World Sites & Apps
Africa · #131 · 2025–2026

Mauritania: internet and everyday apps

Mauritania has about 2.3 million people online — a penetration rate of 44.2% and rank #131 worldwide. This page walks through the local digital scene, the app categories people lean on, and 10 apps worth knowing.

Internet users 2.3 million Penetration 44.2% World rank #131 Updated 2026-11-12
Language العربيةEnglish
TL;DR
  • Mauritania has roughly 2.3 million internet users (2,300,000 people) — about 44.2% of the population and rank #131 globally.
  • The apps people open most: WhatsApp, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube. They cover Messaging, Social, Video, Shopping, Mobility, Food, News and more.
  • The one to know first: WhatsApp — The most widely used messenger on earth.

Mauritania in numbers

2025–2026
Internet users
2.3 million2,300,000 · #131
Penetration
44.2%#176
Population
5.2 million5,200,000 · #127
GDP
$11B#156
GDP growth
+6.3%#22
GDP per person
$2,096#176
Land area
1.03M km²#29
Capital
Nouakchott
Region
Africa
Official languages
Arabic

How Mauritania goes online

Nouakchott runs on WhatsApp first, with Facebook behind it for news and small adverts. The network is available, but the price of data still decides how much of it people buy. Money moves through Bankily, a wallet households use for daily transfers and for paying in shops, while the inland towns lean harder on cash. Local news sites are few, and much of what circulates arrives in Arabic and French at the same time, sometimes in the same post.

Around 44.2%. With a population of about 5.2 million and 2.3 million online, roughly 2.9 million people are still offline — mostly because of rural coverage, device cost and age.

All 10 apps below are grouped by category.

What people actually use

10 Most-used apps

Messaging

1 Most-used apps →
WhatsApp Messaging · Meta · 2009

Social

2 Most-used apps →
Facebook Social · Meta · 2004 Instagram Social · Meta · 2010

Video

2 Most-used apps →
YouTube Video · Google · 2005 TikTok Video · ByteDance · 2016

Shopping

1 Most-used apps →
Jumia Shopping · Jumia Technologies · 2012

Mobility

2 Most-used apps →
Careem Mobility · Uber · 2012 inDrive Mobility · inDrive · 2012

Food

1 Most-used apps →
Talabat Food · Delivery Hero · 2004

News

1 Most-used apps →
Al Jazeera News · Al Jazeera Media Network · 2003

Websites people in Mauritania actually use

10

The 10 sites locals open most often — news, shopping, search, banking and government services. Every link goes to the official site.

News3Telecom3Banking2Education1Utilities1
Al AkhbarNewsalakhbar.infoMauritanian news site opened every morning for politics and Nouakchott news. Sahara MediaNewssaharamedias.netIndependent Mauritanian outlet known for local reporting and investigations. AMINewsami.mrThe official news agency. ChinguitelTelecomchinguitel.comMobile operator site for top-ups and data offers, strongest in the cities. MauritelTelecommauritel.mrThe incumbent operator, fixed lines included. ChinguitelTelecomchinguitel.mrThe second operator, covering the north. BMCIBankingbmci.mrBank used for transfers and receiving remittances from family abroad. Central Bank of MauritaniaBankingbcm.mrThe central bank and the ouguiya. University of NouakchottEducationuniv-nkc.mrMauritania's main university — faculty results, registration and the notices posted for students in Nouakchott. SomelecUtilitiessomelec.mrThe national electricity company.

2808 websites →

Frequently asked questions

6 Q&A
How many people in Mauritania are online?

About 2.3 million (2,300,000 people). That works out to roughly 44.2% of the population, which puts Mauritania at #131 in the world for total internet users. Figures come from DataReportal’s Digital 2026, which draws on ITU and national statistics.

Which apps do people in Mauritania use most?

Mostly WhatsApp, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube — they cover Messaging, Social, Video, Shopping, Mobility, Food, News. The full list, grouped by category, is further down this page.

What is the leading Messaging app in Mauritania?

WhatsApp dominate this space. The best-known is WhatsApp — The most widely used messenger on earth.

How high is internet penetration in Mauritania?

Around 44.2%. With a population of about 5.2 million and 2.3 million online, roughly 2.9 million people are still offline — mostly because of rural coverage, device cost and age.

Where do these app facts come from?

Usage figures come from DataReportal’s Digital 2026 (Kepios, based on ITU and national statistics); app details come from each product’s official site. Updated 2026-11-12.

Which websites are most popular in Mauritania?

The everyday ones are Al Akhbar, Sahara Media, Chinguitel, plus the other 10 sites listed above. They cover news, shopping, search, banking and official paperwork, and every link points to the official site.

Sources

Updated 2026-11-12
Cite this pageWorld Sites & Apps. “Mauritania: internet and everyday apps”. 2026. https://abcvv.com/c/mr-en.html