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

Health

be 78.5% less likely to be obese

In Mauritania, 24.1% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Burundi, that number is 5.2% of people as of 2024.

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live 4.9 years less

In Mauritania, the average life expectancy is 69 years (67 years for men, 71 years for women) as of 2024. In Burundi, that number is 64 years (62 years for men, 66 years for women) as of 2024.

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see 66.8% less spent on your healthcare

Mauritania spends $302 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Burundi spends $100 as of 2023.

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have 70.1% fewer doctors per person

Mauritania has 2.6 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Burundi has 0.8 as of 2022.

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be 2.8 times more likely to die by suicide

Mauritania has a suicide rate of 2.7 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Burundi, it is 7.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Economy

be 91.1% less likely to be unemployed

In Mauritania, 10.3% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Burundi, that number is 0.9% as of 2025.

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be 60.4% more likely to live below the poverty line

In Mauritania, 31.8% live below the poverty line as of 2019. In Burundi, however, that number is 51.0% as of 2020.

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make 89.4% less money

Mauritania has a GDP per capita of $2,198 as of 2025, while in Burundi, the GDP per capita is $234 as of 2025.

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Life

be 11.5% more likely to be literate

In Mauritania, the literacy rate is 67.0% as of 2021. In Burundi, it is 74.7% as of 2021.

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Basic Needs

be 76.9% 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 Burundi, that number is 12% of people on average (65% in urban areas, and 2% in rural areas) as of 2023.

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be 81.2% less likely to have internet access

In Mauritania, approximately 45.8% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Burundi, about 8.6% do as of 2024.

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be 14.7% 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 Burundi, that number is 66% of people on average (91% in urban areas, and 61% in rural areas) as of 2024.

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Expenditures

spend 40.9% less on education

Mauritania spends 7.6% of its total GDP on education as of 2024. Burundi spends 4.5% of total GDP on education as of 2025.

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spend 2.1 times more on healthcare

Mauritania spends 4.3% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Burundi, that number is 9.1% of GDP as of 2023.

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Safety

be 29.5% more likely to die in a road accident

In Mauritania, road accidents kill 9.5 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Burundi, they kill 12.3 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Infrastructure

live with 23.1% less strain on fresh water

Mauritania withdraws 13% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Burundi withdraws 10% as of 2022.

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find 97.9% less home broadband

Mauritania has 0.9 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Burundi has 0.0 as of 2023.

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Environment

emit 92.8% less CO2

Mauritania emits 1.0 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Burundi emits 0.1 tonnes as of 2024.

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be 14.5% more likely to die from air pollution

In Mauritania, air pollution causes 62.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Burundi, it causes 71.0 as of 2019.

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Sources: World Bank (2019–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook (2021). How we calculate this

Burundi: At a glance

Burundi is a sovereign country in Africa, with a total land area of approximately 25,680 sq km. Burundi's first democratically elected president was assassinated in October 1993 after only 100 days in office, triggering widespread ethnic violence between Hutu and Tutsi factions. More than 200,000 Burundians perished during the conflict that spanned almost a dozen years. Hundreds of thousands of Burundians were internally displaced or became refugees in neighboring countries. An internationally brokered power-sharing agreement between the Tutsi-dominated government and the Hutu rebels in 2003 paved the way for a transition process that led to an integrated defense force, established a new constitution in 2005, and elected a majority Hutu government in 2005. The government of President Pierre NKURUNZIZA, who was reelected in 2010, continues to face many political and economic challenges.
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How big is Burundi compared to Mauritania? See an in-depth size comparison.

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