Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Mauritania instead of Laos, you would:
Health
see 2.4 times more spent on your healthcare
Laos spends $123 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Mauritania spends $302 as of 2023.
be 40.8% less likely to die by suicide
Laos has a suicide rate of 4.6 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Mauritania, it is 2.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 2.6 times more likely to be obese
In Laos, 9.2% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Mauritania, that number is 24.1% of people as of 2024.
have 21.1% fewer doctors per person
Laos has 3.3 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Mauritania has 2.6 as of 2022.
have 23.1% less access to essential health services
Laos scores 52 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Mauritania scores 40 as of 2021.
Economy
be 8.7 times more likely to be unemployed
In Laos, 1.2% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Mauritania, that number is 10.3% as of 2025.
Life
have 62.6% more children
In Laos, there are approximately 20.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Mauritania, there are 34.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 3.4 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Laos, approximately 112.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Mauritania, 381.0 women do as of 2023.
be 11.4% less likely to be literate
In Laos, the literacy rate is 75.6% as of 2023. In Mauritania, it is 67.0% as of 2021.
be 11.0% more likely to die during infancy
In Laos, approximately 27.2 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 47.9% less likely to have access to electricity
In Laos, approximately 96% of people have electricity access (99% in urban areas, and 95% 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 30.2% less likely to have internet access
In Laos, approximately 65.6% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Mauritania, about 45.8% do as of 2024.
be 19.4% less likely to have access to drinking water
In Laos, approximately 96% of people have access to drinking water (100% in urban areas, and 93% 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 6.2 times more on education
Laos spends 1.2% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Mauritania spends 7.6% of total GDP on education as of 2024.
spend 3.3 times more on healthcare
Laos spends 1.3% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Mauritania, that number is 4.3% of GDP as of 2023.
Safety
be 42.1% less likely to die in a road accident
In Laos, road accidents kill 16.4 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Mauritania, they kill 9.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 65.1% less home broadband
Laos has 2.7 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2023. Mauritania has 0.9 as of 2024.
live with 2.8 times more strain on fresh water
Laos withdraws 5% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Mauritania withdraws 13% as of 2022.
Environment
be 10.1% less likely to die from air pollution
In Laos, air pollution causes 69.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Mauritania, it causes 62.0 as of 2019.
emit 71.0% less CO2
Laos emits 3.4 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Mauritania emits 1.0 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook (2021). How we calculate this
Compare further: Laos vs. Mauritania
Mauritania: At a glance
How big is Mauritania compared to Laos? See an in-depth size comparison.