If you lived in India instead of Mauritania, you would:

Health

live 3.5 years longer

In Mauritania, the average life expectancy is 69 years (67 years for men, 71 years for women) as of 2024. In India, that number is 72 years (71 years for men, 74 years for women) as of 2024.

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be 66.7% less likely to be obese

In Mauritania, 24.1% of adults are obese as of 2024. In India, that number is 8.0% of people as of 2024.

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see 14.8% more spent on your healthcare

Mauritania spends $302 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). India spends $346 as of 2023.

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have 2.8 times more doctors per person

Mauritania has 2.6 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. India has 7.2 as of 2020.

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have 57.5% more access to essential health services

Mauritania scores 40 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. India scores 63 as of 2021.

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be 4.6 times more likely to die by suicide

Mauritania has a suicide rate of 2.7 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In India, it is 12.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Economy

be 59.1% less likely to be unemployed

In Mauritania, 10.3% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In India, that number is 4.2% as of 2025.

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make 23.0% more money

Mauritania has a GDP per capita of $2,198 as of 2025, while in India, the GDP per capita is $2,702 as of 2025.

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Life

be 79.0% 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 India, 80.0 women do as of 2023.

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be 16.7% more likely to be literate

In Mauritania, the literacy rate is 67.0% as of 2021. In India, it is 78.2% as of 2024.

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be 22.8% 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 India, on the other hand, 23.3 children do as of 2024.

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have 53.0% fewer children

In Mauritania, there are approximately 34.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In India, there are 16.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

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Basic Needs

be 97.8% 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 India, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 99% in rural areas) as of 2023.

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be 52.9% more likely to have internet access

In Mauritania, approximately 45.8% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In India, about 70.0% do as of 2025.

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be 23.9% 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 India, that number is 96% of people on average (97% in urban areas, and 95% in rural areas) as of 2024.

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Expenditures

spend 46.1% less on education

Mauritania spends 7.6% of its total GDP on education as of 2024. India spends 4.1% of total GDP on education as of 2022.

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spend 23.0% less on healthcare

Mauritania spends 4.3% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In India, that number is 3.3% of GDP as of 2023.

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Geography

see 9.3 times more coastline

Mauritania has a total of 754 km of coastline. In India, that number is 7,000 km.

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Safety

be 2.8 times more likely to be murdered

Mauritania has a homicide rate of 1.0 per 100,000 people as of 2020. In India, that number is 2.8 per 100,000 as of 2022.

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be 62.1% more likely to die in a road accident

In Mauritania, road accidents kill 9.5 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In India, they kill 15.4 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Infrastructure

find 3.3 times more home broadband

Mauritania has 0.9 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. India has 3.1 as of 2024.

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live with 5.0 times more strain on fresh water

Mauritania withdraws 13% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. India withdraws 66% as of 2022.

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Environment

be 33.9% more likely to die from air pollution

In Mauritania, air pollution causes 62.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In India, it causes 83.0 as of 2019.

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emit 2.2 times more CO2

Mauritania emits 1.0 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. India emits 2.2 tonnes as of 2024.

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Sources: World Bank (2020–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), The World Factbook (2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this

India: At a glance

India is a sovereign country in South Asia, with a total land area of approximately 2,973,193 sq km. The Indus Valley civilization, one of the world's oldest, flourished during the 3rd and 2nd millennia B.C. and extended into northwestern India. Aryan tribes from the northwest infiltrated the Indian subcontinent about 1500 B.C.; their merger with the earlier Dravidian inhabitants created the classical Indian culture. The Maurya Empire of the 4th and 3rd centuries B.C. - which reached its zenith under ASHOKA - united much of South Asia. The Golden Age ushered in by the Gupta dynasty (4th to 6th centuries A.D.) saw a flowering of Indian science, art, and culture. Islam spread across the subcontinent over a period of 700 years. In the 10th and 11th centuries, Turks and Afghans invaded India and established the Delhi Sultanate. In the early 16th century, the Emperor BABUR established the Mughal Dynasty which ruled India for more than three centuries. European explorers began establishing footholds in India during the 16th century. By the 19th century, Great Britain had become the dominant political power on the subcontinent. The British Indian Army played a vital role in both World Wars. Years of nonviolent resistance to British rule, led by Mohandas GANDHI and Jawaharlal NEHRU, eventually resulted in Indian independence, which was granted in 1947. Large-scale communal violence took place before and after the subcontinent partition into two separate states - India and Pakistan. The neighboring nations have fought three wars since independence, the last of which was in 1971 and resulted in East Pakistan becoming the separate nation of Bangladesh. India's nuclear weapons tests in 1998 emboldened Pakistan to conduct its own tests that same year. In November 2008, terrorists originating from Pakistan conducted a series of coordinated attacks in Mumbai, India's financial capital. Despite pressing problems such as significant overpopulation, environmental degradation, extensive poverty, and widespread corruption, economic growth following the launch of economic reforms in 1991 and a massive youthful population are driving India's emergence as a regional and global power.
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