If you lived in Mauritania instead of Cayman Islands, you would:

Health

live 11.8 years less

In Cayman Islands, the average life expectancy is 81 years (78 years for men, 83 years for women) as of 2024. In Mauritania, that number is 69 years (67 years for men, 71 years for women) as of 2024.

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Economy

make 97.9% less money

Cayman Islands has a GDP per capita of $104,293 as of 2024, while in Mauritania, the GDP per capita is $2,198 as of 2025.

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Life

have 2.9 times more children

In Cayman Islands, there are approximately 11.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Mauritania, there are 34.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

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be 32.3% less likely to be literate

In Cayman Islands, the literacy rate is 98.9% as of 2021. In Mauritania, it is 67.0% as of 2021.

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be 3.9 times more likely to die during infancy

In Cayman Islands, approximately 7.7 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2022. In Mauritania, on the other hand, 30.2 children do as of 2024.

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Basic Needs

be 49.7% less likely to have access to electricity

In Cayman Islands, approximately 100% of people have electricity access (100% in urban areas, and 100% 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.

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be 43.6% less likely to have internet access

In Cayman Islands, approximately 81.1% of the population has internet access as of 2021. In Mauritania, about 45.8% do as of 2024.

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be 19.0% less likely to have access to drinking water

In Cayman Islands, approximately 95% of people have access to drinking water as of 2024. In Mauritania, 77% of people do as of 2024.

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Expenditures

spend 4.8 times more on education

Cayman Islands spends 1.6% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Mauritania spends 7.6% of total GDP on education as of 2024.

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Geography

see 4.7 times more coastline

Cayman Islands has a total of 160 km of coastline. In Mauritania, that number is 754 km.

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Safety

be 77.1% less likely to be murdered

Cayman Islands has a homicide rate of 4.4 per 100,000 people as of 2020. In Mauritania, that number is 1.0 per 100,000 as of 2020.

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Infrastructure

find 98.3% less home broadband

Cayman Islands has 56.4 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2022. Mauritania has 0.9 as of 2024.

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Environment

emit 80.6% less CO2

Cayman Islands emits 5.0 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Mauritania emits 1.0 tonnes as of 2024.

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Sources: World Bank (2020–2025), The World Factbook (2021–2022). How we calculate this

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 Cayman Islands? See an in-depth size comparison.

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