Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Gabon instead of Mauritania, you would:
Health
see 2.2 times more spent on your healthcare
Mauritania spends $302 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Gabon spends $673 as of 2023.
have 99.6% more doctors per person
Mauritania has 2.6 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Gabon has 5.2 as of 2022.
have 22.5% more access to essential health services
Mauritania scores 40 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Gabon scores 49 as of 2021.
be 28.0 times more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Mauritania, 0.1% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Gabon, that number is 2.8% of people as of 2024.
be 2.7 times more likely to die by suicide
Mauritania has a suicide rate of 2.7 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Gabon, it is 7.3 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
make 3.8 times more money
Mauritania has a GDP per capita of $2,198 as of 2025, while in Gabon, the GDP per capita is $8,263 as of 2025.
be 95.3% more likely to be unemployed
In Mauritania, 10.3% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Gabon, that number is 20.1% as of 2025.
Life
be 38.8% 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 Gabon, 233.0 women do as of 2023.
be 32.6% more likely to be literate
In Mauritania, the literacy rate is 67.0% as of 2021. In Gabon, it is 88.9% as of 2021.
be 14.2% 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 Gabon, on the other hand, 25.9 children do as of 2024.
have 20.3% fewer children
In Mauritania, there are approximately 34.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Gabon, there are 27.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 87.1% 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 Gabon, that number is 94% of people on average (99% in urban areas, and 29% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 50.1% more likely to have internet access
In Mauritania, approximately 45.8% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Gabon, about 68.7% do as of 2024.
be 14.6% 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 Gabon, that number is 89% of people on average (92% in urban areas, and 49% in rural areas) as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 69.5% less on education
Mauritania spends 7.6% of its total GDP on education as of 2024. Gabon spends 2.3% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 27.9% less on healthcare
Mauritania spends 4.3% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Gabon, that number is 3.1% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 17.4% more coastline
Mauritania has a total of 754 km of coastline. In Gabon, that number is 885 km.
Safety
be 31.6% more likely to die in a road accident
In Mauritania, road accidents kill 9.5 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Gabon, they kill 12.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 4.9 times more home broadband
Mauritania has 0.9 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Gabon has 4.7 as of 2024.
live with 96.2% less strain on fresh water
Mauritania withdraws 13% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Gabon withdraws 0% as of 2022.
Environment
be 14.5% less likely to die from air pollution
In Mauritania, air pollution causes 62.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Gabon, it causes 53.0 as of 2019.
emit 2.1 times more CO2
Mauritania emits 1.0 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Gabon emits 2.0 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), The World Factbook (2021). How we calculate this
Compare further: Mauritania vs. Gabon
Gabon: At a glance
How big is Gabon compared to Mauritania? See an in-depth size comparison.