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

Health

be 78.6% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS

In Jamaica, 1.4% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2020. In Mauritania, that number is 0.3% of people as of 2020.

be 48.6% less likely to be obese

In Jamaica, 24.7% of adults are obese as of 2016. In Mauritania, that number is 12.7% of people as of 2016.

live 10.5 years less

In Jamaica, the average life expectancy is 76 years (74 years for men, 78 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 42.5% less money

Jamaica has a GDP per capita of $8,700 as of 2020, while in Mauritania, the GDP per capita is $5,000 as of 2020.

be 32.1% more likely to be unemployed

In Jamaica, 7.7% of adults are unemployed as of 2019. In Mauritania, that number is 10.2% as of 2017.

be 81.3% more likely to live below the poverty line

In Jamaica, 17.1% live below the poverty line as of 2016. In Mauritania, however, that number is 31.0% as of 2014.

pay a 60.0% higher top tax rate

Jamaica has a top tax rate of 25.0% as of 2016. In Mauritania, the top tax rate is 40.0% as of 2016.

Life

have 76.4% more children

In Jamaica, there are approximately 15.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2022. In Mauritania, there are 28.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2022.

be 9.6 times more likely to die during childbirth

In Jamaica, approximately 80.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2017. In Mauritania, 766.0 women do as of 2017.

be 39.7% less likely to be literate

In Jamaica, the literacy rate is 88.7% as of 2015. In Mauritania, it is 53.5% as of 2017.

be 4.6 times more likely to die during infancy

In Jamaica, approximately 11.2 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 67.7% less likely to have access to electricity

In Jamaica, approximately 99% of people have electricity access (100% in urban areas, and 97% in rural areas) as of 2019. In Mauritania, that number is 32% of people on average (56% in urban areas, and 4% in rural areas) as of 2019.

be 25.5% less likely to have internet access

In Jamaica, approximately 55.0% of the population has internet access as of 2019. In Mauritania, about 41.0% do as of 2020.

be 11.6% less likely to have access to improved drinking water

In Jamaica, approximately 96% of people have improved drinking water access (98% in urban areas, and 94% in rural areas) as of 2020. In Mauritania, that number is 85% of people on average (99% in urban areas, and 68% in rural areas) as of 2020.

Expenditures

spend 64.8% less on education

Jamaica spends 5.4% of its total GDP on education as of 2020. Mauritania spends 1.9% of total GDP on education as of 2020.

spend 45.9% less on healthcare

Jamaica spends 6.1% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2019. In Mauritania, that number is 3.3% of GDP as of 2019.

Geography

see 26.2% less coastline

Jamaica has a total of 1,022 km of coastline. In Mauritania, that number is 754 km.


The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook, Ministry of Finance, Tax Admministration of Jamaica.

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).
Read more

How big is Mauritania compared to Jamaica? See an in-depth size comparison.

Share this

ASK THE ELSEWHERE COMMUNITY

Join the Elsewhere community and ask a question about Mauritania.or Jamaica It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.