Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Mauritania instead of Botswana, you would:
Health
be 99.4% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Botswana, 15.7% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Mauritania, that number is 0.1% of people as of 2024.
be 67.5% less likely to die by suicide
Botswana has a suicide rate of 8.3 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Mauritania, it is 2.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 21.7% more likely to be obese
In Botswana, 19.8% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Mauritania, that number is 24.1% of people as of 2024.
see 77.0% less spent on your healthcare
Botswana spends $1,310 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Mauritania spends $302 as of 2023.
have 31.1% fewer doctors per person
Botswana has 3.8 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Mauritania has 2.6 as of 2022.
have 27.3% less access to essential health services
Botswana scores 55 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Mauritania scores 40 as of 2021.
Economy
be 57.8% less likely to be unemployed
In Botswana, 24.5% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Mauritania, that number is 10.3% as of 2025.
make 71.7% less money
Botswana has a GDP per capita of $7,778 as of 2025, while in Mauritania, the GDP per capita is $2,198 as of 2025.
Life
have 39.7% more children
In Botswana, there are approximately 24.4 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Mauritania, there are 34.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 2.5 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Botswana, approximately 155.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Mauritania, 381.0 women do as of 2023.
Basic Needs
be 33.8% less likely to have access to electricity
In Botswana, approximately 76% of people have electricity access (98% in urban areas, and 25% 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.
be 20.3% less likely to have internet access
In Botswana, approximately 57.5% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Mauritania, about 45.8% do as of 2024.
be 15.8% less likely to have access to drinking water
In Botswana, approximately 92% of people have access to drinking water (97% in urban areas, and 78% 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.
Expenditures
spend 30.7% less on healthcare
Botswana spends 6.3% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Mauritania, that number is 4.3% of GDP as of 2023.
Safety
be 91.2% less likely to be murdered
Botswana has a homicide rate of 11.4 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Mauritania, that number is 1.0 per 100,000 as of 2020.
be 42.4% less likely to die in a road accident
In Botswana, road accidents kill 16.5 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Mauritania, they kill 9.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 87.2% less home broadband
Botswana has 7.4 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Mauritania has 0.9 as of 2024.
live with 5.9 times more strain on fresh water
Botswana withdraws 2% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Mauritania withdraws 13% as of 2022.
Environment
emit 64.6% less CO2
Botswana emits 2.7 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Mauritania emits 1.0 tonnes as of 2024.
be 12.7% more likely to die from air pollution
In Botswana, air pollution causes 55.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Mauritania, it causes 62.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2020–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Botswana vs. Mauritania
Mauritania: At a glance
How big is Mauritania compared to Botswana? See an in-depth size comparison.