Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Jamaica instead of Mauritania, you would:
Health
live 2.9 years longer
In Mauritania, the average life expectancy is 69 years (67 years for men, 71 years for women) as of 2024. In Jamaica, that number is 72 years (69 years for men, 74 years for women) as of 2024.
see 2.9 times more spent on your healthcare
Mauritania spends $302 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Jamaica spends $869 as of 2023.
have 76.2% more doctors per person
Mauritania has 2.6 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Jamaica has 4.6 as of 2023.
have 85.0% more access to essential health services
Mauritania scores 40 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Jamaica scores 74 as of 2021.
be 37.6% less likely to die by suicide
Mauritania has a suicide rate of 2.7 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Jamaica, it is 1.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 11.0 times more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Mauritania, 0.1% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Jamaica, that number is 1.1% of people as of 2024.
be 46.1% more likely to be obese
In Mauritania, 24.1% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Jamaica, that number is 35.2% of people as of 2024.
Economy
be 68.1% less likely to be unemployed
In Mauritania, 10.3% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Jamaica, that number is 3.3% as of 2025.
make 3.6 times more money
Mauritania has a GDP per capita of $2,198 as of 2025, while in Jamaica, the GDP per capita is $8,003 as of 2025.
Life
be 65.9% 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 Jamaica, 130.0 women do as of 2023.
be 45.7% 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 Jamaica, on the other hand, 16.4 children do as of 2024.
have 66.4% fewer children
In Mauritania, there are approximately 34.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Jamaica, there are 11.4 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 94.2% 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 Jamaica, that number is 98% of people on average (99% in urban areas, and 96% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 96.8% more likely to have internet access
In Mauritania, approximately 45.8% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Jamaica, about 90.1% do as of 2024.
be 13.3% 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 Jamaica, that number is 88% of people on average (90% in urban areas, and 84% in rural areas) as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 27.6% less on education
Mauritania spends 7.6% of its total GDP on education as of 2024. Jamaica spends 5.5% of total GDP on education as of 2024.
spend 75.1% more on healthcare
Mauritania spends 4.3% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Jamaica, that number is 7.6% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 35.5% more coastline
Mauritania has a total of 754 km of coastline. In Jamaica, that number is 1,022 km.
Safety
be 49.4 times more likely to be murdered
Mauritania has a homicide rate of 1.0 per 100,000 people as of 2020. In Jamaica, that number is 49.4 per 100,000 as of 2023.
be 87.4% more likely to die in a road accident
In Mauritania, road accidents kill 9.5 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Jamaica, they kill 17.8 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 16.8 times more home broadband
Mauritania has 0.9 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Jamaica has 16.0 as of 2024.
Environment
be 64.5% less likely to die from air pollution
In Mauritania, air pollution causes 62.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Jamaica, it causes 22.0 as of 2019.
emit 2.9 times more CO2
Mauritania emits 1.0 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Jamaica emits 2.8 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2020–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Mauritania vs. Jamaica
Jamaica: At a glance
How big is Jamaica compared to Mauritania? See an in-depth size comparison.