Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Iceland instead of Mauritania, you would:
Health
live 14.1 years longer
In Mauritania, the average life expectancy is 69 years (67 years for men, 71 years for women) as of 2024. In Iceland, that number is 83 years (81 years for men, 84 years for women) as of 2024.
see 23.0 times more spent on your healthcare
Mauritania spends $302 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Iceland spends $6,927 as of 2024.
have 16.8 times more doctors per person
Mauritania has 2.6 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Iceland has 43.7 as of 2023.
have 2.2 times more access to essential health services
Mauritania scores 40 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Iceland scores 89 as of 2021.
be 4.4 times more likely to die by suicide
Mauritania has a suicide rate of 2.7 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Iceland, it is 11.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 64.9% less likely to be unemployed
In Mauritania, 10.3% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Iceland, that number is 3.6% as of 2025.
be 72.3% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Mauritania, 31.8% live below the poverty line as of 2019. In Iceland, however, that number is 8.8% as of 2017.
make 44.7 times more money
Mauritania has a GDP per capita of $2,198 as of 2025, while in Iceland, the GDP per capita is $98,323 as of 2025.
Life
be 99.2% 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 Iceland, 3.0 women do as of 2023.
be 93.0% 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 Iceland, on the other hand, 2.1 children do as of 2024.
have 67.1% fewer children
In Mauritania, there are approximately 34.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Iceland, there are 11.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 98.8% 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 Iceland, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 2.1 times more likely to have internet access
In Mauritania, approximately 45.8% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Iceland, about 98.2% do as of 2024.
be 29.4% 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 Iceland, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 2.1 times more on healthcare
Mauritania spends 4.3% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Iceland, that number is 9.0% of GDP as of 2024.
Geography
see 6.6 times more coastline
Mauritania has a total of 754 km of coastline. In Iceland, that number is 4,970 km.
Safety
be 74.7% less likely to die in a road accident
In Mauritania, road accidents kill 9.5 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Iceland, they kill 2.4 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 29.0% more likely to be murdered
Mauritania has a homicide rate of 1.0 per 100,000 people as of 2020. In Iceland, that number is 1.3 per 100,000 as of 2023.
Infrastructure
find 39.5 times more home broadband
Mauritania has 0.9 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Iceland has 37.5 as of 2024.
live with 97.1% less strain on fresh water
Mauritania withdraws 13% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Iceland withdraws 0% as of 2022.
Environment
be 87.1% less likely to die from air pollution
In Mauritania, air pollution causes 62.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Iceland, it causes 8.0 as of 2019.
emit 8.8 times more CO2
Mauritania emits 1.0 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Iceland emits 8.5 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2017–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Mauritania vs. Iceland
Iceland: At a glance
How big is Iceland compared to Mauritania? See an in-depth size comparison.