Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Ecuador instead of Mauritania, you would:
Health
live 8.9 years longer
In Mauritania, the average life expectancy is 69 years (67 years for men, 71 years for women) as of 2024. In Ecuador, that number is 78 years (75 years for men, 80 years for women) as of 2024.
see 4.1 times more spent on your healthcare
Mauritania spends $302 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Ecuador spends $1,238 as of 2023.
have 8.9 times more doctors per person
Mauritania has 2.6 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Ecuador has 23.1 as of 2020.
have 92.5% more access to essential health services
Mauritania scores 40 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Ecuador scores 77 as of 2021.
be 20.1% more likely to be obese
In Mauritania, 24.1% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Ecuador, that number is 28.9% of people as of 2024.
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 Ecuador, it is 7.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 67.9% less likely to be unemployed
In Mauritania, 10.3% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Ecuador, that number is 3.3% as of 2025.
make 3.2 times more money
Mauritania has a GDP per capita of $2,198 as of 2025, while in Ecuador, the GDP per capita is $7,125 as of 2025.
Life
be 85.6% 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 Ecuador, 55.0 women do as of 2023.
be 39.5% more likely to be literate
In Mauritania, the literacy rate is 67.0% as of 2021. In Ecuador, it is 93.5% as of 2024.
be 63.9% 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 Ecuador, on the other hand, 10.9 children do as of 2024.
have 56.5% fewer children
In Mauritania, there are approximately 34.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Ecuador, there are 14.8 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 96.2% 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 Ecuador, that number is 99% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 96% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 68.6% more likely to have internet access
In Mauritania, approximately 45.8% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Ecuador, about 77.2% do as of 2024.
be 19.1% 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 Ecuador, that number is 92% of people on average (98% in urban areas, and 81% in rural areas) as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 51.5% less on education
Mauritania spends 7.6% of its total GDP on education as of 2024. Ecuador spends 3.7% of total GDP on education as of 2024.
spend 74.2% more on healthcare
Mauritania spends 4.3% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Ecuador, that number is 7.6% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 3.0 times more coastline
Mauritania has a total of 754 km of coastline. In Ecuador, that number is 2,237 km.
Safety
be 45.7 times more likely to be murdered
Mauritania has a homicide rate of 1.0 per 100,000 people as of 2020. In Ecuador, that number is 45.7 per 100,000 as of 2023.
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 Ecuador, they kill 23.4 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 18.2 times more home broadband
Mauritania has 0.9 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Ecuador has 17.2 as of 2024.
live with 48.8% less strain on fresh water
Mauritania withdraws 13% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Ecuador withdraws 7% as of 2022.
Environment
be 62.9% less likely to die from air pollution
In Mauritania, air pollution causes 62.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Ecuador, it causes 23.0 as of 2019.
emit 2.7 times more CO2
Mauritania emits 1.0 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Ecuador emits 2.6 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. Ecuador
Ecuador: At a glance
How big is Ecuador compared to Mauritania? See an in-depth size comparison.