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

Health

live 13.5 years longer

In Chad, the average life expectancy is 55 years (53 years for men, 57 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 2.3 times more spent on your healthcare

Chad spends $130 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Mauritania spends $302 as of 2023.

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have 3.1 times more doctors per person

Chad has 0.8 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Mauritania has 2.6 as of 2022.

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have 37.9% more access to essential health services

Chad scores 29 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Mauritania scores 40 as of 2021.

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be 48.0% less likely to die by suicide

Chad has a suicide rate of 5.2 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Mauritania, it is 2.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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be 3.3 times more likely to be obese

In Chad, 7.4% 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 29.0% less likely to live below the poverty line

In Chad, 44.8% live below the poverty line as of 2022. In Mauritania, however, that number is 31.8% as of 2019.

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make 2.1 times more money

Chad has a GDP per capita of $1,022 as of 2025, while in Mauritania, the GDP per capita is $2,198 as of 2025.

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be 9.7 times more likely to be unemployed

In Chad, 1.1% 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 49.1% less likely to die during childbirth

In Chad, approximately 748.0 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 2.5 times more likely to be literate

In Chad, the literacy rate is 26.8% as of 2021. In Mauritania, it is 67.0% as of 2021.

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be 46.4% less likely to die during infancy

In Chad, approximately 56.3 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 21.3% fewer children

In Chad, there are approximately 43.3 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 4.2 times more likely to have access to electricity

In Chad, approximately 12% of people have electricity access (48% in urban areas, and 0% 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 3.6 times more likely to have internet access

In Chad, approximately 12.6% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Mauritania, about 45.8% do as of 2024.

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be 48.0% more likely to have access to drinking water

In Chad, approximately 52% of people have access to drinking water (78% in urban areas, and 44% 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 13.2% less on healthcare

Chad spends 5.0% 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 2.4 times more on education

Chad spends 3.2% 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 64.0% less likely to die in a road accident

In Chad, road accidents kill 26.4 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Mauritania, they kill 9.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Infrastructure

live with 3.1 times more strain on fresh water

Chad withdraws 4% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Mauritania withdraws 13% as of 2022.

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Environment

be 34.7% less likely to die from air pollution

In Chad, air pollution causes 95.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Mauritania, it causes 62.0 as of 2019.

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emit 6.9 times more CO2

Chad 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 (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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How big is Mauritania compared to Chad? See an in-depth size comparison.

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