Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Mauritania instead of Madagascar, you would:
Health
live 4.9 years longer
In Madagascar, the average life expectancy is 64 years (62 years for men, 66 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 4.8 times more spent on your healthcare
Madagascar spends $63 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Mauritania spends $302 as of 2023.
have 51.7% more doctors per person
Madagascar has 1.7 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Mauritania has 2.6 as of 2022.
have 14.3% more access to essential health services
Madagascar scores 35 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Mauritania scores 40 as of 2021.
be 55.5% less likely to die by suicide
Madagascar has a suicide rate of 6.1 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Mauritania, it is 2.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 5.3 times more likely to be obese
In Madagascar, 4.5% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Mauritania, that number is 24.1% of people as of 2024.
Economy
be 57.7% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Madagascar, 75.2% live below the poverty line as of 2021. In Mauritania, however, that number is 31.8% as of 2019.
make 3.7 times more money
Madagascar has a GDP per capita of $599 as of 2025, while in Mauritania, the GDP per capita is $2,198 as of 2025.
be 3.4 times more likely to be unemployed
In Madagascar, 3.0% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Mauritania, that number is 10.3% as of 2025.
Life
be 29.8% less likely to die during infancy
In Madagascar, approximately 43.0 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.
be 10.3% less likely to be literate
In Madagascar, the literacy rate is 74.7% as of 2021. In Mauritania, it is 67.0% as of 2021.
Basic Needs
be 27.7% more likely to have access to electricity
In Madagascar, approximately 39% of people have electricity access (76% in urban areas, and 15% 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 2.5 times more likely to have internet access
In Madagascar, approximately 18.7% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Mauritania, about 45.8% do as of 2024.
be 39.6% more likely to have access to drinking water
In Madagascar, approximately 55% of people have access to drinking water (78% in urban areas, and 39% 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 2.5 times more on education
Madagascar spends 3.0% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Mauritania spends 7.6% of total GDP on education as of 2024.
spend 26.5% more on healthcare
Madagascar spends 3.4% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Mauritania, that number is 4.3% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 84.4% less coastline
Madagascar has a total of 4,828 km of coastline. In Mauritania, that number is 754 km.
Safety
be 57.8% less likely to die in a road accident
In Madagascar, road accidents kill 22.5 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Mauritania, they kill 9.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 7.9 times more home broadband
Madagascar has 0.1 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2023. Mauritania has 0.9 as of 2024.
live with 17.7% more strain on fresh water
Madagascar withdraws 11% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Mauritania withdraws 13% as of 2022.
Environment
emit 6.5 times more CO2
Madagascar emits 0.1 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Mauritania emits 1.0 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2019–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2021), The World Factbook (2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Madagascar vs. Mauritania
Mauritania: At a glance
How big is Mauritania compared to Madagascar? See an in-depth size comparison.