Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Costa Rica instead of Mauritania, you would:
Health
live 12.3 years longer
In Mauritania, the average life expectancy is 69 years (67 years for men, 71 years for women) as of 2024. In Costa Rica, that number is 81 years (78 years for men, 84 years for women) as of 2024.
see 6.4 times more spent on your healthcare
Mauritania spends $302 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Costa Rica spends $1,928 as of 2023.
have 10.3 times more doctors per person
Mauritania has 2.6 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Costa Rica has 26.9 as of 2022.
have 2.0 times more access to essential health services
Mauritania scores 40 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Costa Rica scores 81 as of 2021.
be 35.7% more likely to be obese
In Mauritania, 24.1% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Costa Rica, that number is 32.7% of people as of 2024.
be 3.0 times more likely to die by suicide
Mauritania has a suicide rate of 2.7 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Costa Rica, it is 8.1 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 33.7% less likely to be unemployed
In Mauritania, 10.3% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Costa Rica, that number is 6.8% as of 2025.
make 9.1 times more money
Mauritania has a GDP per capita of $2,198 as of 2025, while in Costa Rica, the GDP per capita is $19,970 as of 2025.
Life
be 93.7% 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 Costa Rica, 24.0 women do as of 2023.
be 46.3% more likely to be literate
In Mauritania, the literacy rate is 67.0% as of 2021. In Costa Rica, it is 98.0% as of 2021.
be 69.9% 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 Costa Rica, on the other hand, 9.1 children do as of 2024.
have 70.6% fewer children
In Mauritania, there are approximately 34.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Costa Rica, there are 10.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
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 Costa Rica, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 90.4% more likely to have internet access
In Mauritania, approximately 45.8% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Costa Rica, about 87.2% do as of 2024.
be 29.2% 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 Costa Rica, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 30.2% less on education
Mauritania spends 7.6% of its total GDP on education as of 2024. Costa Rica spends 5.3% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 58.3% more on healthcare
Mauritania spends 4.3% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Costa Rica, that number is 6.9% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 71.1% more coastline
Mauritania has a total of 754 km of coastline. In Costa Rica, that number is 1,290 km.
Safety
be 17.8 times more likely to be murdered
Mauritania has a homicide rate of 1.0 per 100,000 people as of 2020. In Costa Rica, that number is 17.8 per 100,000 as of 2023.
be 63.2% more likely to die in a road accident
In Mauritania, road accidents kill 9.5 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Costa Rica, they kill 15.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 24.5 times more home broadband
Mauritania has 0.9 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Costa Rica has 23.3 as of 2024.
live with 55.6% less strain on fresh water
Mauritania withdraws 13% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Costa Rica withdraws 6% as of 2022.
Environment
be 75.8% less likely to die from air pollution
In Mauritania, air pollution causes 62.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Costa Rica, it causes 15.0 as of 2019.
emit 68.0% more CO2
Mauritania emits 1.0 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Costa Rica emits 1.6 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2020–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), The World Factbook (2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Mauritania vs. Costa Rica
Costa Rica: At a glance
How big is Costa Rica compared to Mauritania? See an in-depth size comparison.