Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Gambia instead of Mauritania, you would:
Health
be 48.6% less likely to be obese
In Mauritania, 24.1% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Gambia, that number is 12.4% of people as of 2024.
have 15.0% more access to essential health services
Mauritania scores 40 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Gambia scores 46 as of 2021.
be 13.0 times more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Mauritania, 0.1% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Gambia, that number is 1.3% of people as of 2024.
live 2.6 years less
In Mauritania, the average life expectancy is 69 years (67 years for men, 71 years for women) as of 2024. In Gambia, that number is 66 years (64 years for men, 68 years for women) as of 2024.
see 68.8% less spent on your healthcare
Mauritania spends $302 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Gambia spends $94 as of 2023.
have 65.5% fewer doctors per person
Mauritania has 2.6 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Gambia has 0.9 as of 2023.
be 77.5% more likely to die by suicide
Mauritania has a suicide rate of 2.7 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Gambia, it is 4.8 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 36.8% less likely to be unemployed
In Mauritania, 10.3% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Gambia, that number is 6.5% as of 2025.
be 67.9% more likely to live below the poverty line
In Mauritania, 31.8% live below the poverty line as of 2019. In Gambia, however, that number is 53.4% as of 2020.
make 58.2% less money
Mauritania has a GDP per capita of $2,198 as of 2025, while in Gambia, the GDP per capita is $919 as of 2025.
Life
be 22.9% less likely to be literate
In Mauritania, the literacy rate is 67.0% as of 2021. In Gambia, it is 51.6% as of 2021.
have 12.3% fewer children
In Mauritania, there are approximately 34.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Gambia, there are 29.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
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 Gambia, that number is 67% of people on average (85% in urban areas, and 35% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 12.7% 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 Gambia, that number is 87% of people on average (92% in urban areas, and 78% in rural areas) as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 63.1% less on education
Mauritania spends 7.6% of its total GDP on education as of 2024. Gambia spends 2.8% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 33.4% less on healthcare
Mauritania spends 4.3% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Gambia, that number is 2.9% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 89.4% less coastline
Mauritania has a total of 754 km of coastline. In Gambia, that number is 80 km.
Safety
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 Gambia, they kill 22.0 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 83.3% less strain on fresh water
Mauritania withdraws 13% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Gambia withdraws 2% as of 2022.
find 45.3% less home broadband
Mauritania has 0.9 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Gambia has 0.5 as of 2024.
Environment
emit 81.4% less CO2
Mauritania emits 1.0 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Gambia emits 0.2 tonnes as of 2024.
be 45.2% more likely to die from air pollution
In Mauritania, air pollution causes 62.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Gambia, it causes 90.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2019–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), The World Factbook (2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Mauritania vs. Gambia
Gambia: At a glance
How big is Gambia compared to Mauritania? See an in-depth size comparison.