Quality of life comparison

compared to

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

Health

live 3.0 years longer

In Benin, the average life expectancy is 62 years (60 years for men, 64 years for women) as of 2022. In Mauritania, that number is 65 years (63 years for men, 68 years for women) as of 2022.

be 32.3% more likely to be obese

In Benin, 9.6% of adults are obese as of 2016. In Mauritania, that number is 12.7% of people as of 2016.

Economy

make 51.5% more money

Benin has a GDP per capita of $3,300 as of 2020, while in Mauritania, the GDP per capita is $5,000 as of 2020.

be 19.5% less likely to live below the poverty line

In Benin, 38.5% live below the poverty line as of 2019. In Mauritania, however, that number is 31.0% as of 2014.

be 10.2 times more likely to be unemployed

In Benin, 1.0% of adults are unemployed as of 2014. In Mauritania, that number is 10.2% as of 2017.

Life

be 26.2% more likely to be literate

In Benin, the literacy rate is 42.4% as of 2018. In Mauritania, it is 53.5% as of 2017.

be 92.9% more likely to die during childbirth

In Benin, approximately 397.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2017. In Mauritania, 766.0 women do as of 2017.

have 31.8% fewer children

In Benin, there are approximately 41.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2022. In Mauritania, there are 28.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2022.

Basic Needs

be 57.7% more likely to have internet access

In Benin, approximately 26.0% of the population has internet access as of 2020. In Mauritania, about 41.0% do as of 2020.

be 14.1% more likely to have access to improved drinking water

In Benin, approximately 75% of people have improved drinking water access (79% in urban areas, and 71% in rural areas) as of 2020. In Mauritania, that number is 85% of people on average (99% in urban areas, and 68% in rural areas) as of 2020.

Expenditures

spend 36.7% less on education

Benin spends 3.0% of its total GDP on education as of 2019. Mauritania spends 1.9% of total GDP on education as of 2020.

spend 37.5% more on healthcare

Benin spends 2.4% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2019. In Mauritania, that number is 3.3% of GDP as of 2019.

Geography

see 6.2 times more coastline

Benin has a total of 121 km of coastline. In Mauritania, that number is 754 km.

The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook.

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 Benin? See an in-depth size comparison.

Share this

ASK THE ELSEWHERE COMMUNITY

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