If you lived in Mauritania instead of Central African Republic, you would:

Health

be 95.8% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS

In Central African Republic, 2.4% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Mauritania, that number is 0.1% of people as of 2024.

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live 11.0 years longer

In Central African Republic, the average life expectancy is 58 years (56 years for men, 60 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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see 2.2 times more spent on your healthcare

Central African Republic spends $137 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Mauritania spends $302 as of 2023.

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have 3.5 times more doctors per person

Central African Republic has 0.7 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Mauritania has 2.6 as of 2022.

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have 25.0% more access to essential health services

Central African Republic scores 32 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Mauritania scores 40 as of 2021.

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be 70.5% less likely to die by suicide

Central African Republic has a suicide rate of 9.2 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Mauritania, it is 2.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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be 2.2 times more likely to be obese

In Central African Republic, 10.9% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Mauritania, that number is 24.1% of people as of 2024.

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Economy

be 53.8% less likely to live below the poverty line

In Central African Republic, 68.8% live below the poverty line as of 2021. In Mauritania, however, that number is 31.8% as of 2019.

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make 4.0 times more money

Central African Republic has a GDP per capita of $556 as of 2025, while in Mauritania, the GDP per capita is $2,198 as of 2025.

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be 65.1% more likely to be unemployed

In Central African Republic, 6.2% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Mauritania, that number is 10.3% as of 2025.

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Life

be 44.9% less likely to die during childbirth

In Central African Republic, approximately 692.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Mauritania, 381.0 women do as of 2023.

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be 78.7% more likely to be literate

In Central African Republic, the literacy rate is 37.5% as of 2020. In Mauritania, it is 67.0% as of 2021.

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be 48.6% less likely to die during infancy

In Central African Republic, approximately 58.8 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.

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have 26.3% fewer children

In Central African Republic, there are approximately 46.2 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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Basic Needs

be 2.9 times more likely to have access to electricity

In Central African Republic, approximately 18% of people have electricity access (37% 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.

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be 3.3 times more likely to have internet access

In Central African Republic, approximately 13.8% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Mauritania, about 45.8% do as of 2024.

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be 2.1 times more likely to have access to drinking water

In Central African Republic, approximately 36% of people have access to drinking water (48% in urban areas, and 27% 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.

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Expenditures

spend 59.3% less on healthcare

Central African Republic spends 10.7% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Mauritania, that number is 4.3% of GDP as of 2023.

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spend 4.2 times more on education

Central African Republic spends 1.8% 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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Safety

be 63.3% less likely to die in a road accident

In Central African Republic, road accidents kill 25.9 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Mauritania, they kill 9.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Infrastructure

find 47.5 times more home broadband

Central African Republic has 0.0 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2022. Mauritania has 0.9 as of 2024.

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live with 39.0 times more strain on fresh water

Central African Republic withdraws 0% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Mauritania withdraws 13% as of 2022.

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Environment

be 36.7% less likely to die from air pollution

In Central African Republic, air pollution causes 98.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Mauritania, it causes 62.0 as of 2019.

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emit 16.2 times more CO2

Central African Republic emits 0.1 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 (2019–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook (2020–2021). 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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