Quality of life comparison
If you lived in El Salvador instead of Mauritania, you would:
Health
live 3.6 years longer
In Mauritania, the average life expectancy is 69 years (67 years for men, 71 years for women) as of 2024. In El Salvador, that number is 72 years (68 years for men, 76 years for women) as of 2024.
see 3.9 times more spent on your healthcare
Mauritania spends $302 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). El Salvador spends $1,176 as of 2023.
have 6.2 times more doctors per person
Mauritania has 2.6 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. El Salvador has 16.2 as of 2023.
have 95.0% more access to essential health services
Mauritania scores 40 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. El Salvador scores 78 as of 2021.
be 33.5% more likely to be obese
In Mauritania, 24.1% of adults are obese as of 2024. In El Salvador, that number is 32.2% 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 El Salvador, it is 7.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 68.0% less likely to be unemployed
In Mauritania, 10.3% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In El Salvador, that number is 3.3% as of 2025.
make 2.6 times more money
Mauritania has a GDP per capita of $2,198 as of 2025, while in El Salvador, the GDP per capita is $5,767 as of 2025.
Life
be 89.8% 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 El Salvador, 39.0 women do as of 2023.
be 34.0% more likely to be literate
In Mauritania, the literacy rate is 67.0% as of 2021. In El Salvador, it is 89.8% as of 2024.
be 70.9% 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 El Salvador, on the other hand, 8.8 children do as of 2024.
have 54.2% fewer children
In Mauritania, there are approximately 34.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In El Salvador, there are 15.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 95.4% 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 El Salvador, that number is 98% of people on average (99% in urban areas, and 97% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 45.2% more likely to have internet access
In Mauritania, approximately 45.8% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In El Salvador, about 66.5% do as of 2024.
be 18.6% 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 El Salvador, that number is 92% of people on average (95% in urban areas, and 80% in rural areas) as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 56.4% less on education
Mauritania spends 7.6% of its total GDP on education as of 2024. El Salvador spends 3.3% of total GDP on education as of 2024.
spend 2.1 times more on healthcare
Mauritania spends 4.3% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In El Salvador, that number is 9.3% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 59.3% less coastline
Mauritania has a total of 754 km of coastline. In El Salvador, that number is 307 km.
Safety
be 7.9 times more likely to be murdered
Mauritania has a homicide rate of 1.0 per 100,000 people as of 2020. In El Salvador, that number is 7.9 per 100,000 as of 2022.
be 2.3 times more likely to die in a road accident
In Mauritania, road accidents kill 9.5 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In El Salvador, they kill 21.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 13.1 times more home broadband
Mauritania has 0.9 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. El Salvador has 12.5 as of 2024.
Environment
be 50.0% less likely to die from air pollution
In Mauritania, air pollution causes 62.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In El Salvador, it causes 31.0 as of 2019.
emit 55.7% more CO2
Mauritania emits 1.0 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. El Salvador emits 1.5 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. El Salvador
El Salvador: At a glance
How big is El Salvador compared to Mauritania? See an in-depth size comparison.