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

Health

live 11.1 years longer

In Mauritania, the average life expectancy is 69 years (67 years for men, 71 years for women) as of 2024. In Albania, that number is 80 years (78 years for men, 82 years for women) as of 2024.

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see 4.9 times more spent on your healthcare

Mauritania spends $302 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Albania spends $1,465 as of 2023.

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have 7.2 times more doctors per person

Mauritania has 2.6 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Albania has 18.8 as of 2020.

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have 60.0% more access to essential health services

Mauritania scores 40 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Albania scores 64 as of 2021.

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Economy

be 38.1% less likely to live below the poverty line

In Mauritania, 31.8% live below the poverty line as of 2019. In Albania, however, that number is 19.7% as of 2022.

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make 5.9 times more money

Mauritania has a GDP per capita of $2,198 as of 2025, while in Albania, the GDP per capita is $12,998 as of 2025.

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Life

be 98.2% less likely to die during childbirth

In Mauritania, approximately 381.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Albania, 7.0 women do as of 2023.

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be 45.8% more likely to be literate

In Mauritania, the literacy rate is 67.0% as of 2021. In Albania, it is 97.7% as of 2023.

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be 72.5% less likely to die during infancy

In Mauritania, approximately 30.2 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2024. In Albania, on the other hand, 8.3 children do as of 2024.

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have 70.2% fewer children

In Mauritania, there are approximately 34.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Albania, there are 10.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

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Basic Needs

be 98.8% more likely to have access to electricity

In Mauritania, approximately 50% of people have electricity access (94% in urban areas, and 1% in rural areas) as of 2023. In Albania, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2023.

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be 87.5% more likely to have internet access

In Mauritania, approximately 45.8% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Albania, about 85.9% do as of 2024.

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be 23.1% more likely to have access to drinking water

In Mauritania, approximately 77% of people have access to drinking water (90% in urban areas, and 59% in rural areas) as of 2024. In Albania, that number is 95% of people on average (96% in urban areas, and 94% in rural areas) as of 2024.

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Expenditures

spend 59.4% less on education

Mauritania spends 7.6% of its total GDP on education as of 2024. Albania spends 3.1% of total GDP on education as of 2023.

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spend 62.4% more on healthcare

Mauritania spends 4.3% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Albania, that number is 7.0% of GDP as of 2023.

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Geography

see 52.0% less coastline

Mauritania has a total of 754 km of coastline. In Albania, that number is 362 km.

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Safety

be 39.0% more likely to be murdered

Mauritania has a homicide rate of 1.0 per 100,000 people as of 2020. In Albania, that number is 1.4 per 100,000 as of 2023.

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be 13.7% more likely to die in a road accident

In Mauritania, road accidents kill 9.5 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Albania, they kill 10.8 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Infrastructure

find 26.2 times more home broadband

Mauritania has 0.9 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Albania has 24.9 as of 2024.

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live with 63.8% less strain on fresh water

Mauritania withdraws 13% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Albania withdraws 5% as of 2022.

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Environment

emit 84.5% more CO2

Mauritania emits 1.0 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Albania emits 1.8 tonnes as of 2024.

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Sources: World Bank (2019–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2021), The World Factbook (2021). How we calculate this

Albania: At a glance

Albania is a sovereign country in Europe, with a total land area of approximately 27,398 sq km. Albania declared its independence from the Ottoman Empire in 1912, but was conquered by Italy in 1939, and occupied by Germany in 1943. Communist partisans took over the country in 1944. Albania allied itself first with the USSR (until 1960), and then with China (to 1978). In the early 1990s, Albania ended 46 years of xenophobic communist rule and established a multiparty democracy. The transition has proven challenging as successive governments have tried to deal with high unemployment, widespread corruption, dilapidated infrastructure, powerful organized crime networks, and combative political opponents. Albania has made progress in its democratic development since first holding multiparty elections in 1991, but deficiencies remain. International observers judged elections to be largely free and fair since the restoration of political stability following the collapse of pyramid schemes in 1997; however, each of Albania's post-communist elections have been marred by claims of electoral fraud. The 2009 general elections resulted in a coalition government, the first such in the country's history. In 2013, general elections achieved a peaceful transition of power and a second successive coalition government. Albania joined NATO in April 2009 and is a potential candidate for EU accession. Although Albania's economy continues to grow, it has slowed, and the country is still one of the poorest in Europe. A large informal economy and an inadequate energy and transportation infrastructure remain obstacles.
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