Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Malawi instead of Mauritania, you would:
Health
be 66.8% less likely to be obese
In Mauritania, 24.1% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Malawi, that number is 8.0% of people as of 2024.
have 20.0% more access to essential health services
Mauritania scores 40 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Malawi scores 48 as of 2021.
be 62.0 times more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Mauritania, 0.1% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Malawi, that number is 6.2% of people as of 2024.
live 1.1 years less
In Mauritania, the average life expectancy is 69 years (67 years for men, 71 years for women) as of 2024. In Malawi, that number is 68 years (64 years for men, 71 years for women) as of 2024.
see 58.5% less spent on your healthcare
Mauritania spends $302 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Malawi spends $125 as of 2023.
have 79.3% fewer doctors per person
Mauritania has 2.6 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Malawi has 0.5 as of 2022.
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 Malawi, it is 7.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 50.9% less likely to be unemployed
In Mauritania, 10.3% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Malawi, that number is 5.1% as of 2025.
make 69.4% less money
Mauritania has a GDP per capita of $2,198 as of 2025, while in Malawi, the GDP per capita is $672 as of 2025.
Life
be 40.9% 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 Malawi, 225.0 women do as of 2023.
be 25.8% 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 Malawi, on the other hand, 38.0 children do as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 69.0% 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 Malawi, that number is 16% of people on average (58% in urban areas, and 6% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 58.6% less likely to have internet access
In Mauritania, approximately 45.8% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Malawi, about 19.0% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 63.9% less on education
Mauritania spends 7.6% of its total GDP on education as of 2024. Malawi spends 2.8% of total GDP on education as of 2022.
spend 50.5% more on healthcare
Mauritania spends 4.3% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Malawi, that number is 6.5% of GDP as of 2023.
Safety
be 2.1 times more likely to die in a road accident
In Mauritania, road accidents kill 9.5 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Malawi, they kill 20.2 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 90.5% less home broadband
Mauritania has 0.9 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Malawi has 0.1 as of 2024.
live with 32.1% more strain on fresh water
Mauritania withdraws 13% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Malawi withdraws 18% as of 2022.
Environment
be 30.6% less likely to die from air pollution
In Mauritania, air pollution causes 62.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Malawi, it causes 43.0 as of 2019.
emit 77.3% less CO2
Mauritania emits 1.0 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Malawi emits 0.2 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Mauritania vs. Malawi
Malawi: At a glance
How big is Malawi compared to Mauritania? See an in-depth size comparison.