Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Mauritania instead of Libya, you would:
Health
be 28.4% less likely to be obese
In Libya, 33.7% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Mauritania, that number is 24.1% of people as of 2024.
be 45.8% less likely to die by suicide
Libya has a suicide rate of 5.0 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Mauritania, it is 2.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.
live 2.4 years less
In Libya, the average life expectancy is 71 years (70 years for men, 73 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 71.4% less spent on your healthcare
Libya spends $1,055 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Mauritania spends $302 as of 2023.
have 35.5% less access to essential health services
Libya scores 62 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Mauritania scores 40 as of 2021.
Economy
be 45.0% less likely to be unemployed
In Libya, 18.8% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Mauritania, that number is 10.3% as of 2025.
make 65.9% less money
Libya has a GDP per capita of $6,449 as of 2025, while in Mauritania, the GDP per capita is $2,198 as of 2025.
Life
have 2.1 times more children
In Libya, there are approximately 16.5 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Mauritania, there are 34.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 6.5 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Libya, approximately 59.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Mauritania, 381.0 women do as of 2023.
be 3.8 times more likely to die during infancy
In Libya, approximately 7.9 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 31.3% less likely to have access to electricity
In Libya, approximately 73% of people have electricity access (100% in urban areas, and 96% 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 44.1% less likely to have internet access
In Libya, approximately 82.0% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Mauritania, about 45.8% do as of 2024.
be 19.8% less likely to have access to drinking water
In Libya, approximately 96% of people have access to drinking water as of 2024. In Mauritania, 77% of people do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 44.4% less on healthcare
Libya spends 7.8% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Mauritania, that number is 4.3% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 57.4% less coastline
Libya has a total of 1,770 km of coastline. In Mauritania, that number is 754 km.
Safety
be 72.1% less likely to die in a road accident
In Libya, road accidents kill 34.0 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Mauritania, they kill 9.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 98.4% less strain on fresh water
Libya withdraws 817% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Mauritania withdraws 13% as of 2022.
find 79.0% less home broadband
Libya has 4.5 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2022. Mauritania has 0.9 as of 2024.
Environment
emit 88.8% less CO2
Libya emits 8.7 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Mauritania emits 1.0 tonnes as of 2024.
be 14.8% more likely to die from air pollution
In Libya, air pollution causes 54.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Mauritania, it causes 62.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Libya vs. Mauritania
Mauritania: At a glance
How big is Mauritania compared to Libya? See an in-depth size comparison.