Quality of life comparison
If you lived in New Zealand instead of Mauritania, you would:
Health
live 13.3 years longer
In Mauritania, the average life expectancy is 69 years (67 years for men, 71 years for women) as of 2024. In New Zealand, that number is 82 years (80 years for men, 84 years for women) as of 2024.
see 18.5 times more spent on your healthcare
Mauritania spends $302 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). New Zealand spends $5,576 as of 2024.
have 13.8 times more doctors per person
Mauritania has 2.6 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. New Zealand has 36.1 as of 2022.
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. New Zealand scores 85 as of 2021.
be 41.2% more likely to be obese
In Mauritania, 24.1% of adults are obese as of 2024. In New Zealand, that number is 34.0% of people as of 2024.
be 4.4 times more likely to die by suicide
Mauritania has a suicide rate of 2.7 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In New Zealand, it is 11.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 50.8% less likely to be unemployed
In Mauritania, 10.3% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In New Zealand, that number is 5.1% as of 2025.
make 22.6 times more money
Mauritania has a GDP per capita of $2,198 as of 2025, while in New Zealand, the GDP per capita is $49,591 as of 2025.
Life
be 98.2% 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 New Zealand, 7.0 women do as of 2023.
be 86.8% 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 New Zealand, on the other hand, 4.0 children do as of 2024.
have 67.6% fewer children
In Mauritania, there are approximately 34.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In New Zealand, there are 11.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
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 New Zealand, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 2.0 times more likely to have internet access
In Mauritania, approximately 45.8% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In New Zealand, about 93.5% do as of 2024.
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 New Zealand, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 31.5% less on education
Mauritania spends 7.6% of its total GDP on education as of 2024. New Zealand spends 5.2% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 2.3 times more on healthcare
Mauritania spends 4.3% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In New Zealand, that number is 10.1% of GDP as of 2024.
Geography
see 20.1 times more coastline
Mauritania has a total of 754 km of coastline. In New Zealand, that number is 15,134 km.
Safety
be 30.5% less likely to die in a road accident
In Mauritania, road accidents kill 9.5 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In New Zealand, they kill 6.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 46.0% more likely to be murdered
Mauritania has a homicide rate of 1.0 per 100,000 people as of 2020. In New Zealand, that number is 1.5 per 100,000 as of 2022.
Infrastructure
find 40.1 times more home broadband
Mauritania has 0.9 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. New Zealand has 38.0 as of 2024.
live with 39.2% less strain on fresh water
Mauritania withdraws 13% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. New Zealand withdraws 8% as of 2022.
Environment
be 80.6% less likely to die from air pollution
In Mauritania, air pollution causes 62.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In New Zealand, it causes 12.0 as of 2019.
emit 6.2 times more CO2
Mauritania emits 1.0 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. New Zealand emits 6.0 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2020–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Mauritania vs. New Zealand
New Zealand: At a glance
How big is New Zealand compared to Mauritania? See an in-depth size comparison.