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

Health

live 7.8 years longer

In Mauritania, the average life expectancy is 69 years (67 years for men, 71 years for women) as of 2024. In Aruba, that number is 76 years (74 years for men, 79 years for women) as of 2024.

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Economy

make 17.6 times more money

Mauritania has a GDP per capita of $2,198 as of 2025, while in Aruba, the GDP per capita is $38,591 as of 2024.

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Life

be 46.0% more likely to be literate

In Mauritania, the literacy rate is 67.0% as of 2021. In Aruba, it is 97.8% as of 2018.

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be 60.0% 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 Aruba, on the other hand, 12.1 children do as of 2022.

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have 77.7% fewer children

In Mauritania, there are approximately 34.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Aruba, there are 7.6 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 Aruba, 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 2.1 times more likely to have internet access

In Mauritania, approximately 45.8% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Aruba, about 97.0% do as of 2021.

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Expenditures

spend 52.4% less on education

Mauritania spends 7.6% of its total GDP on education as of 2024. Aruba spends 3.6% of total GDP on education as of 2021.

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Geography

see 90.9% less coastline

Mauritania has a total of 754 km of coastline. In Aruba, that number is 68 km.

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Infrastructure

find 18.4 times more home broadband

Mauritania has 0.9 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Aruba has 17.5 as of 2022.

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Environment

emit 5.3 times more CO2

Mauritania emits 1.0 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Aruba emits 5.2 tonnes as of 2024.

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Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), The World Factbook (2018–2022). How we calculate this

Aruba: At a glance

Aruba is a sovereign country in Central America/Caribbean, with a total land area of approximately 180 sq km. Discovered and claimed for Spain in 1499, Aruba was acquired by the Dutch in 1636. The island's economy has been dominated by three main industries. A 19th century gold rush was followed by prosperity brought on by the opening in 1924 of an oil refinery. The last decades of the 20th century saw a boom in the tourism industry. Aruba seceded from the Netherlands Antilles in 1986 and became a separate, autonomous member of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. Movement toward full independence was halted at Aruba's request in 1990.
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How big is Aruba compared to Mauritania? See an in-depth size comparison.

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