If you lived in Equatorial Guinea instead of Mauritania, you would:

Health

be 20.3% less likely to be obese

In Mauritania, 24.1% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Equatorial Guinea, that number is 19.2% of people as of 2024.

View global rankings →

see 2.0 times more spent on your healthcare

Mauritania spends $302 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Equatorial Guinea spends $609 as of 2023.

View global rankings →

have 15.0% more access to essential health services

Mauritania scores 40 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Equatorial Guinea scores 46 as of 2021.

View global rankings →

live 4.8 years less

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

View global rankings →

have 41.4% fewer doctors per person

Mauritania has 2.6 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Equatorial Guinea has 1.5 as of 2022.

View global rankings →

be 2.6 times more likely to die by suicide

Mauritania has a suicide rate of 2.7 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Equatorial Guinea, it is 7.0 per 100,000 as of 2021.

View global rankings →

Economy

be 19.2% less likely to be unemployed

In Mauritania, 10.3% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Equatorial Guinea, that number is 8.3% as of 2025.

View global rankings →

make 3.0 times more money

Mauritania has a GDP per capita of $2,198 as of 2025, while in Equatorial Guinea, the GDP per capita is $6,615 as of 2025.

View global rankings →

be 59.4% more likely to live below the poverty line

In Mauritania, 31.8% live below the poverty line as of 2019. In Equatorial Guinea, however, that number is 50.7% as of 2022.

View global rankings →

Life

be 54.3% 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 Equatorial Guinea, 174.0 women do as of 2023.

View global rankings →

be 57.6% 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 Equatorial Guinea, on the other hand, 47.6 children do as of 2024.

View global rankings →

have 11.9% fewer children

In Mauritania, there are approximately 34.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Equatorial Guinea, there are 30.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

View global rankings →

Basic Needs

be 33.0% 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 Equatorial Guinea, that number is 67% of people on average (89% in urban areas, and 2% in rural areas) as of 2023.

View global rankings →

be 38.3% more likely to have internet access

In Mauritania, approximately 45.8% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Equatorial Guinea, about 63.3% do as of 2024.

View global rankings →

Expenditures

spend 19.4% less on healthcare

Mauritania spends 4.3% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Equatorial Guinea, that number is 3.5% of GDP as of 2023.

View global rankings →

Geography

see 60.7% less coastline

Mauritania has a total of 754 km of coastline. In Equatorial Guinea, that number is 296 km.

View global rankings →

Safety

be 23.2% more likely to die in a road accident

In Mauritania, road accidents kill 9.5 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Equatorial Guinea, they kill 11.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.

View global rankings →

Infrastructure

live with 98.6% less strain on fresh water

Mauritania withdraws 13% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Equatorial Guinea withdraws 0% as of 2022.

View global rankings →

find 89.5% less home broadband

Mauritania has 0.9 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Equatorial Guinea has 0.1 as of 2022.

View global rankings →

Environment

emit 2.6 times more CO2

Mauritania emits 1.0 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Equatorial Guinea emits 2.5 tonnes as of 2024.

View global rankings →


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

Equatorial Guinea: At a glance

Equatorial Guinea is a sovereign country in Africa, with a total land area of approximately 28,051 sq km. Equatorial Guinea gained independence in 1968 after 190 years of Spanish rule. This tiny country, composed of a mainland portion plus five inhabited islands, is one of the smallest on the African continent. President Teodoro Obiang NGUEMA MBASOGO has ruled the country since 1979 when he seized power in a coup. Although nominally a constitutional democracy since 1991, the 1996, 2002, and 2009 presidential elections - as well as the 1999, 2004, 2008, and 2013 legislative elections - were widely seen as flawed. The president exerts almost total control over the political system and has discouraged political opposition. Equatorial Guinea has experienced rapid economic growth due to the discovery of large offshore oil reserves, and in the last decade has become Sub-Saharan Africa's third largest oil exporter. Despite the country's economic windfall from oil production, resulting in a massive increase in government revenue in recent years, improvements in the population's living standards have been slow to develop.
Read more

How big is Equatorial Guinea compared to Mauritania? See an in-depth size comparison.

Share this

Ask the Elsewhere Community

Join the Elsewhere community and ask a question about Equatorial Guinea or Mauritania. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.