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The twenty imports Mauritania is best placed to replace.

Mauritania imported USD 3.5bn of manufactured goods in 2024 and exported USD 104m. These are the twenty that sit closest to what it already makes well and where one country supplies most of them.

USD 853mthe twenty, imported in 2024
31products imported at scale, not yet exported well, and close to existing strengths
114products Mauritania already exports well
65product lines imported at USD 10m or more
The twenty

Demand, capability, exposure. Nothing else is claimed.

Each line shows the import bill, where it comes from, the nearest thing Mauritania already exports well, and how many countries make it. It does not say whether a plant in Mauritania would pay. That reason is not in any trade record, and it is the maker's question.

This edition is trade and capability only, scored out of 8. The UK edition adds which public bodies buy each product and which region holds the capability; those layers are built only where a country publishes contract awards and regional trade, and Mauritania does not publish them in a form this record can read yet.

  1. 1

    Cement clinkers (whether or not coloured)HS 252310

    Comes fromAlgeria 75%, 4 source countries
    Nearest export strengthSands: natural, (other than silica and quartz sands), whether or not... (exports USD 2m)
    Exports of this linenone recorded
    Countries that export it well36

    Score 8 of 8: import bill USD 60m, top 6 per cent of candidates (3); proximity to Mauritania's export strengths in the top 2 per cent (3); Algeria supplies 75 per cent (2).

    USD 60mup 233% on 2022
  2. 2

    Sugars: sucrose, chemically pure, in solid form, not containing added flavouring or colouring matterHS 170199

    Comes fromBrazil 78%, 15 source countries
    Nearest export strengthnone in the same chapter
    Exports of this lineUSD 177k
    Countries that export it well44

    Score 7 of 8: import bill USD 273m, top 2 per cent of candidates (3); proximity to Mauritania's export strengths in the top 20 per cent (2); Brazil supplies 78 per cent (2).

    USD 273mup 39% on 2022
  3. 3

    Fish preparations: sardines, sardinella and brisling or sprats, prepared or preserved, whole or in pieces (but not...HS 160413

    Comes fromMorocco 94%, 8 source countries
    Nearest export strengthFish preparations: fish minced or in forms n.e.c. in heading no.... (exports USD 9m)
    Exports of this lineUSD 78k
    Countries that export it well19

    Score 7 of 8: import bill USD 33m, top 17 per cent of candidates (2); proximity to Mauritania's export strengths in the top 5 per cent (3); Morocco supplies 94 per cent (2).

    USD 33mup 73% on 2022
  4. 4

    Vehicles: with only spark-ignition internal combustion piston engine, cylinder capacity not over 1000ccHS 870321

    Comes fromUnited Arab Emirates 99%, 12 source countries
    Nearest export strengthnone in the same chapter
    Exports of this linenone recorded; 3 more lines in the heading, USD 122m
    Countries that export it well16

    Score 6 of 8: import bill USD 46m, top 9 per cent of candidates (3); proximity to Mauritania's export strengths in the top 42 per cent (1); United Arab Emirates supplies 99 per cent (2).

    USD 46mfrom USD 7m in 2022
  5. 5

    Soap: in forms n.e.c. in item no. 3401.11HS 340120

    Comes fromIndonesia 75%, 24 source countries
    Nearest export strengthnone in the same chapter
    Exports of this lineUSD 50k
    Countries that export it well41

    Score 6 of 8: import bill USD 19m, top 37 per cent of candidates (1); proximity to Mauritania's export strengths in the top 6 per cent (3); Indonesia supplies 75 per cent (2).

    USD 19mup 32% on 2022
  6. 6

    Food preparations: of flour, meal, starch, malt extract or milk products, for uses n.e.c. in heading no. 1901HS 190190

    Comes fromNetherlands 36%, 26 source countries
    Nearest export strengthnone in the same chapter
    Exports of this lineUSD 41k
    Countries that export it well39

    Score 5 of 8: import bill USD 87m, top 3 per cent of candidates (3); proximity to Mauritania's export strengths in the top 20 per cent (2).

    USD 87mup 6% on 2022
  7. 7

    Medicaments: consisting of mixed or unmixed products n.e.c. in heading no. 3004, for therapeutic or prophylactic uses...HS 300490

    Comes fromFrance 52%, 40 source countries
    Nearest export strengthnone in the same chapter
    Exports of this lineUSD 167k
    Countries that export it well32

    Score 5 of 8: import bill USD 52m, top 8 per cent of candidates (3); proximity to Mauritania's export strengths in the top 49 per cent (1); France supplies 52 per cent (1).

