Mauritania Lending Rate

Mauritania’s lending rate in 2017 stood at 17.00 percent, placing the country 115th in the world according to the World Bank. The rate has been recorded for 38 years, rising from an early‑stage level of 12.00 percent in 1980 to a dramatic all‑time peak of 28.00 percent in 1999, before falling to a trough of 10.00 percent in 1991. Since the early 1990s the policy rate has hovered in the mid‑teens, closely mirroring peers such as Paraguay (16.98 percent) and Rwanda (17.17 percent) in the most recent period. The persistence of a relatively high cost of borrowing reflects structural constraints in the banking sector and limited competition, which together sustain rates well above the regional average. Should financial reforms broaden credit access and deepen market competition, Mauritania could see a gradual easing of its lending rate, aligning more closely with lower‑cost peer economies.