If you lived in Tonga instead of Mauritania, you would:

Health

live 4.4 years longer

In Mauritania, the average life expectancy is 69 years (67 years for men, 71 years for women) as of 2024. In Tonga, that number is 73 years (70 years for men, 77 years for women) as of 2024.

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see 69.8% more spent on your healthcare

Mauritania spends $302 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Tonga spends $512 as of 2023.

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have 3.9 times more doctors per person

Mauritania has 2.6 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Tonga has 10.1 as of 2021.

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have 42.5% more access to essential health services

Mauritania scores 40 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Tonga scores 57 as of 2021.

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be 3.1 times more likely to be obese

In Mauritania, 24.1% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Tonga, that number is 73.8% of people as of 2024.

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be 74.5% more likely to die by suicide

Mauritania has a suicide rate of 2.7 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Tonga, it is 4.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Economy

be 80.5% less likely to be unemployed

In Mauritania, 10.3% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Tonga, that number is 2.0% as of 2025.

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be 35.2% less likely to live below the poverty line

In Mauritania, 31.8% live below the poverty line as of 2019. In Tonga, however, that number is 20.6% as of 2021.

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make 3.0 times more money

Mauritania has a GDP per capita of $2,198 as of 2025, while in Tonga, the GDP per capita is $6,547 as of 2025.

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Life

be 82.4% 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 Tonga, 67.0 women do as of 2023.

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be 48.5% more likely to be literate

In Mauritania, the literacy rate is 67.0% as of 2021. In Tonga, it is 99.5% as of 2023.

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be 74.2% 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 Tonga, on the other hand, 7.8 children do as of 2024.

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have 32.3% fewer children

In Mauritania, there are approximately 34.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Tonga, there are 23.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

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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 Tonga, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2023.

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be 47.3% more likely to have internet access

In Mauritania, approximately 45.8% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Tonga, about 67.4% do as of 2024.

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be 27.9% 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 Tonga, that number is 99% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 99% in rural areas) as of 2024.

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Expenditures

spend 30.2% less on education

Mauritania spends 7.6% of its total GDP on education as of 2024. Tonga spends 5.3% of total GDP on education as of 2022.

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spend 69.6% more on healthcare

Mauritania spends 4.3% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Tonga, that number is 7.4% of GDP as of 2023.

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Geography

see 44.4% less coastline

Mauritania has a total of 754 km of coastline. In Tonga, that number is 419 km.

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Safety

be 10.5% less likely to die in a road accident

In Mauritania, road accidents kill 9.5 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Tonga, they kill 8.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Infrastructure

find 8.6 times more home broadband

Mauritania has 0.9 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Tonga has 8.2 as of 2022.

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Environment

be 61.3% less likely to die from air pollution

In Mauritania, air pollution causes 62.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Tonga, it causes 24.0 as of 2019.

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emit 68.0% more CO2

Mauritania emits 1.0 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Tonga emits 1.6 tonnes as of 2024.

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Sources: World Bank (2019–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), The World Factbook (2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this

Tonga: At a glance

Tonga is a sovereign country in Australia-Oceania, with a total land area of approximately 717 sq km. Tonga - unique among Pacific nations - never completely lost its indigenous governance. The archipelagos of "The Friendly Islands" were united into a Polynesian kingdom in 1845. Tonga became a constitutional monarchy in 1875 and a British protectorate in 1900; it withdrew from the protectorate and joined the Commonwealth of Nations in 1970. Tonga remains the only monarchy in the Pacific.
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How big is Tonga compared to Mauritania? See an in-depth size comparison.

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