Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Madagascar instead of Mauritania, you would:
Health
be 81.3% less likely to be obese
In Mauritania, 24.1% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Madagascar, that number is 4.5% of people as of 2024.
live 4.9 years less
In Mauritania, the average life expectancy is 69 years (67 years for men, 71 years for women) as of 2024. In Madagascar, that number is 64 years (62 years for men, 66 years for women) as of 2024.
see 79.2% less spent on your healthcare
Mauritania spends $302 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Madagascar spends $63 as of 2023.
have 34.1% fewer doctors per person
Mauritania has 2.6 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Madagascar has 1.7 as of 2022.
have 12.5% less access to essential health services
Mauritania scores 40 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Madagascar scores 35 as of 2021.
be 2.2 times more likely to die by suicide
Mauritania has a suicide rate of 2.7 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Madagascar, it is 6.1 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 70.5% less likely to be unemployed
In Mauritania, 10.3% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Madagascar, that number is 3.0% as of 2025.
be 2.4 times more likely to live below the poverty line
In Mauritania, 31.8% live below the poverty line as of 2019. In Madagascar, however, that number is 75.2% as of 2021.
make 72.7% less money
Mauritania has a GDP per capita of $2,198 as of 2025, while in Madagascar, the GDP per capita is $599 as of 2025.
Life
be 11.5% more likely to be literate
In Mauritania, the literacy rate is 67.0% as of 2021. In Madagascar, it is 74.7% as of 2021.
be 16.8% 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 Madagascar, 445.0 women do as of 2023.
be 42.4% 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 Madagascar, on the other hand, 43.0 children do as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 21.7% 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 Madagascar, that number is 39% of people on average (76% in urban areas, and 15% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 59.2% less likely to have internet access
In Mauritania, approximately 45.8% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Madagascar, about 18.7% do as of 2024.
be 28.4% 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 Madagascar, that number is 55% of people on average (78% in urban areas, and 39% in rural areas) as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 59.9% less on education
Mauritania spends 7.6% of its total GDP on education as of 2024. Madagascar spends 3.0% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 21.0% less on healthcare
Mauritania spends 4.3% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Madagascar, that number is 3.4% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 6.4 times more coastline
Mauritania has a total of 754 km of coastline. In Madagascar, that number is 4,828 km.
Safety
be 2.4 times more likely to die in a road accident
In Mauritania, road accidents kill 9.5 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Madagascar, they kill 22.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 15.0% less strain on fresh water
Mauritania withdraws 13% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Madagascar withdraws 11% as of 2022.
find 87.4% less home broadband
Mauritania has 0.9 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Madagascar has 0.1 as of 2023.
Environment
emit 84.5% less CO2
Mauritania emits 1.0 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Madagascar emits 0.1 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2019–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2021), The World Factbook (2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Mauritania vs. Madagascar
Madagascar: At a glance
How big is Madagascar compared to Mauritania? See an in-depth size comparison.