Quality of life comparison
If you lived in United Arab Emirates instead of Mauritania, you would:
Health
live 14.4 years longer
In Mauritania, the average life expectancy is 69 years (67 years for men, 71 years for women) as of 2024. In United Arab Emirates, that number is 83 years (82 years for men, 84 years for women) as of 2024.
see 12.4 times more spent on your healthcare
Mauritania spends $302 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). United Arab Emirates spends $3,727 as of 2023.
have 11.5 times more doctors per person
Mauritania has 2.6 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. United Arab Emirates has 29.9 as of 2023.
have 2.0 times more access to essential health services
Mauritania scores 40 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. United Arab Emirates scores 82 as of 2021.
be 36.9% less likely to die by suicide
Mauritania has a suicide rate of 2.7 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In United Arab Emirates, it is 1.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 31.2% more likely to be obese
In Mauritania, 24.1% of adults are obese as of 2024. In United Arab Emirates, that number is 31.6% of people as of 2024.
Economy
be 79.0% less likely to be unemployed
In Mauritania, 10.3% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In United Arab Emirates, that number is 2.2% as of 2025.
make 22.9 times more money
Mauritania has a GDP per capita of $2,198 as of 2025, while in United Arab Emirates, the GDP per capita is $50,274 as of 2024.
Life
be 99.2% 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 United Arab Emirates, 3.0 women do as of 2023.
be 47.5% more likely to be literate
In Mauritania, the literacy rate is 67.0% as of 2021. In United Arab Emirates, it is 98.8% as of 2024.
be 87.4% 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 United Arab Emirates, on the other hand, 3.8 children do as of 2024.
have 71.1% fewer children
In Mauritania, there are approximately 34.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In United Arab Emirates, there are 9.8 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 United Arab Emirates, 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 United Arab Emirates, about 100.0% do as of 2024.
be 29.4% 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 United Arab Emirates, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 48.9% less on education
Mauritania spends 7.6% of its total GDP on education as of 2024. United Arab Emirates spends 3.9% of total GDP on education as of 2021.
spend 14.5% more on healthcare
Mauritania spends 4.3% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In United Arab Emirates, that number is 5.0% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 74.8% more coastline
Mauritania has a total of 754 km of coastline. In United Arab Emirates, that number is 1,318 km.
Safety
be 31.0% less likely to be murdered
Mauritania has a homicide rate of 1.0 per 100,000 people as of 2020. In United Arab Emirates, that number is 0.7 per 100,000 as of 2022.
be 37.9% less likely to die in a road accident
In Mauritania, road accidents kill 9.5 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In United Arab Emirates, they kill 5.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 43.0 times more home broadband
Mauritania has 0.9 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. United Arab Emirates has 40.8 as of 2024.
live with 114.0 times more strain on fresh water
Mauritania withdraws 13% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. United Arab Emirates withdraws 1510% as of 2022.
Environment
be 12.9% more likely to die from air pollution
In Mauritania, air pollution causes 62.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In United Arab Emirates, it causes 70.0 as of 2019.
emit 18.8 times more CO2
Mauritania emits 1.0 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. United Arab Emirates emits 18.3 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2020–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), The World Factbook (2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Mauritania vs. United Arab Emirates
United Arab Emirates: At a glance
How big is United Arab Emirates compared to Mauritania? See an in-depth size comparison.