If you lived in Mauritania instead of Barbados, you would:

Health

be 38.9% less likely to be obese

In Barbados, 39.4% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Mauritania, that number is 24.1% of people as of 2024.

View global rankings →

be 22.6% less likely to die by suicide

Barbados has a suicide rate of 3.5 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Mauritania, it is 2.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.

View global rankings →

live 7.6 years less

In Barbados, the average life expectancy is 76 years (74 years for men, 79 years for women) as of 2024. In Mauritania, that number is 69 years (67 years for men, 71 years for women) as of 2024.

View global rankings →

see 73.8% less spent on your healthcare

Barbados spends $1,153 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Mauritania spends $302 as of 2023.

View global rankings →

have 91.2% fewer doctors per person

Barbados has 29.6 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Mauritania has 2.6 as of 2022.

View global rankings →

have 48.1% less access to essential health services

Barbados scores 77 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Mauritania scores 40 as of 2021.

View global rankings →

Economy

be 58.3% more likely to be unemployed

In Barbados, 6.5% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Mauritania, that number is 10.3% as of 2025.

View global rankings →

be 23.7% more likely to live below the poverty line

In Barbados, 25.7% live below the poverty line as of 2016. In Mauritania, however, that number is 31.8% as of 2019.

View global rankings →

make 92.3% less money

Barbados has a GDP per capita of $28,365 as of 2025, while in Mauritania, the GDP per capita is $2,198 as of 2025.

View global rankings →

Life

have 3.1 times more children

In Barbados, there are approximately 11.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Mauritania, there are 34.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

View global rankings →

be 10.9 times more likely to die during childbirth

In Barbados, approximately 35.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Mauritania, 381.0 women do as of 2023.

View global rankings →

be 3.3 times more likely to die during infancy

In Barbados, approximately 9.1 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2024. In Mauritania, on the other hand, 30.2 children do as of 2024.

View global rankings →

Basic Needs

be 49.7% less likely to have access to electricity

In Barbados, approximately 100% of people have electricity access (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2023. In Mauritania, that number is 50% of people on average (94% in urban areas, and 1% in rural areas) as of 2023.

View global rankings →

be 34.9% less likely to have internet access

In Barbados, approximately 70.4% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Mauritania, about 45.8% do as of 2024.

View global rankings →

be 22.1% less likely to have access to drinking water

In Barbados, approximately 99% of people have access to drinking water as of 2024. In Mauritania, 77% of people do as of 2024.

View global rankings →

Expenditures

spend 19.6% less on healthcare

Barbados spends 5.4% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Mauritania, that number is 4.3% of GDP as of 2023.

View global rankings →

spend 2.1 times more on education

Barbados spends 3.6% of its total GDP on education as of 2024. Mauritania spends 7.6% of total GDP on education as of 2024.

View global rankings →

Geography

see 7.8 times more coastline

Barbados has a total of 97 km of coastline. In Mauritania, that number is 754 km.

View global rankings →

Safety

be 86.6% less likely to be murdered

Barbados has a homicide rate of 7.4 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Mauritania, that number is 1.0 per 100,000 as of 2020.

View global rankings →

Infrastructure

live with 84.9% less strain on fresh water

Barbados withdraws 88% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Mauritania withdraws 13% as of 2022.

View global rankings →

find 97.5% less home broadband

Barbados has 37.5 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2022. Mauritania has 0.9 as of 2024.

View global rankings →

Environment

emit 61.5% less CO2

Barbados emits 2.5 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Mauritania emits 1.0 tonnes as of 2024.

View global rankings →

be 3.3 times more likely to die from air pollution

In Barbados, air pollution causes 19.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Mauritania, it causes 62.0 as of 2019.

View global rankings →


Sources: World Bank (2016–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this

Mauritania: At a glance

Mauritania is a sovereign country in Africa, with a total land area of approximately 1,030,700 sq km. Independent from France in 1960, Mauritania annexed the southern third of the former Spanish Sahara (now Western Sahara) in 1976 but relinquished it after three years of raids by the Polisario guerrilla front seeking independence for the territory. Maaouya Ould Sid Ahmed TAYA seized power in a coup in 1984 and ruled Mauritania with a heavy hand for more than two decades. A series of presidential elections that he held were widely seen as flawed. A bloodless coup in August 2005 deposed President TAYA and ushered in a military council that oversaw a transition to democratic rule. Independent candidate Sidi Ould Cheikh ABDALLAHI was inaugurated in April 2007 as Mauritania's first freely and fairly elected president. His term ended prematurely in August 2008 when a military junta led by General Mohamed Ould Abdel AZIZ deposed him and installed a military council government. AZIZ was subsequently elected president in July 2009 and sworn in the following month. AZIZ sustained injuries from an accidental shooting by his own troops in October 2012 but has continued to maintain his authority. The country continues to experience ethnic tensions among its black population (Afro-Mauritanians) and white and black Moor (Arab-Berber) communities, and confronts a terrorism threat by al-Qa'ida in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM).
Read more

How big is Mauritania compared to Barbados? See an in-depth size comparison.

Share this

Ask the Elsewhere Community

Join the Elsewhere community and ask a question about Mauritania or Barbados. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.