Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Mauritania instead of Benin, you would:
Health
live 7.7 years longer
In Benin, the average life expectancy is 61 years (60 years for men, 62 years for women) as of 2024. In Mauritania, that number is 69 years (67 years for men, 71 years for women) as of 2024.
see 2.2 times more spent on your healthcare
Benin spends $138 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Mauritania spends $302 as of 2023.
have 20.8% more doctors per person
Benin has 2.2 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Mauritania has 2.6 as of 2022.
be 61.9% less likely to die by suicide
Benin has a suicide rate of 7.1 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Mauritania, it is 2.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 96.7% more likely to be obese
In Benin, 12.2% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Mauritania, that number is 24.1% of people as of 2024.
Economy
be 12.2% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Benin, 36.2% live below the poverty line as of 2021. In Mauritania, however, that number is 31.8% as of 2019.
make 32.5% more money
Benin has a GDP per capita of $1,658 as of 2025, while in Mauritania, the GDP per capita is $2,198 as of 2025.
be 6.5 times more likely to be unemployed
In Benin, 1.6% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Mauritania, that number is 10.3% as of 2025.
Life
be 26.4% less likely to die during childbirth
In Benin, approximately 518.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Mauritania, 381.0 women do as of 2023.
be 30.4% more likely to be literate
In Benin, the literacy rate is 51.4% as of 2022. In Mauritania, it is 67.0% as of 2021.
be 33.2% less likely to die during infancy
In Benin, approximately 45.2 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.
Basic Needs
be 34.7% more likely to have internet access
In Benin, approximately 34.0% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Mauritania, about 45.8% do as of 2024.
be 11.1% more likely to have access to drinking water
In Benin, approximately 70% of people have access to drinking water (76% in urban areas, and 63% in rural areas) as of 2024. In Mauritania, that number is 77% of people on average (90% in urban areas, and 59% in rural areas) as of 2024.
be 11.8% less likely to have access to electricity
In Benin, approximately 57% of people have electricity access (70% in urban areas, and 44% 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.
Expenditures
spend 2.4 times more on education
Benin spends 3.2% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Mauritania spends 7.6% of total GDP on education as of 2024.
spend 29.9% more on healthcare
Benin spends 3.3% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Mauritania, that number is 4.3% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 6.2 times more coastline
Benin has a total of 121 km of coastline. In Mauritania, that number is 754 km.
Safety
be 11.5% less likely to be murdered
Benin has a homicide rate of 1.1 per 100,000 people as of 2017. In Mauritania, that number is 1.0 per 100,000 as of 2020.
be 61.7% less likely to die in a road accident
In Benin, road accidents kill 24.8 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Mauritania, they kill 9.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 3.4 times more home broadband
Benin has 0.3 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Mauritania has 0.9 as of 2024.
live with 13.5 times more strain on fresh water
Benin withdraws 1% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Mauritania withdraws 13% as of 2022.
Environment
be 19.5% less likely to die from air pollution
In Benin, air pollution causes 77.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Mauritania, it causes 62.0 as of 2019.
emit 98.0% more CO2
Benin emits 0.5 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Mauritania emits 1.0 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2017–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), The World Factbook (2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Benin vs. Mauritania
Mauritania: At a glance
How big is Mauritania compared to Benin? See an in-depth size comparison.