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

Health

live 2.5 years longer

In Djibouti, the average life expectancy is 66 years (64 years for men, 69 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 94.6% more spent on your healthcare

Djibouti spends $155 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Mauritania spends $302 as of 2023.

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have 23.7% more doctors per person

Djibouti has 2.1 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Mauritania has 2.6 as of 2022.

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be 66.0% less likely to die by suicide

Djibouti has a suicide rate of 8.0 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Mauritania, it is 2.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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be 2.1 times more likely to be obese

In Djibouti, 11.7% 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 60.3% less likely to be unemployed

In Djibouti, 26.0% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Mauritania, that number is 10.3% as of 2025.

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be 50.7% more likely to live below the poverty line

In Djibouti, 21.1% live below the poverty line as of 2017. In Mauritania, however, that number is 31.8% as of 2019.

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make 43.7% less money

Djibouti has a GDP per capita of $3,906 as of 2025, while in Mauritania, the GDP per capita is $2,198 as of 2025.

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Life

be 29.8% less likely to die during infancy

In Djibouti, approximately 43.0 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 62.6% more children

In Djibouti, there are approximately 20.9 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 2.4 times more likely to die during childbirth

In Djibouti, approximately 162.0 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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Basic Needs

be 22.9% less likely to have access to electricity

In Djibouti, approximately 65% of people have electricity access (75% in urban areas, and 37% 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 29.9% less likely to have internet access

In Djibouti, approximately 65.3% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Mauritania, about 45.8% do as of 2024.

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Expenditures

spend 90.4% more on healthcare

Djibouti spends 2.3% 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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Geography

see 2.4 times more coastline

Djibouti has a total of 314 km of coastline. In Mauritania, that number is 754 km.

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Safety

be 59.2% less likely to die in a road accident

In Djibouti, road accidents kill 23.3 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 35.4% less home broadband

Djibouti has 1.5 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2023. Mauritania has 0.9 as of 2024.

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live with 2.1 times more strain on fresh water

Djibouti withdraws 6% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Mauritania withdraws 13% as of 2022.

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Environment

emit 26.0% more CO2

Djibouti emits 0.8 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 (2017–2025), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook, United Nations SDG Indicators (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 Djibouti? See an in-depth size comparison.

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