Quality of life comparison

compared to

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

Health

be 15.2% less likely to be obese

In California, 28.4% of adults are obese as of 2022. In Mauritania, that number is 24.1% of people as of 2024.

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Economy

be 2.0 times more likely to be unemployed

In California, 5.1% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Mauritania, that number is 10.3% as of 2025.

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make 97.4% less money

California has a GDP per capita of $84,028 as of 2024, while in Mauritania, the GDP per capita is $2,198 as of 2025.

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Basic Needs

be 50.6% less likely to have internet access

In California, approximately 92.6% of the population has internet access as of 2023. In Mauritania, about 45.8% do as of 2024.

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Sources: World Bank (2024–2025), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (PLACES) (2022), World Health Organization (2024), Bureau of Labor Statistics (2025), Bureau of Economic Analysis (2024), US Census Bureau (American Community Survey) (2023). How we calculate this

Compare further: California vs. Mauritania

Cost of Living Comparison · 7 categories - 2026 data
Mauritania is 73.8% cheaper than California
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Size Comparison · See true size
California is about 2.5 times smaller than Mauritania.
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Moving from California to Mauritania · Cost, visas & climate
Compare cost of living, salary and climate.
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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).
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How big is Mauritania compared to California? See an in-depth size comparison.

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