    USD 52mup 4% on 2022
  8. 8

    Fertilizers, mineral or chemical: nitrogenous, ammonium nitrate, whether or not in aqueous solutionHS 310230

    Comes fromRussia 42%, 11 source countries
    Nearest export strengthFertilizers, animal or vegetable: whether or not mixed together or... (exports USD 6m)
    Exports of this linenone recorded
    Countries that export it well22

    Score 5 of 8: import bill USD 37m, top 12 per cent of candidates (2); proximity to Mauritania's export strengths in the top 15 per cent (2); Russia supplies 42 per cent (1).

    USD 37mup 79% on 2022
  9. 9

    Footwear: n.e.c. in heading no. 6402, (other than just covering the ankle), with outer soles and uppers of rubber or...HS 640299

    Comes fromChina 87%, 16 source countries
    Nearest export strengthnone in the same chapter
    Exports of this lineUSD 156k
    Countries that export it well16

    Score 5 of 8: import bill USD 35m, top 15 per cent of candidates (2); proximity to Mauritania's export strengths in the top 28 per cent (1); China supplies 87 per cent (2).

    USD 35mdown 49% on 2022
  10. 10

    Iron or non-alloy steel: bars and rods, hot-rolled, hot-drawn or hot-extruded, containing indentations, ribs, grooves...HS 721420

    Comes fromTurkey 53%, 10 source countries
    Nearest export strengthFerrous waste and scrap: n.e.c. in heading no. 7204 (exports USD 9m)
    Exports of this linenone recorded
    Countries that export it well45

    Score 5 of 8: import bill USD 17m, top 46 per cent of candidates (1); proximity to Mauritania's export strengths in the top 8 per cent (3); Turkey supplies 53 per cent (1).

    USD 17mup 218% on 2022
  11. 11

    Oil-cake and other solid residues: whether or not ground or in the form of pellets, resulting from the extraction of...HS 230610

    Comes fromIvory Coast 60%, 6 source countries
    Nearest export strengthFlours, meals and pellets: of fish or of crustaceans, molluscs or... (exports USD 98m)
    Exports of this linenone recorded
    Countries that export it well23

    Score 5 of 8: import bill USD 12m, top 75 per cent of candidates (0); proximity to Mauritania's export strengths in the top 9 per cent (3); Ivory Coast supplies 60 per cent (2).

    USD 12mfrom USD 775k in 2022
  12. 12

    Fishing vessels, factory ships and other vessels: for processing or preserving fishery productsHS 890200

    Comes fromChina 100%, 2 source countries
    Nearest export strengthRafts: inflatable (exports USD 212k)
    Exports of this linenone recorded
    Countries that export it well18

    Score 5 of 8: import bill USD 11m, top 89 per cent of candidates (0); proximity to Mauritania's export strengths in the top 3 per cent (3); China supplies 100 per cent (2).

    USD 11mup 270% on 2022
  13. 13

    Iron or steel: structures and parts thereof, n.e.c. in heading 7308HS 730890

    Comes fromIndonesia 42%, 28 source countries
    Nearest export strengthIron or steel (excluding cast iron): casing of a kind used in... (exports USD 576k)
    Exports of this lineUSD 31k
    Countries that export it well33

    Score 4 of 8: import bill USD 44m, top 11 per cent of candidates (2); proximity to Mauritania's export strengths in the top 37 per cent (1); Indonesia supplies 42 per cent (1).

    USD 44mup 131% on 2022
  14. 14

    Rubber: new pneumatic tyres, of a kind used on construction, mining or industrial handling vehicles and machinesHS 401180

    Comes fromJapan 50%, 13 source countries
    Nearest export strengthnone in the same chapter
    Exports of this linenone recorded; 2 more lines in the heading, USD 28m
    Countries that export it well17

    Score 4 of 8: import bill USD 28m, top 22 per cent of candidates (2); proximity to Mauritania's export strengths in the top 46 per cent (1); Japan supplies 50 per cent (1).

    USD 28mdown 7% on 2022
  15. 15

    Vessels: n.e.c. in heading no. 8901, for the transport of goods and other vessels for the transport of both persons...HS 890190

    Comes fromAngola 80%, 3 source countries
    Nearest export strengthRafts: inflatable (exports USD 212k)
    Exports of this linenone recorded
    Countries that export it well19

    Score 4 of 8: import bill USD 22m, top 32 per cent of candidates (1); proximity to Mauritania's export strengths in the top 37 per cent (1); Angola supplies 80 per cent (2).

