Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Mauritania instead of Burundi, you would:
Health
live 4.9 years longer
In Burundi, the average life expectancy is 64 years (62 years for men, 66 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 3.0 times more spent on your healthcare
Burundi spends $100 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Mauritania spends $302 as of 2023.
have 3.3 times more doctors per person
Burundi has 0.8 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Mauritania has 2.6 as of 2022.
be 64.6% less likely to die by suicide
Burundi has a suicide rate of 7.7 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Mauritania, it is 2.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 4.7 times more likely to be obese
In Burundi, 5.2% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Mauritania, that number is 24.1% of people as of 2024.
Economy
be 37.6% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Burundi, 51.0% live below the poverty line as of 2020. In Mauritania, however, that number is 31.8% as of 2019.
make 9.4 times more money
Burundi has a GDP per capita of $234 as of 2025, while in Mauritania, the GDP per capita is $2,198 as of 2025.
be 11.2 times more likely to be unemployed
In Burundi, 0.9% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Mauritania, that number is 10.3% as of 2025.
Life
be 10.3% less likely to be literate
In Burundi, the literacy rate is 74.7% as of 2021. In Mauritania, it is 67.0% as of 2021.
Basic Needs
be 4.3 times more likely to have access to electricity
In Burundi, approximately 12% of people have electricity access (65% in urban areas, and 2% 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 5.3 times more likely to have internet access
In Burundi, approximately 8.6% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Mauritania, about 45.8% do as of 2024.
be 17.2% more likely to have access to drinking water
In Burundi, approximately 66% of people have access to drinking water (91% in urban areas, and 61% 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 52.3% less on healthcare
Burundi spends 9.1% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Mauritania, that number is 4.3% of GDP as of 2023.
spend 69.1% more on education
Burundi spends 4.5% of its total GDP on education as of 2025. Mauritania spends 7.6% of total GDP on education as of 2024.
Safety
be 22.8% less likely to die in a road accident
In Burundi, road accidents kill 12.3 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Mauritania, they kill 9.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 47.5 times more home broadband
Burundi has 0.0 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2023. Mauritania has 0.9 as of 2024.
live with 30.0% more strain on fresh water
Burundi withdraws 10% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Mauritania withdraws 13% as of 2022.
Environment
be 12.7% less likely to die from air pollution
In Burundi, air pollution causes 71.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Mauritania, it causes 62.0 as of 2019.
emit 13.9 times more CO2
Burundi emits 0.1 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Mauritania emits 1.0 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2019–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook (2021). How we calculate this
Compare further: Burundi vs. Mauritania
Mauritania: At a glance
How big is Mauritania compared to Burundi? See an in-depth size comparison.