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

Health

live 14.2 years longer

In Mauritania, the average life expectancy is 69 years (67 years for men, 71 years for women) as of 2024. In Malta, that number is 83 years (81 years for men, 85 years for women) as of 2024.

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see 18.9 times more spent on your healthcare

Mauritania spends $302 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Malta spends $5,706 as of 2023.

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have 17.3 times more doctors per person

Mauritania has 2.6 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Malta has 45.1 as of 2022.

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have 2.1 times more access to essential health services

Mauritania scores 40 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Malta scores 85 as of 2021.

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be 27.1% more likely to be obese

In Mauritania, 24.1% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Malta, that number is 30.6% of people as of 2024.

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be 2.4 times more likely to die by suicide

Mauritania has a suicide rate of 2.7 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Malta, it is 6.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Economy

be 71.9% less likely to be unemployed

In Mauritania, 10.3% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Malta, that number is 2.9% as of 2025.

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be 47.5% less likely to live below the poverty line

In Mauritania, 31.8% live below the poverty line as of 2019. In Malta, however, that number is 16.7% as of 2021.

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make 21.8 times more money

Mauritania has a GDP per capita of $2,198 as of 2025, while in Malta, the GDP per capita is $47,907 as of 2025.

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Life

be 97.9% 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 Malta, 8.0 women do as of 2023.

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be 41.6% more likely to be literate

In Mauritania, the literacy rate is 67.0% as of 2021. In Malta, it is 94.9% as of 2021.

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be 84.4% 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 Malta, on the other hand, 4.7 children do as of 2024.

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have 77.4% fewer children

In Mauritania, there are approximately 34.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Malta, there are 7.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

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

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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 Malta, about 93.9% do as of 2024.

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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 Malta, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2024.

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Expenditures

spend 38.1% less on education

Mauritania spends 7.6% of its total GDP on education as of 2024. Malta spends 4.7% of total GDP on education as of 2022.

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spend 2.0 times more on healthcare

Mauritania spends 4.3% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Malta, that number is 8.8% of GDP as of 2023.

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Geography

see 73.9% less coastline

Mauritania has a total of 754 km of coastline. In Malta, that number is 197 km.

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Safety

be 44.0% less likely to be murdered

Mauritania has a homicide rate of 1.0 per 100,000 people as of 2020. In Malta, that number is 0.6 per 100,000 as of 2023.

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be 80.0% less likely to die in a road accident

In Mauritania, road accidents kill 9.5 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Malta, they kill 1.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Infrastructure

find 46.9 times more home broadband

Mauritania has 0.9 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Malta has 44.5 as of 2024.

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live with 5.5 times more strain on fresh water

Mauritania withdraws 13% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Malta withdraws 73% as of 2022.

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Environment

be 66.1% less likely to die from air pollution

In Mauritania, air pollution causes 62.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Malta, it causes 21.0 as of 2019.

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emit 3.3 times more CO2

Mauritania emits 1.0 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Malta emits 3.2 tonnes as of 2024.

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

Malta: At a glance

Malta is a sovereign country in Europe, with a total land area of approximately 316 sq km. Great Britain formally acquired possession of Malta in 1814. The island staunchly supported the UK through both world wars and remained in the Commonwealth when it became independent in 1964; a decade later it declared itself a republic. Since about the mid-1980s, the island has transformed itself into a freight transshipment point, a financial center, and a tourist destination. Malta became an EU member in May 2004 and began using the euro as currency in 2008.
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How big is Malta compared to Mauritania? See an in-depth size comparison.

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