Rising City Index · November 2026 all 1032 cities ×

Nouakchott

Mauritania · 1.6 million people · 91 of 1032

Keeping pace, from a low base.

Where it stands (2020–24 data)Low base
Light trendStable
Rising City Index grade BB
56.6 out of 100Based on 6 of 6 forces
What this grade says

Nouakchott scores 56.6 out of 100 against fixed benchmarks. Strongest: economy and people. Weakest: energy and transport. It starts from a low base (2020–24 levels). Night-time light is growing at about the same pace as before 2022. Its grade is held two bands above its third-weakest force: one strength cannot carry a city.

Economy100

1st of 1031 cities · rests on one measure

Connections57

258th of 1022 cities · rests on one measure

Energy22

578th of 1032 cities

People98

3rd of 1032 cities

Transport28

609th of 1031 cities

Environment35

584th of 1032 cities

The grade is the average of the six force scores, and can sit at most two bands above the city's third-weakest force. AAA and AA need all six forces scored.

How to read the table: every measure is scored from 0 to 100 against a fixed benchmark (the line under each measure), not against other cities. Adding cities never changes this score. Black bars = a score below 15.

MeasureNouakchottScore against the benchmarkScore
Economy · 100 out of 100
Night-time light, 2015–250 = no growth · 100 = +10% a year (light ×2.6 in a decade) +269% 100
Research output, 2015–240 = no growth · 100 = output ×8 in a decade (+23.1% a year; set high because new journals entering the index inflate growth) · scored only with at least 100 works in 2015 not reported –
Income per person, 2015–20Context, not in the grade: its period ends in the COVID year (2020) −6% –
Connections · 57 out of 100
Fixed internet speed growth, 2020–230 = no gain · 100 = +50% a year · growth counted from at least 15 Mbps +24% 15
Research with foreign co-authors, 2015–240 = no gain in the share of research written with co-authors abroad · 100 = +15 points a decade · scored only with at least 100 works in 2015 not reported –
World attention (Wikipedia readers), 2016–18 to 2023–250 = the city's share of Wikipedia reading does not grow · 100 = it grows 5% a year (×1.4 in seven years) · 3-year averages over at least 3 Wikipedias (10 large ones plus the city's own languages); renamed or new pages left out, one-off news peaks capped at twice the 10-year median +54% 100
Air passengers, 2015–25Extra fact, not in the grade: no single worldwide airport source; filled as official files arrive not reported –
Internet speed reached, 2023Context, not in the grade: a level, not a change (it counts in “where it stands”) 29 Mbps –
Energy · 22 out of 100
Sun and wind added within 100 km, 2015–250 = none · 100 = 350 W per person per decade (the world average pace 2015–25, IRENA) 50.4 W per person 13
Clean share of new power within 100 km, 2015–250 = all new power nearby is fossil · 100 = all of it is clean (solar, wind, hydro, nuclear, geothermal); scored where at least 100 MW was built 32% 32
Built-up land lit at night, 2015–25Context, not in the grade: 4 in 10 cities are already fully lit, and street-light dimming or LED switch-overs read as falls +10.6 points –
People · 98 out of 100
Population growth, 2015–250 = shrinking or flat · 100 = +3% a year +41% 100
Human development (region), 2015–200 = no gain · 100 = +0.008 a year · Regional figure: every city in the province shares this value. +0.063 100
Share of residents aged 20–34, 2015–250 = the share aged 20–34 falls 5 points a decade · 100 = it rises 1 point or more · within 25 km · Regional figure: modelled by WorldPop from province-level census ages, so cities in one province can share the same value. +0.6 points 93
Transport · 28 out of 100
Residents near public transport0 = 0% · 100 = 100% (UN target: everyone by 2030) 27% 27
Mobile internet speed growth, 2020–230 = no gain · 100 = mobile speed doubling every year (×8 in three years) · growth counted from at least 15 Mbps +108% 28
Metro and rapid bus opened per million people, 2015–25Extra fact, not in the grade: no single worldwide metro source; filled as official records arrive not reported –
Environment · 35 out of 100
Land built vs people added, 2010–200 = land grows 2× faster than people · 100 = land grows at most 0.35 times as fast 0.76 (1 = land and people grow together) 75
Fine-particle air pollution, 2013–15 to 2021–230 = no fall · 100 = −8% a year (China's 2013–20 pace), or already at or below 5 µg/m³ (the WHO guideline) +22% 0
Greenness of built-up land, 2015–250 = −0.03 a decade (losing green) · 100 = +0.10 a decade +0.007 29
Weakest forces

energy · transport

Its two lowest force scores. Strongest: economy · people.

Sources: NASA Black Marble · EU JRC GHSL Urban Centre Database R2024A (air, greenness, sprawl, human development, internet) and GHS-POP (people within 100 km) · UN-Habitat SDG 11.2.1 · OpenAlex · Global Energy Monitor · airport operators and aviation authorities · metro and transit operators. Mostly Estimates. Every score is measured against a fixed benchmark, not against other cities. Nobody can pay for or submit data to a grade. How the grade works

Measured, never opinion · every number traceable · nobody can buy a grade.

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