Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Mauritania instead of Gambia, you would:
Health
be 92.3% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Gambia, 1.3% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Mauritania, that number is 0.1% of people as of 2024.
live 2.6 years longer
In Gambia, the average life expectancy is 66 years (64 years for men, 68 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 3.2 times more spent on your healthcare
Gambia spends $94 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Mauritania spends $302 as of 2023.
have 2.9 times more doctors per person
Gambia has 0.9 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Mauritania has 2.6 as of 2022.
be 43.7% less likely to die by suicide
Gambia has a suicide rate of 4.8 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Mauritania, it is 2.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 94.4% more likely to be obese
In Gambia, 12.4% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Mauritania, that number is 24.1% of people as of 2024.
have 13.0% less access to essential health services
Gambia scores 46 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Mauritania scores 40 as of 2021.
Economy
be 40.4% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Gambia, 53.4% live below the poverty line as of 2020. In Mauritania, however, that number is 31.8% as of 2019.
make 2.4 times more money
Gambia has a GDP per capita of $919 as of 2025, while in Mauritania, the GDP per capita is $2,198 as of 2025.
be 58.3% more likely to be unemployed
In Gambia, 6.5% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Mauritania, that number is 10.3% as of 2025.
Life
be 29.7% more likely to be literate
In Gambia, the literacy rate is 51.6% as of 2021. In Mauritania, it is 67.0% as of 2021.
have 14.0% more children
In Gambia, there are approximately 29.9 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 24.8% less likely to have access to electricity
In Gambia, approximately 67% of people have electricity access (85% in urban areas, and 35% 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 11.3% less likely to have access to drinking water
In Gambia, approximately 87% of people have access to drinking water (92% in urban areas, and 78% 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
Gambia spends 2.8% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Mauritania spends 7.6% of total GDP on education as of 2024.
spend 50.2% more on healthcare
Gambia spends 2.9% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Mauritania, that number is 4.3% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 9.4 times more coastline
Gambia has a total of 80 km of coastline. In Mauritania, that number is 754 km.
Safety
be 56.8% less likely to die in a road accident
In Gambia, road accidents kill 22.0 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Mauritania, they kill 9.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 82.7% more home broadband
Gambia has 0.5 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Mauritania has 0.9 as of 2024.
live with 6.0 times more strain on fresh water
Gambia withdraws 2% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Mauritania withdraws 13% as of 2022.
Environment
be 31.1% less likely to die from air pollution
In Gambia, air pollution causes 90.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Mauritania, it causes 62.0 as of 2019.
emit 5.4 times more CO2
Gambia emits 0.2 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), The World Factbook (2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Gambia vs. Mauritania
Mauritania: At a glance
How big is Mauritania compared to Gambia? See an in-depth size comparison.