Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Burkina Faso instead of Mauritania, you would:
Health
be 68.1% less likely to be obese
In Mauritania, 24.1% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Burkina Faso, that number is 7.7% of people as of 2024.
live 7.4 years less
In Mauritania, the average life expectancy is 69 years (67 years for men, 71 years for women) as of 2024. In Burkina Faso, that number is 61 years (59 years for men, 63 years for women) as of 2024.
see 25.8% less spent on your healthcare
Mauritania spends $302 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Burkina Faso spends $224 as of 2023.
have 43.3% fewer doctors per person
Mauritania has 2.6 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Burkina Faso has 1.5 as of 2022.
be 3.1 times more likely to die by suicide
Mauritania has a suicide rate of 2.7 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Burkina Faso, it is 8.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 66.3% less likely to be unemployed
In Mauritania, 10.3% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Burkina Faso, that number is 3.5% as of 2025.
be 35.8% more likely to live below the poverty line
In Mauritania, 31.8% live below the poverty line as of 2019. In Burkina Faso, however, that number is 43.2% as of 2021.
make 47.8% less money
Mauritania has a GDP per capita of $2,198 as of 2025, while in Burkina Faso, the GDP per capita is $1,148 as of 2025.
Life
be 36.5% 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 Burkina Faso, 242.0 women do as of 2023.
be 38.0% less likely to be literate
In Mauritania, the literacy rate is 67.0% as of 2021. In Burkina Faso, it is 41.6% as of 2023.
be 44.4% 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 Burkina Faso, on the other hand, 43.6 children do as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 56.9% less 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 Burkina Faso, that number is 22% of people on average (63% in urban areas, and 2% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 38.3% less likely to have internet access
In Mauritania, approximately 45.8% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Burkina Faso, about 28.2% do as of 2024.
be 35.3% less 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 Burkina Faso, that number is 50% of people on average (81% in urban areas, and 34% in rural areas) as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 30.0% less on education
Mauritania spends 7.6% of its total GDP on education as of 2024. Burkina Faso spends 5.3% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 79.7% more on healthcare
Mauritania spends 4.3% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Burkina Faso, that number is 7.8% of GDP as of 2023.
Safety
be 25.0% more likely to be murdered
Mauritania has a homicide rate of 1.0 per 100,000 people as of 2020. In Burkina Faso, that number is 1.2 per 100,000 as of 2017.
be 2.9 times more likely to die in a road accident
In Mauritania, road accidents kill 9.5 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Burkina Faso, they kill 27.8 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 41.0% less strain on fresh water
Mauritania withdraws 13% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Burkina Faso withdraws 8% as of 2022.
find 10.5% less home broadband
Mauritania has 0.9 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Burkina Faso has 0.8 as of 2024.
Environment
emit 72.2% less CO2
Mauritania emits 1.0 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Burkina Faso emits 0.3 tonnes as of 2024.
be 35.5% more likely to die from air pollution
In Mauritania, air pollution causes 62.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Burkina Faso, it causes 84.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2017–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook (2021). How we calculate this
Compare further: Mauritania vs. Burkina Faso
Burkina Faso: At a glance
How big is Burkina Faso compared to Mauritania? See an in-depth size comparison.