    USD 22ma year
  16. 16

    Vehicles: public transport type (carries 10 or more persons, including driver), with only compression-ignition...HS 870210

    Comes fromChina 79%, 6 source countries
    Nearest export strengthnone in the same chapter
    Exports of this lineUSD 12k
    Countries that export it well30

    Score 4 of 8: import bill USD 19m, top 35 per cent of candidates (1); proximity to Mauritania's export strengths in the top 49 per cent (1); China supplies 79 per cent (2).

    USD 19mup 255% on 2022
  17. 17

    Cigarettes: containing tobaccoHS 240220

    Comes fromUnited Arab Emirates 54%, 9 source countries
    Nearest export strengthTobacco: smoking, water pipe tobacco as specified in Subheading Note... (exports USD 291k)
    Exports of this linenone recorded
    Countries that export it well41

    Score 4 of 8: import bill USD 18m, top 40 per cent of candidates (1); proximity to Mauritania's export strengths in the top 14 per cent (2); United Arab Emirates supplies 54 per cent (1).

    USD 18mdown 61% on 2022
  18. 18

    Iron or steel: grinding balls and similar articles for mills, forged or stamped, but not further workedHS 732611

    Comes fromChina 83%, 8 source countries
    Nearest export strengthIron or steel (excluding cast iron): casing of a kind used in... (exports USD 576k)
    Exports of this linenone recorded; 1 more line in the heading, USD 26m
    Countries that export it well14

    Score 4 of 8: import bill USD 14m, top 62 per cent of candidates (0); proximity to Mauritania's export strengths in the top 25 per cent (2); China supplies 83 per cent (2).

    USD 14mup 4% on 2022
  19. 19

    Fertilizers, mineral or chemical: diammonium hydrogenorthophosphate (diammonium phosphate)HS 310530

    Comes fromMorocco 100%, 1 source country
    Nearest export strengthFertilizers, animal or vegetable: whether or not mixed together or... (exports USD 6m)
    Exports of this linenone recorded
    Countries that export it well17

    Score 4 of 8: import bill USD 10m, top 98 per cent of candidates (0); proximity to Mauritania's export strengths in the top 12 per cent (2); Morocco supplies 100 per cent (2).

    USD 10mdown 11% on 2022
  20. 20

    Food preparations: sweet biscuits, whether or not containing cocoaHS 190531

    Comes fromSpain 33%, 24 source countries
    Nearest export strengthDog or cat food: (not put up for retail sale), used in animal feeding
    Exports of this lineUSD 290k
    Countries that export it well52

    Score 3 of 8: import bill USD 18m, top 38 per cent of candidates (1); proximity to Mauritania's export strengths in the top 23 per cent (2).

    USD 18mup 16% on 2022

One line per customs heading. Products Mauritania already exports well and still imports are below, because they are a different conversation. No employment figures appear on this page, by decision.

Made here already, still imported

Scale conversations, not capability ones.

  • Fertilizers, animal or vegetable: whether or not mixed together or chemically... imports USD 11m, exports USD 6m, top source Algeria 68%
How the twenty were chosen

Three scores, each from a field the record carries.

Import bill, 0 to 3, by percentile among the 65 lines imported at USD 10m or more: above the median one point, top quarter two, top tenth three.

Proximity to export strengths, 0 to 3, on the same percentiles: the product-space method (Hidalgo, Klinger, Barabasi and Hausmann, Science 2007) on CEPII's BACI file of every bilateral trade flow for 2024, 157 countries and 5,388 products. Two products are close when the countries that export one well tend to export the other well. Only products in the upper half for proximity can enter the list at all: best placed is a proximity claim.

Supply concentration, 0 to 2: one point when a single country supplies 40 per cent or more, two at 60 per cent.

Scope. Manufactured goods, customs chapters 16 to 96, excluding ores, fuels and precious metals. Primary agriculture is out of scope for a page about manufacture.

What it cannot tell you

A map of where to look.

Trade data says what crossed the border, not why. Cost, scale, patents, tariffs and the plain fact that a supplier is good at it are all invisible here. The world file reconciles what each pair of countries reports, so a national customs file would differ in detail. Nothing on this page is a forecast or a promise.

Source: CEPII BACI, HS22, version 202601, years 2022 to 2024. Edition of 2026-11-02. The UK edition with its procurement and regional layers is at /made-here/.

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