani took office on August 1, 2019, the IMF report published that May projected 6.7% growth and 3.6% average inflation for 2019. Projected growth for 2026 is 2.3 percentage points lower than the rate expected for 2019, while projected inflation is 4.4 points higher.
This compares annual forecasts published in the relevant periods, not measurements for the month of August or the final outcomes for 2019 and 2024. Differences are expressed in percentage points and cannot alone attribute changes in economic indicators to a president or government, given differing economic conditions and statistical revisions.
Gas exports from Greater Tortue Ahmeyim, the project shared with Senegal, began in 2025. Kosmos Energy announced the loading of its first LNG cargo on April 17, 2025. The floating liquefaction unit's nameplate capacity of 2.7 million tonnes a year covers the joint project, not Mauritania's exports alone.
In an April 10, 2026 statement, the IMF highlighted the Middle East war's effects on oil prices and demand. It stressed targeted cash transfers for vulnerable households and readiness to tighten monetary policy if inflationary pressures persisted. Those recommendations belong to that statement, not an announcement of a new monetary measure today.
The World Bank's June 19, 2025 economic update recommended investing mining revenues in agriculture, services and the digital economy to diversify activity and create jobs. It also advocated better targeting and benefit levels in social assistance, linking economic stability to improved living conditions.
