Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Mauritania instead of Latvia, you would:
Health
be 82.2% less likely to die by suicide
Latvia has a suicide rate of 15.2 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Mauritania, it is 2.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.
live 7.7 years less
In Latvia, the average life expectancy is 76 years (72 years for men, 82 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 90.1% less spent on your healthcare
Latvia spends $3,034 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Mauritania spends $302 as of 2023.
have 92.3% fewer doctors per person
Latvia has 34.0 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Mauritania has 2.6 as of 2022.
have 46.7% less access to essential health services
Latvia scores 75 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Mauritania scores 40 as of 2021.
Economy
be 57.1% more likely to be unemployed
In Latvia, 6.6% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Mauritania, that number is 10.3% as of 2025.
be 41.3% more likely to live below the poverty line
In Latvia, 22.5% live below the poverty line as of 2022. In Mauritania, however, that number is 31.8% as of 2019.
make 91.6% less money
Latvia has a GDP per capita of $26,312 as of 2025, while in Mauritania, the GDP per capita is $2,198 as of 2025.
Life
have 4.9 times more children
In Latvia, there are approximately 6.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Mauritania, there are 34.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 20.1 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Latvia, approximately 19.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Mauritania, 381.0 women do as of 2023.
be 32.9% less likely to be literate
In Latvia, the literacy rate is 99.9% as of 2021. In Mauritania, it is 67.0% as of 2021.
be 13.7 times more likely to die during infancy
In Latvia, approximately 2.2 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 49.7% less likely to have access to electricity
In Latvia, 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 50.6% less likely to have internet access
In Latvia, approximately 92.7% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Mauritania, about 45.8% do as of 2024.
be 21.8% less likely to have access to drinking water
In Latvia, approximately 99% of people have access to drinking water (99% in urban areas, and 99% 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 40.4% less on healthcare
Latvia spends 7.3% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Mauritania, that number is 4.3% of GDP as of 2023.
spend 76.2% more on education
Latvia spends 4.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Mauritania spends 7.6% of total GDP on education as of 2024.
Geography
see 51.4% more coastline
Latvia has a total of 498 km of coastline. In Mauritania, that number is 754 km.
Safety
be 60.0% less likely to be murdered
Latvia has a homicide rate of 2.5 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Mauritania, that number is 1.0 per 100,000 as of 2020.
Infrastructure
find 96.3% less home broadband
Latvia has 25.8 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Mauritania has 0.9 as of 2024.
live with 13.0 times more strain on fresh water
Latvia withdraws 1% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Mauritania withdraws 13% as of 2022.
Environment
emit 73.4% less CO2
Latvia emits 3.6 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Mauritania emits 1.0 tonnes as of 2024.
be 55.0% more likely to die from air pollution
In Latvia, air pollution causes 40.0 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). How we calculate this
Compare further: Latvia vs. Mauritania
Mauritania: At a glance
How big is Mauritania compared to Latvia? See an in-depth size comparison.