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

Health

be 51.6% less likely to be obese

In Mauritania, 24.1% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Djibouti, that number is 11.7% of people as of 2024.

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have 10.0% more access to essential health services

Mauritania scores 40 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Djibouti scores 44 as of 2021.

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live 2.5 years less

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

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see 48.6% less spent on your healthcare

Mauritania spends $302 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Djibouti spends $155 as of 2023.

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have 19.2% fewer doctors per person

Mauritania has 2.6 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Djibouti has 2.1 as of 2022.

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be 2.9 times more likely to die by suicide

Mauritania has a suicide rate of 2.7 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Djibouti, it is 8.0 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Economy

be 33.6% less likely to live below the poverty line

In Mauritania, 31.8% live below the poverty line as of 2019. In Djibouti, however, that number is 21.1% as of 2017.

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make 77.7% more money

Mauritania has a GDP per capita of $2,198 as of 2025, while in Djibouti, the GDP per capita is $3,906 as of 2025.

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be 2.5 times more likely to be unemployed

In Mauritania, 10.3% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Djibouti, that number is 26.0% as of 2025.

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Life

be 57.5% 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 Djibouti, 162.0 women do as of 2023.

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be 42.4% 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 Djibouti, on the other hand, 43.0 children do as of 2024.

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have 38.5% fewer children

In Mauritania, there are approximately 34.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Djibouti, there are 20.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

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Basic Needs

be 29.6% 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 Djibouti, that number is 65% of people on average (75% in urban areas, and 37% in rural areas) as of 2023.

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be 42.6% more likely to have internet access

In Mauritania, approximately 45.8% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Djibouti, about 65.3% do as of 2024.

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Expenditures

spend 47.5% less on healthcare

Mauritania spends 4.3% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Djibouti, that number is 2.3% of GDP as of 2023.

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Geography

see 58.4% less coastline

Mauritania has a total of 754 km of coastline. In Djibouti, that number is 314 km.

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Safety

be 2.5 times more likely to die in a road accident

In Mauritania, road accidents kill 9.5 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Djibouti, they kill 23.3 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Infrastructure

find 54.7% more home broadband

Mauritania has 0.9 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Djibouti has 1.5 as of 2023.

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live with 52.2% less strain on fresh water

Mauritania withdraws 13% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Djibouti withdraws 6% as of 2022.

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Environment

emit 20.6% less CO2

Mauritania emits 1.0 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Djibouti emits 0.8 tonnes as of 2024.

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Sources: World Bank (2017–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this

Djibouti: At a glance

Djibouti is a sovereign country in Africa, with a total land area of approximately 23,180 sq km. The French Territory of the Afars and the Issas became Djibouti in 1977. Hassan Gouled APTIDON installed an authoritarian one-party state and proceeded to serve as president until 1999. Unrest among the Afar minority during the 1990s led to a civil war that ended in 2001 with a peace accord between Afar rebels and the Somali Issa-dominated government. In 1999, Djibouti's first multiparty presidential elections resulted in the election of Ismail Omar GUELLEH as president; he was reelected to a second term in 2005 and extended his tenure in office via a constitutional amendment, which allowed him to begin a third term in 2011. Djibouti occupies a strategic geographic location at the intersection of the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden and serves as an important shipping portal for goods entering and leaving the east African highlands and transshipments between Europe, the Middle East, and Asia. The government holds longstanding ties to France, which maintains a significant military presence in the country, and has strong ties with the United States. Djibouti hosts several thousand members of US armed services at US-run Camp Lemonnier.
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How big is Djibouti compared to Mauritania? See an in-depth size comparison.

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