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

Health

live 6.4 years longer

In Nauru, the average life expectancy is 62 years (60 years for men, 64 years for women) as of 2024. In Mauritania, that number is 69 years (67 years for men, 71 years for women) as of 2024.

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be 66.3% less likely to be obese

In Nauru, 71.4% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Mauritania, that number is 24.1% of people as of 2024.

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see 87.8% less spent on your healthcare

Nauru spends $2,474 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Mauritania spends $302 as of 2023.

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have 33.3% less access to essential health services

Nauru scores 60 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Mauritania scores 40 as of 2021.

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Economy

make 85.0% less money

Nauru has a GDP per capita of $14,640 as of 2025, while in Mauritania, the GDP per capita is $2,198 as of 2025.

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Life

have 38.6% more children

In Nauru, there are approximately 24.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Mauritania, there are 34.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

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be 39.6% more likely to die during childbirth

In Nauru, approximately 273.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Mauritania, 381.0 women do as of 2023.

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be 30.6% less likely to be literate

In Nauru, the literacy rate is 96.6% as of 2023. In Mauritania, it is 67.0% as of 2021.

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be 3.9 times more likely to die during infancy

In Nauru, approximately 7.7 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2024. In Mauritania, on the other hand, 30.2 children do as of 2024.

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Basic Needs

be 49.7% less likely to have access to electricity

In Nauru, approximately 100% of people have electricity access (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2023. In Mauritania, that number is 50% of people on average (94% in urban areas, and 1% in rural areas) as of 2023.

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be 44.9% less likely to have internet access

In Nauru, approximately 83.0% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Mauritania, about 45.8% do as of 2024.

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be 21.0% less likely to have access to drinking water

In Nauru, approximately 98% of people have access to drinking water as of 2024. In Mauritania, 77% of people do as of 2024.

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Expenditures

spend 76.2% less on healthcare

Nauru spends 18.2% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Mauritania, that number is 4.3% of GDP as of 2023.

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spend 31.7% more on education

Nauru spends 5.8% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Mauritania spends 7.6% of total GDP on education as of 2024.

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Geography

see 25.1 times more coastline

Nauru has a total of 30 km of coastline. In Mauritania, that number is 754 km.

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Safety

be 18.8% more likely to die in a road accident

In Nauru, road accidents kill 8.0 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Mauritania, they kill 9.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Infrastructure

find 90.5% less home broadband

Nauru has 10.0 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2022. Mauritania has 0.9 as of 2024.

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Sources: World Bank (2022–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2021), The World Factbook (2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this

Mauritania: At a glance

Mauritania is a sovereign country in Africa, with a total land area of approximately 1,030,700 sq km. Independent from France in 1960, Mauritania annexed the southern third of the former Spanish Sahara (now Western Sahara) in 1976 but relinquished it after three years of raids by the Polisario guerrilla front seeking independence for the territory. Maaouya Ould Sid Ahmed TAYA seized power in a coup in 1984 and ruled Mauritania with a heavy hand for more than two decades. A series of presidential elections that he held were widely seen as flawed. A bloodless coup in August 2005 deposed President TAYA and ushered in a military council that oversaw a transition to democratic rule. Independent candidate Sidi Ould Cheikh ABDALLAHI was inaugurated in April 2007 as Mauritania's first freely and fairly elected president. His term ended prematurely in August 2008 when a military junta led by General Mohamed Ould Abdel AZIZ deposed him and installed a military council government. AZIZ was subsequently elected president in July 2009 and sworn in the following month. AZIZ sustained injuries from an accidental shooting by his own troops in October 2012 but has continued to maintain his authority. The country continues to experience ethnic tensions among its black population (Afro-Mauritanians) and white and black Moor (Arab-Berber) communities, and confronts a terrorism threat by al-Qa'ida in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM).
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How big is Mauritania compared to Nauru? See an in-depth size comparison.

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