Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Saudi Arabia instead of Mauritania, you would:
Health
live 10.3 years longer
In Mauritania, the average life expectancy is 69 years (67 years for men, 71 years for women) as of 2024. In Saudi Arabia, that number is 79 years (77 years for men, 81 years for women) as of 2024.
see 11.5 times more spent on your healthcare
Mauritania spends $302 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Saudi Arabia spends $3,475 as of 2023.
have 13.0 times more doctors per person
Mauritania has 2.6 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Saudi Arabia has 34.1 as of 2023.
have 85.0% more access to essential health services
Mauritania scores 40 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Saudi Arabia scores 74 as of 2021.
be 64.9% less likely to die by suicide
Mauritania has a suicide rate of 2.7 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Saudi Arabia, it is 0.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 66.5% more likely to be obese
In Mauritania, 24.1% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Saudi Arabia, that number is 40.1% of people as of 2024.
Economy
be 70.5% less likely to be unemployed
In Mauritania, 10.3% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Saudi Arabia, that number is 3.0% as of 2025.
make 15.7 times more money
Mauritania has a GDP per capita of $2,198 as of 2025, while in Saudi Arabia, the GDP per capita is $34,537 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 Saudi Arabia, 7.0 women do as of 2023.
be 46.2% more likely to be literate
In Mauritania, the literacy rate is 67.0% as of 2021. In Saudi Arabia, it is 97.9% as of 2024.
be 84.4% 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 Saudi Arabia, on the other hand, 4.7 children do as of 2024.
have 51.5% fewer children
In Mauritania, there are approximately 34.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Saudi Arabia, there are 16.5 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 Saudi Arabia, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 2.2 times more likely to have internet access
In Mauritania, approximately 45.8% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Saudi Arabia, about 100.0% do as of 2024.
be 28.2% 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 Saudi Arabia, that number is 99% of people on average (99% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 41.1% less on education
Mauritania spends 7.6% of its total GDP on education as of 2024. Saudi Arabia spends 4.5% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 31.1% more on healthcare
Mauritania spends 4.3% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Saudi Arabia, that number is 5.7% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 3.5 times more coastline
Mauritania has a total of 754 km of coastline. In Saudi Arabia, that number is 2,640 km.
Safety
be 94.7% more likely to die in a road accident
In Mauritania, road accidents kill 9.5 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Saudi Arabia, they kill 18.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 46.4 times more home broadband
Mauritania has 0.9 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Saudi Arabia has 44.1 as of 2024.
live with 73.5 times more strain on fresh water
Mauritania withdraws 13% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Saudi Arabia withdraws 974% as of 2022.
Environment
be 46.8% more likely to die from air pollution
In Mauritania, air pollution causes 62.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Saudi Arabia, it causes 91.0 as of 2019.
emit 19.1 times more CO2
Mauritania emits 1.0 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Saudi Arabia emits 18.5 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), The World Factbook (2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Mauritania vs. Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia: At a glance
How big is Saudi Arabia compared to Mauritania? See an in-depth size comparison.