Mauritania's cities at a glance
Dots sized by population · Nouakchott in orange
Mauritania has 1 city with more than a million inhabitants and 2 with more than 100,000 (city-proper figures). The largest is Nouakchott with 1,184,530 people, followed by Nouadhibou (146,048) and Kiffa (62,051). The three largest cities together hold about 25.3% of the country's 5.5 million people.
The capital, Nouakchott, is also the largest city.
By region, the most large cities are in Assaba (4), Hodh Ech Chargi (4), Trarza (3).
Country-level figures — live population, births and deaths, growth, density and history — are on the Mauritania population page; provinces, terrain, rivers and society maps are in the Mauritania atlas.
Mauritania cities by population
| # | City | Region | Population | Share of Mauritania |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | NouakchottCapital | 1,184,530 | 21.5% | |
| 2 | Nouadhibou | Dakhlet Nouadhibou | 146,048 | 2.7% |
| 3 | Kiffa | Assaba | 62,051 | 1.1% |
| 4 | Dar Naim | Nouakchott North | 61,089 | 1.1% |
| 5 | Néma | Hodh Ech Chargi | 60,000 | 1.1% |
| 6 | Mbera | Hodh Ech Chargi | 58,985 | 1.1% |
| 7 | Ksar | Nouakchott West | 57,758 | 1% |
| 8 | Kaédi | Gorgol | 56,283 | 1% |
| 9 | Zouérat | Tiris Zemmour | 55,183 | 1% |
| 10 | Tevragh Zeina | Nouakchott West | 48,093 | 0.9% |
| 11 | Bougadoum | Hodh Ech Chargi | 40,341 | 0.7% |
| 12 | Sélibaby | Guidimaka | 32,653 | 0.6% |
| 13 | Atar | Adrar | 31,133 | 0.6% |
| 14 | Ayoun El Atrous | Hodh El Gharbi | 28,174 | 0.5% |
| 15 | Guerou | Assaba | 27,590 | 0.5% |
| 16 | Boutilimitt | Trarza | 27,170 | 0.5% |
| 17 | El ’Ayoûn | Assaba | 22,896 | 0.4% |
| 18 | Tékane | Trarza | 22,041 | 0.4% |
| 19 | Bogué | Brakna | 20,291 | 0.4% |
| 20 | Aleg | Brakna | 19,183 | 0.3% |
| 21 | Tembedgha | Hodh Ech Chargi | 17,465 | 0.3% |
| 22 | Rosso | Trarza | 15,870 | 0.3% |
| 23 | Akjoujt | Inchiri | 15,851 | 0.3% |
| 24 | Ṭinṭâne | Hodh El Gharbi | 15,684 | 0.3% |
| 25 | Elghabra | Assaba | 15,480 | 0.3% |
| 26 | Magṭa‘ Laḥjar | Brakna | 15,446 | 0.3% |
Cities with 300,000 or more people link to their own page. The list keeps every city of 100,000+ and at least the 30 largest places of the country.
Frequently asked questions
What is the largest city in Mauritania?
Nouakchott, with about 1,184,530 inhabitants (city proper).
What is the capital of Mauritania?
Nouakchott — population 1,184,530, the largest city in the country.
How many cities in Mauritania have over one million people?
1: Nouakchott.
Are these metropolitan-area populations?
No. They are city-proper figures (the administrative city) from GeoNames, based on the latest census or official estimate. Metropolitan areas, which include suburbs and satellite towns, are larger — often several times larger for the biggest cities.
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SudanCite or link to this page
Glostats. (2026). Largest Cities in Mauritania 2026: Population Ranking. Retrieved October 20, 2026, from https://glostats.com/cities/mauritania/<a href="https://glostats.com/cities/mauritania/">Largest Cities in Mauritania 2026: Population Ranking</a> — GlostatsFigures on this page may be quoted, charted or republished as long as the page is credited with a link. Terms · Download the data as CSV · Embed a live counter.
City populations are GeoNames figures (CC BY 4.0): the latest official census or estimate for the city proper — the municipality, not the wider metropolitan area — so they can differ from "metro area" numbers you see elsewhere. Country populations are live Glostats estimates from the UN World Population Prospects. Page generated 2026-10-20. More about our data.