Quality of life comparison
If you lived in United States instead of Mauritania, you would:
Health
live 10.2 years longer
In Mauritania, the average life expectancy is 69 years (67 years for men, 71 years for women) as of 2024. In United States, that number is 79 years (76 years for men, 81 years for women) as of 2024.
see 44.7 times more spent on your healthcare
Mauritania spends $302 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). United States spends $13,473 as of 2023.
have 14.1 times more doctors per person
Mauritania has 2.6 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. United States has 36.8 as of 2022.
have 2.1 times more access to essential health services
Mauritania scores 40 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. United States scores 86 as of 2021.
be 70.0% more likely to be obese
In Mauritania, 24.1% of adults are obese as of 2024. In United States, that number is 41.0% of people as of 2024.
be 5.8 times more likely to die by suicide
Mauritania has a suicide rate of 2.7 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In United States, it is 15.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 59.3% less likely to be unemployed
In Mauritania, 10.3% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In United States, that number is 4.2% as of 2025.
make 41.0 times more money
Mauritania has a GDP per capita of $2,198 as of 2025, while in United States, the GDP per capita is $90,027 as of 2025.
Life
be 95.5% 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 United States, 17.0 women do as of 2023.
be 81.8% 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 States, on the other hand, 5.5 children do as of 2024.
have 68.9% fewer children
In Mauritania, there are approximately 34.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In United States, there are 10.6 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 States, 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 States, about 94.7% 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 States, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 28.8% less on education
Mauritania spends 7.6% of its total GDP on education as of 2024. United States spends 5.4% of total GDP on education as of 2021.
spend 3.8 times more on healthcare
Mauritania spends 4.3% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In United States, that number is 16.7% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 26.4 times more coastline
Mauritania has a total of 754 km of coastline. In United States, that number is 19,924 km.
Safety
be 5.8 times more likely to be murdered
Mauritania has a homicide rate of 1.0 per 100,000 people as of 2020. In United States, that number is 5.8 per 100,000 as of 2023.
be 49.5% more likely to die in a road accident
In Mauritania, road accidents kill 9.5 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In United States, they kill 14.2 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 40.9 times more home broadband
Mauritania has 0.9 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. United States has 38.9 as of 2024.
live with 2.1 times more strain on fresh water
Mauritania withdraws 13% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. United States withdraws 28% as of 2022.
Environment
be 77.4% less likely to die from air pollution
In Mauritania, air pollution causes 62.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In United States, it causes 14.0 as of 2019.
emit 14.0 times more CO2
Mauritania emits 1.0 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. United States emits 13.6 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2020–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Mauritania vs. United States
United States: At a glance
How big is United States compared to Mauritania? See an in-depth size comparison.