Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Mauritania instead of Democratic Republic of the Congo, you would:
Health
live 6.6 years longer
In Democratic Republic of the Congo, the average life expectancy is 62 years (60 years for men, 64 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 5.2 times more spent on your healthcare
Democratic Republic of the Congo spends $58 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Mauritania spends $302 as of 2023.
have 25.5% more doctors per person
Democratic Republic of the Congo has 2.1 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Mauritania has 2.6 as of 2022.
be 69.1% less likely to die by suicide
Democratic Republic of the Congo has a suicide rate of 8.8 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Mauritania, it is 2.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 3.6 times more likely to be obese
In Democratic Republic of the Congo, 6.7% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Mauritania, that number is 24.1% of people as of 2024.
Economy
be 43.4% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Democratic Republic of the Congo, 56.2% live below the poverty line as of 2020. In Mauritania, however, that number is 31.8% as of 2019.
make 2.7 times more money
Democratic Republic of the Congo has a GDP per capita of $807 as of 2025, while in Mauritania, the GDP per capita is $2,198 as of 2025.
be 2.3 times more likely to be unemployed
In Democratic Republic of the Congo, 4.4% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Mauritania, that number is 10.3% as of 2025.
Life
be 46.5% less likely to die during infancy
In Democratic Republic of the Congo, approximately 56.4 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.
have 16.8% fewer children
In Democratic Republic of the Congo, there are approximately 40.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Mauritania, there are 34.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 2.3 times more likely to have access to electricity
In Democratic Republic of the Congo, approximately 22% of people have electricity access (56% in urban areas, and 1% 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 2.3 times more likely to have internet access
In Democratic Republic of the Congo, approximately 19.7% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Mauritania, about 45.8% do as of 2024.
be 2.2 times more likely to have access to drinking water
In Democratic Republic of the Congo, approximately 36% of people have access to drinking water (59% in urban areas, and 14% 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 2.7 times more on education
Democratic Republic of the Congo spends 2.8% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Mauritania spends 7.6% of total GDP on education as of 2024.
spend 17.9% more on healthcare
Democratic Republic of the Congo spends 3.7% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Mauritania, that number is 4.3% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 20.4 times more coastline
Democratic Republic of the Congo has a total of 37 km of coastline. In Mauritania, that number is 754 km.
Safety
be 41.7% less likely to die in a road accident
In Democratic Republic of the Congo, road accidents kill 16.3 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Mauritania, they kill 9.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 31.7 times more home broadband
Democratic Republic of the Congo has 0.0 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Mauritania has 0.9 as of 2024.
live with 57.6 times more strain on fresh water
Democratic Republic of the Congo withdraws 0% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Mauritania withdraws 13% as of 2022.
Environment
be 13.9% less likely to die from air pollution
In Democratic Republic of the Congo, air pollution causes 72.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Mauritania, it causes 62.0 as of 2019.
emit 16.2 times more CO2
Democratic Republic of the Congo emits 0.1 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Mauritania emits 1.0 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2019–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Democratic Republic of the Congo vs. Mauritania
MORE COMPARISONS
Mauritania: At a glance
How big is Mauritania compared to Democratic Republic of the Congo? See an in-depth size comparison.