Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Mauritania instead of France, you would:
Health
be 83.7% less likely to die by suicide
France has a suicide rate of 16.6 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Mauritania, it is 2.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.
live 14.3 years less
In France, the average life expectancy is 83 years (80 years for men, 86 years for women) as of 2024. In Mauritania, that number is 69 years (67 years for men, 71 years for women) as of 2024.
be 2.2 times more likely to be obese
In France, 11.2% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Mauritania, that number is 24.1% of people as of 2024.
see 95.6% less spent on your healthcare
France spends $6,868 per person on healthcare as of 2024 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Mauritania spends $302 as of 2023.
have 92.0% fewer doctors per person
France has 32.8 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Mauritania has 2.6 as of 2022.
have 52.9% less access to essential health services
France scores 85 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Mauritania scores 40 as of 2021.
Economy
be 36.9% more likely to be unemployed
In France, 7.5% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Mauritania, that number is 10.3% as of 2025.
be 2.0 times more likely to live below the poverty line
In France, 15.6% live below the poverty line as of 2021. In Mauritania, however, that number is 31.8% as of 2019.
make 95.5% less money
France has a GDP per capita of $48,986 as of 2025, while in Mauritania, the GDP per capita is $2,198 as of 2025.
Life
have 3.5 times more children
In France, there are approximately 9.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Mauritania, there are 34.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 54.4 times more likely to die during childbirth
In France, approximately 7.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Mauritania, 381.0 women do as of 2023.
be 8.9 times more likely to die during infancy
In France, approximately 3.4 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.
Basic Needs
be 49.7% less likely to have access to electricity
In France, approximately 100% of people have electricity access (100% in urban areas, and 100% 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 48.4% less likely to have internet access
In France, approximately 88.7% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Mauritania, about 45.8% do as of 2024.
be 22.7% less likely to have access to drinking water
In France, approximately 100% of people have access to drinking water (100% in urban areas, and 100% 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 62.4% less on healthcare
France spends 11.5% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2024. In Mauritania, that number is 4.3% of GDP as of 2023.
spend 43.0% more on education
France spends 5.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Mauritania spends 7.6% of total GDP on education as of 2024.
Geography
see 84.5% less coastline
France has a total of 4,853 km of coastline. In Mauritania, that number is 754 km.
Safety
be 25.4% less likely to be murdered
France has a homicide rate of 1.3 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Mauritania, that number is 1.0 per 100,000 as of 2020.
be 2.0 times more likely to die in a road accident
In France, road accidents kill 4.7 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Mauritania, they kill 9.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 38.0% less strain on fresh water
France withdraws 21% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Mauritania withdraws 13% as of 2022.
find 98.1% less home broadband
France has 48.9 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Mauritania has 0.9 as of 2024.
Environment
emit 75.8% less CO2
France emits 4.0 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Mauritania emits 1.0 tonnes as of 2024.
be 6.2 times more likely to die from air pollution
In France, air pollution causes 10.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Mauritania, it causes 62.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2019–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: France vs. Mauritania
Mauritania: At a glance
How big is Mauritania compared to France? See an in-depth size comparison.