Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Ghana instead of Mauritania, you would:
Health
be 39.6% less likely to be obese
In Mauritania, 24.1% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Ghana, that number is 14.6% of people as of 2024.
have 20.0% more access to essential health services
Mauritania scores 40 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Ghana scores 48 as of 2021.
be 15.0 times more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Mauritania, 0.1% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Ghana, that number is 1.5% of people as of 2024.
live 3.0 years less
In Mauritania, the average life expectancy is 69 years (67 years for men, 71 years for women) as of 2024. In Ghana, that number is 66 years (63 years for men, 68 years for women) as of 2024.
see 22.3% less spent on your healthcare
Mauritania spends $302 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Ghana spends $234 as of 2023.
be 96.3% more likely to die by suicide
Mauritania has a suicide rate of 2.7 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Ghana, it is 5.3 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 71.1% less likely to be unemployed
In Mauritania, 10.3% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Ghana, that number is 3.0% as of 2025.
be 26.4% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Mauritania, 31.8% live below the poverty line as of 2019. In Ghana, however, that number is 23.4% as of 2016.
make 48.2% more money
Mauritania has a GDP per capita of $2,198 as of 2025, while in Ghana, the GDP per capita is $3,257 as of 2025.
Life
be 38.6% 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 Ghana, 234.0 women do as of 2023.
be 14.2% more likely to be literate
In Mauritania, the literacy rate is 67.0% as of 2021. In Ghana, it is 76.5% as of 2021.
have 23.8% fewer children
In Mauritania, there are approximately 34.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Ghana, there are 25.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 77.9% 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 Ghana, that number is 90% of people on average (98% in urban areas, and 78% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 57.7% more likely to have internet access
In Mauritania, approximately 45.8% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Ghana, about 72.2% do as of 2024.
be 16.4% 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 Ghana, that number is 90% of people on average (99% in urban areas, and 76% in rural areas) as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 61.8% less on education
Mauritania spends 7.6% of its total GDP on education as of 2024. Ghana spends 2.9% of total GDP on education as of 2022.
spend 32.0% less on healthcare
Mauritania spends 4.3% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Ghana, that number is 3.0% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 28.5% less coastline
Mauritania has a total of 754 km of coastline. In Ghana, that number is 539 km.
Safety
be 83.0% more likely to be murdered
Mauritania has a homicide rate of 1.0 per 100,000 people as of 2020. In Ghana, that number is 1.8 per 100,000 as of 2022.
be 2.7 times more likely to die in a road accident
In Mauritania, road accidents kill 9.5 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Ghana, they kill 25.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 52.4% less strain on fresh water
Mauritania withdraws 13% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Ghana withdraws 6% as of 2022.
find 30.5% less home broadband
Mauritania has 0.9 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Ghana has 0.7 as of 2024.
Environment
emit 27.8% less CO2
Mauritania emits 1.0 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Ghana emits 0.7 tonnes as of 2024.
be 43.5% more likely to die from air pollution
In Mauritania, air pollution causes 62.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Ghana, it causes 89.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2016–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), The World Factbook (2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Mauritania vs. Ghana
Ghana: At a glance
How big is Ghana compared to Mauritania? See an in-depth size comparison.