Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Guinea-Bissau instead of Mauritania, you would:
Health
be 47.2% less likely to be obese
In Mauritania, 24.1% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Guinea-Bissau, that number is 12.7% of people as of 2024.
be 22.0 times more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Mauritania, 0.1% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Guinea-Bissau, that number is 2.2% of people as of 2024.
live 4.5 years less
In Mauritania, the average life expectancy is 69 years (67 years for men, 71 years for women) as of 2024. In Guinea-Bissau, that number is 64 years (62 years for men, 67 years for women) as of 2024.
see 18.1% less spent on your healthcare
Mauritania spends $302 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Guinea-Bissau spends $247 as of 2023.
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 Guinea-Bissau, it is 7.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 74.1% less likely to be unemployed
In Mauritania, 10.3% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Guinea-Bissau, that number is 2.7% as of 2025.
be 58.8% more likely to live below the poverty line
In Mauritania, 31.8% live below the poverty line as of 2019. In Guinea-Bissau, however, that number is 50.5% as of 2021.
make 48.9% less money
Mauritania has a GDP per capita of $2,198 as of 2025, while in Guinea-Bissau, the GDP per capita is $1,124 as of 2025.
Life
be 32.5% more 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 Guinea-Bissau, 505.0 women do as of 2023.
be 39.4% 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 Guinea-Bissau, on the other hand, 42.1 children do as of 2024.
have 13.1% fewer children
In Mauritania, there are approximately 34.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Guinea-Bissau, there are 29.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 19.5% less 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 Guinea-Bissau, that number is 40% of people on average (64% in urban areas, and 21% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 34.9% less likely to have internet access
In Mauritania, approximately 45.8% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Guinea-Bissau, about 29.8% do as of 2024.
be 20.0% less 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 Guinea-Bissau, that number is 62% of people on average (73% in urban areas, and 53% in rural areas) as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 2.0 times more on healthcare
Mauritania spends 4.3% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Guinea-Bissau, that number is 8.8% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 53.6% less coastline
Mauritania has a total of 754 km of coastline. In Guinea-Bissau, that number is 350 km.
Safety
be 12.0% more likely to be murdered
Mauritania has a homicide rate of 1.0 per 100,000 people as of 2020. In Guinea-Bissau, that number is 1.1 per 100,000 as of 2017.
be 3.2 times more likely to die in a road accident
In Mauritania, road accidents kill 9.5 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Guinea-Bissau, they kill 30.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 88.7% less strain on fresh water
Mauritania withdraws 13% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Guinea-Bissau withdraws 2% as of 2022.
find 58.9% less home broadband
Mauritania has 0.9 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Guinea-Bissau has 0.4 as of 2024.
Environment
emit 83.5% less CO2
Mauritania emits 1.0 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Guinea-Bissau emits 0.2 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 Guinea-Bissau, it causes 89.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2017–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Mauritania vs. Guinea-Bissau
Guinea-Bissau: At a glance
How big is Guinea-Bissau compared to Mauritania? See an in-depth size comparison.