Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Namibia instead of Mauritania, you would:
Health
be 24.2% less likely to be obese
In Mauritania, 24.1% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Namibia, that number is 18.3% of people as of 2024.
see 3.5 times more spent on your healthcare
Mauritania spends $302 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Namibia spends $1,068 as of 2023.
have 2.1 times more doctors per person
Mauritania has 2.6 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Namibia has 5.5 as of 2022.
have 57.5% more access to essential health services
Mauritania scores 40 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Namibia scores 63 as of 2021.
be 90.0 times more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Mauritania, 0.1% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Namibia, that number is 9.0% of people as of 2024.
live 1.2 years less
In Mauritania, the average life expectancy is 69 years (67 years for men, 71 years for women) as of 2024. In Namibia, that number is 68 years (63 years for men, 71 years for women) as of 2024.
be 3.2 times more likely to die by suicide
Mauritania has a suicide rate of 2.7 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Namibia, it is 8.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
make 2.2 times more money
Mauritania has a GDP per capita of $2,198 as of 2025, while in Namibia, the GDP per capita is $4,876 as of 2025.
be 86.9% more likely to be unemployed
In Mauritania, 10.3% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Namibia, that number is 19.3% as of 2025.
Life
be 63.5% 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 Namibia, 139.0 women do as of 2023.
be 30.8% more likely to be literate
In Mauritania, the literacy rate is 67.0% as of 2021. In Namibia, it is 87.6% as of 2023.
be 20.5% 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 Namibia, on the other hand, 36.4 children do as of 2024.
have 23.9% fewer children
In Mauritania, there are approximately 34.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Namibia, there are 25.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 12.7% 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 Namibia, that number is 57% of people on average (75% in urban areas, and 34% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 41.7% more likely to have internet access
In Mauritania, approximately 45.8% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Namibia, about 64.9% do as of 2024.
be 11.9% 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 Namibia, that number is 87% of people on average (96% in urban areas, and 74% in rural areas) as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 19.3% more on education
Mauritania spends 7.6% of its total GDP on education as of 2024. Namibia spends 9.1% of total GDP on education as of 2024.
spend 2.2 times more on healthcare
Mauritania spends 4.3% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Namibia, that number is 9.5% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 2.1 times more coastline
Mauritania has a total of 754 km of coastline. In Namibia, that number is 1,572 km.
Safety
be 11.2 times more likely to be murdered
Mauritania has a homicide rate of 1.0 per 100,000 people as of 2020. In Namibia, that number is 11.2 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 2.3 times more likely to die in a road accident
In Mauritania, road accidents kill 9.5 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Namibia, they kill 22.0 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 3.0 times more home broadband
Mauritania has 0.9 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Namibia has 2.8 as of 2024.
live with 97.7% less strain on fresh water
Mauritania withdraws 13% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Namibia withdraws 0% 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 Namibia, it causes 43.0 as of 2019.
emit 23.7% more CO2
Mauritania emits 1.0 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Namibia emits 1.2 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2020–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), The World Factbook (2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Mauritania vs. Namibia
Namibia: At a glance
How big is Namibia compared to Mauritania? See an in-depth size comparison.