Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Puerto Rico instead of Mauritania, you would:
Health
live 13.2 years longer
In Mauritania, the average life expectancy is 69 years (67 years for men, 71 years for women) as of 2024. In Puerto Rico, that number is 82 years (78 years for men, 85 years for women) as of 2024.
be 76.0% more likely to be obese
In Mauritania, 24.1% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Puerto Rico, that number is 42.4% of people as of 2024.
be 100.0% more likely to die by suicide
Mauritania has a suicide rate of 2.7 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Puerto Rico, it is 5.4 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 42.0% less likely to be unemployed
In Mauritania, 10.3% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Puerto Rico, that number is 6.0% as of 2025.
make 18.5 times more money
Mauritania has a GDP per capita of $2,198 as of 2025, while in Puerto Rico, the GDP per capita is $40,620 as of 2025.
Life
be 97.1% 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 Puerto Rico, 11.0 women do as of 2023.
be 37.9% more likely to be literate
In Mauritania, the literacy rate is 67.0% as of 2021. In Puerto Rico, it is 92.4% as of 2021.
be 80.0% 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 Puerto Rico, on the other hand, 6.0 children do as of 2022.
have 83.3% fewer children
In Mauritania, there are approximately 34.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Puerto Rico, there are 5.7 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 Puerto Rico, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 90.7% more likely to have internet access
In Mauritania, approximately 45.8% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Puerto Rico, about 87.3% do as of 2022.
be 29.4% more likely to have access to drinking water
In Mauritania, approximately 77% of people have access to drinking water as of 2024. In Puerto Rico, 100% of people do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 43.9% less on education
Mauritania spends 7.6% of its total GDP on education as of 2024. Puerto Rico spends 4.3% of total GDP on education as of 2024.
Geography
see 33.6% less coastline
Mauritania has a total of 754 km of coastline. In Puerto Rico, that number is 501 km.
Safety
be 14.6 times more likely to be murdered
Mauritania has a homicide rate of 1.0 per 100,000 people as of 2020. In Puerto Rico, that number is 14.6 per 100,000 as of 2023.
be 31.6% more likely to die in a road accident
In Mauritania, road accidents kill 9.5 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Puerto Rico, they kill 12.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 29.5 times more home broadband
Mauritania has 0.9 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Puerto Rico has 28.0 as of 2024.
live with 47.5% more strain on fresh water
Mauritania withdraws 13% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Puerto Rico withdraws 20% as of 2022.
Environment
emit 5.0 times more CO2
Mauritania emits 1.0 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Puerto Rico emits 4.8 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2020–2025), The World Factbook (2021–2022), World Health Organization (2024), United Nations SDG Indicators (2021). How we calculate this
Compare further: Mauritania vs. Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico: At a glance
How big is Puerto Rico compared to Mauritania? See an in-depth size comparison.