Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Samoa instead of Mauritania, you would:
Health
live 3.1 years longer
In Mauritania, the average life expectancy is 69 years (67 years for men, 71 years for women) as of 2024. In Samoa, that number is 72 years (70 years for men, 74 years for women) as of 2024.
see 57.3% more spent on your healthcare
Mauritania spends $302 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Samoa spends $475 as of 2023.
have 2.1 times more doctors per person
Mauritania has 2.6 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Samoa has 5.6 as of 2021.
have 37.5% more access to essential health services
Mauritania scores 40 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Samoa scores 55 as of 2021.
be 2.7 times more likely to be obese
In Mauritania, 24.1% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Samoa, that number is 64.3% 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 Samoa, it is 12.0 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 51.6% less likely to be unemployed
In Mauritania, 10.3% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Samoa, that number is 5.0% as of 2025.
be 31.1% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Mauritania, 31.8% live below the poverty line as of 2019. In Samoa, however, that number is 21.9% as of 2018.
make 2.7 times more money
Mauritania has a GDP per capita of $2,198 as of 2025, while in Samoa, the GDP per capita is $5,873 as of 2025.
Life
be 73.5% 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 Samoa, 101.0 women do as of 2023.
be 47.9% more likely to be literate
In Mauritania, the literacy rate is 67.0% as of 2021. In Samoa, it is 99.1% as of 2021.
be 59.3% 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 Samoa, on the other hand, 12.3 children do as of 2024.
have 26.6% fewer children
In Mauritania, there are approximately 34.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Samoa, there are 25.0 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 Samoa, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 64.5% more likely to have internet access
In Mauritania, approximately 45.8% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Samoa, about 75.3% do as of 2022.
be 28.7% 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 Samoa, that number is 99% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 99% in rural areas) as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 28.3% less on education
Mauritania spends 7.6% of its total GDP on education as of 2024. Samoa spends 5.5% of total GDP on education as of 2024.
spend 56.2% more on healthcare
Mauritania spends 4.3% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Samoa, that number is 6.8% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 46.6% less coastline
Mauritania has a total of 754 km of coastline. In Samoa, that number is 403 km.
Safety
be 6.3 times more likely to be murdered
Mauritania has a homicide rate of 1.0 per 100,000 people as of 2020. In Samoa, that number is 6.3 per 100,000 as of 2018.
Environment
be 45.2% less likely to die from air pollution
In Mauritania, air pollution causes 62.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Samoa, it causes 34.0 as of 2019.
emit 64.9% more CO2
Mauritania emits 1.0 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Samoa emits 1.6 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2018–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2022), The World Factbook (2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Mauritania vs. Samoa
Samoa: At a glance
How big is Samoa compared to Mauritania? See an in-depth size comparison.