Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Mauritania instead of Italy, you would:
Health
be 61.2% less likely to die by suicide
Italy has a suicide rate of 7.0 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Mauritania, it is 2.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.
live 15.2 years less
In Italy, the average life expectancy is 84 years (82 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 72.2% more likely to be obese
In Italy, 14.0% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Mauritania, that number is 24.1% of people as of 2024.
see 94.0% less spent on your healthcare
Italy spends $4,993 per person on healthcare as of 2024 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Mauritania spends $302 as of 2023.
have 93.8% fewer doctors per person
Italy has 41.9 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Mauritania has 2.6 as of 2022.
have 52.4% less access to essential health services
Italy scores 84 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Mauritania scores 40 as of 2021.
Economy
be 61.5% more likely to be unemployed
In Italy, 6.4% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Mauritania, that number is 10.3% as of 2025.
be 58.2% more likely to live below the poverty line
In Italy, 20.1% live below the poverty line as of 2021. In Mauritania, however, that number is 31.8% as of 2019.
make 94.9% less money
Italy has a GDP per capita of $43,309 as of 2025, while in Mauritania, the GDP per capita is $2,198 as of 2025.
Life
have 5.4 times more children
In Italy, there are approximately 6.3 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Mauritania, there are 34.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 63.5 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Italy, approximately 6.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Mauritania, 381.0 women do as of 2023.
be 32.6% less likely to be literate
In Italy, the literacy rate is 99.3% as of 2019. In Mauritania, it is 67.0% as of 2021.
be 13.1 times more likely to die during infancy
In Italy, approximately 2.3 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 Italy, 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 48.7% less likely to have internet access
In Italy, approximately 89.2% 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 Italy, 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 48.6% less on healthcare
Italy spends 8.4% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2024. In Mauritania, that number is 4.3% of GDP as of 2023.
spend 87.0% more on education
Italy spends 4.1% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Mauritania spends 7.6% of total GDP on education as of 2024.
Geography
see 90.1% less coastline
Italy has a total of 7,600 km of coastline. In Mauritania, that number is 754 km.
Safety
be 75.4% more likely to be murdered
Italy has a homicide rate of 0.6 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Mauritania, that number is 1.0 per 100,000 as of 2020.
be 90.0% more likely to die in a road accident
In Italy, road accidents kill 5.0 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Mauritania, they kill 9.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 55.5% less strain on fresh water
Italy withdraws 30% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Mauritania withdraws 13% as of 2022.
find 97.0% less home broadband
Italy has 31.8 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Mauritania has 0.9 as of 2024.
Environment
emit 80.9% less CO2
Italy emits 5.1 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Mauritania emits 1.0 tonnes as of 2024.
be 4.1 times more likely to die from air pollution
In Italy, air pollution causes 15.0 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), The World Factbook (2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Italy vs. Mauritania
Mauritania: At a glance
How big is Mauritania compared to Italy? See an in-depth size comparison.