Quality of life comparison
If you lived in United Kingdom instead of Mauritania, you would:
Health
live 12.7 years longer
In Mauritania, the average life expectancy is 69 years (67 years for men, 71 years for women) as of 2024. In United Kingdom, that number is 81 years (80 years for men, 83 years for women) as of 2024.
see 21.9 times more spent on your healthcare
Mauritania spends $302 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). United Kingdom spends $6,606 as of 2024.
have 12.6 times more doctors per person
Mauritania has 2.6 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. United Kingdom has 33.0 as of 2023.
have 2.2 times more access to essential health services
Mauritania scores 40 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. United Kingdom scores 88 as of 2021.
be 13.7% more likely to be obese
In Mauritania, 24.1% of adults are obese as of 2024. In United Kingdom, that number is 27.4% of people as of 2024.
be 3.5 times more likely to die by suicide
Mauritania has a suicide rate of 2.7 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In United Kingdom, it is 9.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 54.0% less likely to be unemployed
In Mauritania, 10.3% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In United Kingdom, that number is 4.8% as of 2025.
be 41.5% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Mauritania, 31.8% live below the poverty line as of 2019. In United Kingdom, however, that number is 18.6% as of 2017.
make 26.2 times more money
Mauritania has a GDP per capita of $2,198 as of 2025, while in United Kingdom, the GDP per capita is $57,602 as of 2025.
Life
be 97.9% 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 United Kingdom, 8.0 women do as of 2023.
be 86.4% 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 Kingdom, on the other hand, 4.1 children do as of 2024.
have 70.9% fewer children
In Mauritania, there are approximately 34.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In United Kingdom, there are 9.9 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 Kingdom, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 2.1 times more likely to have internet access
In Mauritania, approximately 45.8% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In United Kingdom, about 95.5% 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 Kingdom, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 22.3% less on education
Mauritania spends 7.6% of its total GDP on education as of 2024. United Kingdom spends 5.9% of total GDP on education as of 2021.
spend 2.6 times more on healthcare
Mauritania spends 4.3% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In United Kingdom, that number is 11.1% of GDP as of 2024.
Geography
see 16.5 times more coastline
Mauritania has a total of 754 km of coastline. In United Kingdom, that number is 12,429 km.
Safety
be 74.7% less likely to die in a road accident
In Mauritania, road accidents kill 9.5 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In United Kingdom, they kill 2.4 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 12.0% more likely to be murdered
Mauritania has a homicide rate of 1.0 per 100,000 people as of 2020. In United Kingdom, that number is 1.1 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 44.4 times more home broadband
Mauritania has 0.9 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. United Kingdom has 42.2 as of 2024.
Environment
be 79.0% less likely to die from air pollution
In Mauritania, air pollution causes 62.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In United Kingdom, it causes 13.0 as of 2019.
emit 4.4 times more CO2
Mauritania emits 1.0 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. United Kingdom emits 4.2 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2017–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Mauritania vs. United Kingdom
United Kingdom: At a glance
How big is United Kingdom compared to Mauritania? See an in-depth size comparison.