Quality of life comparison

compared to

If you lived in Mauritania instead of Hong Kong, you would:

Health

live 18.4 years less

In Hong Kong, the average life expectancy is 84 years (81 years for men, 86 years for women) as of 2022. In Mauritania, that number is 65 years (63 years for men, 68 years for women) as of 2022.

Economy

make 91.1% less money

Hong Kong has a GDP per capita of $56,200 as of 2020, while in Mauritania, the GDP per capita is $5,000 as of 2020.

be 3.5 times more likely to be unemployed

In Hong Kong, 2.9% of adults are unemployed as of 2019. In Mauritania, that number is 10.2% as of 2017.

be 55.8% more likely to live below the poverty line

In Hong Kong, 19.9% live below the poverty line as of 2016. In Mauritania, however, that number is 31.0% as of 2014.

pay a 2.7 times higher top tax rate

Hong Kong has a top tax rate of 15.0% as of 2016. In Mauritania, the top tax rate is 40.0% as of 2016.

Life

have 3.5 times more children

In Hong Kong, there are approximately 8.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2022. In Mauritania, there are 28.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2022.

be 20.0 times more likely to die during infancy

In Hong Kong, approximately 2.5 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2022. In Mauritania, on the other hand, 51.0 children do as of 2022.

Basic Needs

be 68.0% less likely to have access to electricity

In Hong Kong, approximately 100% of the population has electricity access as of 2020. In Mauritania, 32% of the population do as of 2019.

be 55.4% less likely to have internet access

In Hong Kong, approximately 92.0% of the population has internet access as of 2020. In Mauritania, about 41.0% do as of 2020.

be 14.8% less likely to have access to improved drinking water

In Hong Kong, approximately 100% of people have improved drinking water access as of 2020. In Mauritania, 85% of people do as of 2020.

Expenditures

spend 56.8% less on education

Hong Kong spends 4.4% of its total GDP on education as of 2020. Mauritania spends 1.9% of total GDP on education as of 2020.

The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook, Ministry of Finance, Inland Revenue Department, Hong Kong.

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 Hong Kong? See an in-depth size comparison.

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