Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Rwanda instead of Mauritania, you would:
Health
be 76.8% less likely to be obese
In Mauritania, 24.1% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Rwanda, that number is 5.6% of people as of 2024.
have 22.5% more access to essential health services
Mauritania scores 40 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Rwanda scores 49 as of 2021.
be 20.0 times more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Mauritania, 0.1% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Rwanda, that number is 2.0% of people as of 2024.
live 0.7 years less
In Mauritania, the average life expectancy is 69 years (67 years for men, 71 years for women) as of 2024. In Rwanda, that number is 68 years (66 years for men, 70 years for women) as of 2024.
see 41.3% less spent on your healthcare
Mauritania spends $302 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Rwanda spends $177 as of 2023.
have 65.5% fewer doctors per person
Mauritania has 2.6 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Rwanda has 0.9 as of 2022.
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 Rwanda, it is 8.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 10.1% more likely to be unemployed
In Mauritania, 10.3% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Rwanda, that number is 11.4% as of 2025.
make 48.9% less money
Mauritania has a GDP per capita of $2,198 as of 2025, while in Rwanda, the GDP per capita is $1,124 as of 2025.
Life
be 39.9% 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 Rwanda, 229.0 women do as of 2023.
be 17.6% more likely to be literate
In Mauritania, the literacy rate is 67.0% as of 2021. In Rwanda, it is 78.8% as of 2022.
have 17.5% fewer children
In Mauritania, there are approximately 34.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Rwanda, there are 28.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 27.0% 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 Rwanda, that number is 64% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 58% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 30.8% less likely to have internet access
In Mauritania, approximately 45.8% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Rwanda, about 31.7% do as of 2024.
be 20.6% less 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 Rwanda, that number is 61% of people on average (88% in urban areas, and 56% in rural areas) as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 39.4% less on education
Mauritania spends 7.6% of its total GDP on education as of 2024. Rwanda spends 4.6% of total GDP on education as of 2024.
spend 18.2% more on healthcare
Mauritania spends 4.3% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Rwanda, that number is 5.1% of GDP as of 2023.
Safety
be 3.6 times more likely to be murdered
Mauritania has a homicide rate of 1.0 per 100,000 people as of 2020. In Rwanda, that number is 3.6 per 100,000 as of 2020.
be 22.1% more likely to die in a road accident
In Mauritania, road accidents kill 9.5 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Rwanda, they kill 11.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 36.8% less home broadband
Mauritania has 0.9 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Rwanda has 0.6 as of 2024.
live with 52.5% more strain on fresh water
Mauritania withdraws 13% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Rwanda withdraws 20% as of 2022.
Environment
emit 83.5% less CO2
Mauritania emits 1.0 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Rwanda emits 0.2 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2020–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook (2021). How we calculate this
Compare further: Mauritania vs. Rwanda
Rwanda: At a glance
How big is Rwanda compared to Mauritania? See an in-depth size comparison.