Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Benin instead of Mauritania, you would:
Health
be 49.1% less likely to be obese
In Mauritania, 24.1% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Benin, that number is 12.2% of people as of 2024.
live 7.7 years less
In Mauritania, the average life expectancy is 69 years (67 years for men, 71 years for women) as of 2024. In Benin, that number is 61 years (60 years for men, 62 years for women) as of 2024.
see 54.3% less spent on your healthcare
Mauritania spends $302 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Benin spends $138 as of 2023.
have 17.2% fewer doctors per person
Mauritania has 2.6 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Benin has 2.2 as of 2023.
be 2.6 times more likely to die by suicide
Mauritania has a suicide rate of 2.7 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Benin, it is 7.1 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 84.6% less likely to be unemployed
In Mauritania, 10.3% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Benin, that number is 1.6% as of 2025.
be 13.8% more likely to live below the poverty line
In Mauritania, 31.8% live below the poverty line as of 2019. In Benin, however, that number is 36.2% as of 2021.
make 24.5% less money
Mauritania has a GDP per capita of $2,198 as of 2025, while in Benin, the GDP per capita is $1,658 as of 2025.
Life
be 36.0% more 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 Benin, 518.0 women do as of 2023.
be 23.3% less likely to be literate
In Mauritania, the literacy rate is 67.0% as of 2021. In Benin, it is 51.4% as of 2022.
be 49.7% more 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 Benin, on the other hand, 45.2 children do as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 13.3% 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 Benin, that number is 57% of people on average (70% in urban areas, and 44% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 25.8% less likely to have internet access
In Mauritania, approximately 45.8% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Benin, about 34.0% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 57.6% less on education
Mauritania spends 7.6% of its total GDP on education as of 2024. Benin spends 3.2% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 23.0% less on healthcare
Mauritania spends 4.3% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Benin, that number is 3.3% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 84.0% less coastline
Mauritania has a total of 754 km of coastline. In Benin, that number is 121 km.
Safety
be 13.0% more likely to be murdered
Mauritania has a homicide rate of 1.0 per 100,000 people as of 2020. In Benin, that number is 1.1 per 100,000 as of 2017.
be 2.6 times more likely to die in a road accident
In Mauritania, road accidents kill 9.5 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Benin, they kill 24.8 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 92.6% less strain on fresh water
Mauritania withdraws 13% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Benin withdraws 1% as of 2022.
find 70.5% less home broadband
Mauritania has 0.9 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Benin has 0.3 as of 2024.
Environment
emit 49.5% less CO2
Mauritania emits 1.0 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Benin emits 0.5 tonnes as of 2024.
be 24.2% more likely to die from air pollution
In Mauritania, air pollution causes 62.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Benin, it causes 77.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2017–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), The World Factbook (2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Mauritania vs. Benin
Benin: At a glance
How big is Benin compared to Mauritania? See an in-depth size comparison.