Quality of life comparison

compared to

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

Health

live 1.2 years longer

In Mauritania, the average life expectancy is 65 years (63 years for men, 68 years for women) as of 2022. In Namibia, that number is 66 years (64 years for men, 69 years for women) as of 2022.

be 38.7 times more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS

In Mauritania, 0.3% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2020. In Namibia, that number is 11.6% of people as of 2020.

be 35.4% more likely to be obese

In Mauritania, 12.7% of adults are obese as of 2016. In Namibia, that number is 17.2% of people as of 2016.

Economy

make 78.0% more money

Mauritania has a GDP per capita of $5,000 as of 2020, while in Namibia, the GDP per capita is $8,900 as of 2020.

be 43.9% less likely to live below the poverty line

In Mauritania, 31.0% live below the poverty line as of 2014. In Namibia, however, that number is 17.4% as of 2015.

be 3.3 times more likely to be unemployed

In Mauritania, 10.2% of adults are unemployed as of 2017. In Namibia, that number is 34.0% as of 2016.

Life

be 74.5% less likely to die during childbirth

In Mauritania, approximately 766.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2017. In Namibia, 195.0 women do as of 2017.

be 71.0% more likely to be literate

In Mauritania, the literacy rate is 53.5% as of 2017. In Namibia, it is 91.5% as of 2018.

be 42.3% less likely to die during infancy

In Mauritania, approximately 51.0 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2022. In Namibia, on the other hand, 29.4 children do as of 2022.

have 10.9% fewer children

In Mauritania, there are approximately 28.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2022. In Namibia, there are 25.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2022.

Basic Needs

be 78.1% more likely to have access to electricity

In Mauritania, approximately 32% of people have electricity access (56% in urban areas, and 4% in rural areas) as of 2019. In Namibia, that number is 57% of people on average (78% in urban areas, and 36% in rural areas) as of 2019.

Expenditures

spend 4.9 times more on education

Mauritania spends 1.9% of its total GDP on education as of 2020. Namibia spends 9.4% of total GDP on education as of 2020.

spend 2.6 times more on healthcare

Mauritania spends 3.3% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2019. In Namibia, that number is 8.5% of GDP as of 2019.

Geography

see 2.1 times more coastline

Mauritania has a total of 754 km of coastline. In Namibia, that number is 1,572 km.

The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook.

Namibia: At a glance

Namibia is a sovereign country in Africa, with a total land area of approximately 823,290 sq km. South Africa occupied the German colony of South-West Africa during World War I and administered it as a mandate until after World War II, when it annexed the territory. In 1966 the Marxist South-West Africa People's Organization (SWAPO) guerrilla group launched a war of independence for the area that became Namibia, but it was not until 1988 that South Africa agreed to end its administration in accordance with a UN peace plan for the entire region. Namibia has been governed by SWAPO since the country won independence in 1990. Hifikepunye POHAMBA was elected president in November 2004 in a landslide victory replacing Sam NUJOMA who led the country during its first 14 years of self rule. POHAMBA was reelected in November 2009.
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How big is Namibia compared to Mauritania? See an in-depth size comparison.

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