Officially, 100% of the country's citizens are Muslim,although there is a small community of Christians, mainly of foreign nationality. The two largest Sufi Muslim tariqas in Mauritania are Tijaniyyah and Qadiriyya. Because of the ethnic and tribal divisions in the country, religion is seen by the government as essential for national unity.
There are around 4,500 Roman Catholics in the country of foreign origin. There are also a few adherents of Judaism working in the country.