Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Mauritania instead of Colombia, you would:
Health
be 45.4% less likely to die by suicide
Colombia has a suicide rate of 5.0 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Mauritania, it is 2.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.
live 9.2 years less
In Colombia, the average life expectancy is 78 years (75 years for men, 81 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 82.8% less spent on your healthcare
Colombia spends $1,758 per person on healthcare as of 2024 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Mauritania spends $302 as of 2023.
have 89.7% fewer doctors per person
Colombia has 25.4 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Mauritania has 2.6 as of 2022.
have 50.0% less access to essential health services
Colombia scores 80 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Mauritania scores 40 as of 2021.
Economy
be 24.5% more likely to be unemployed
In Colombia, 8.3% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Mauritania, that number is 10.3% as of 2025.
make 74.3% less money
Colombia has a GDP per capita of $8,562 as of 2025, while in Mauritania, the GDP per capita is $2,198 as of 2025.
Life
have 2.6 times more children
In Colombia, there are approximately 13.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Mauritania, there are 34.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 6.5 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Colombia, approximately 59.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Mauritania, 381.0 women do as of 2023.
be 29.7% less likely to be literate
In Colombia, the literacy rate is 95.3% as of 2024. In Mauritania, it is 67.0% as of 2021.
be 2.9 times more likely to die during infancy
In Colombia, approximately 10.5 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.
Basic Needs
be 49.0% less likely to have access to electricity
In Colombia, approximately 99% of people have electricity access (100% in urban areas, and 95% 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 42.3% less likely to have internet access
In Colombia, approximately 79.3% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Mauritania, about 45.8% do as of 2024.
be 20.4% less likely to have access to drinking water
In Colombia, approximately 97% of people have access to drinking water (100% in urban areas, and 84% 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 46.7% less on healthcare
Colombia spends 8.1% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2024. In Mauritania, that number is 4.3% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 76.5% less coastline
Colombia has a total of 3,208 km of coastline. In Mauritania, that number is 754 km.
Safety
be 96.0% less likely to be murdered
Colombia has a homicide rate of 24.9 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Mauritania, that number is 1.0 per 100,000 as of 2020.
be 41.4% less likely to die in a road accident
In Colombia, road accidents kill 16.2 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Mauritania, they kill 9.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 94.5% less home broadband
Colombia has 17.2 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Mauritania has 0.9 as of 2024.
live with 3.7 times more strain on fresh water
Colombia withdraws 4% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Mauritania withdraws 13% as of 2022.
Environment
emit 46.1% less CO2
Colombia emits 1.8 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Mauritania emits 1.0 tonnes as of 2024.
be 2.6 times more likely to die from air pollution
In Colombia, air pollution causes 24.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Mauritania, it causes 62.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2020–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), The World Factbook (2021). How we calculate this
Compare further: Colombia vs. Mauritania
Mauritania: At a glance
How big is Mauritania compared to Colombia? See an in-depth size comparison.