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

Health

be 31.0% less likely to be obese

In Nicaragua, 34.9% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Mauritania, that number is 24.1% of people as of 2024.

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be 36.1% less likely to die by suicide

Nicaragua has a suicide rate of 4.2 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Mauritania, it is 2.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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live 6.4 years less

In Nicaragua, the average life expectancy is 75 years (72 years for men, 78 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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see 56.2% less spent on your healthcare

Nicaragua spends $689 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Mauritania spends $302 as of 2023.

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have 42.9% less access to essential health services

Nicaragua scores 70 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Mauritania scores 40 as of 2021.

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Economy

be 2.0 times more likely to be unemployed

In Nicaragua, 5.0% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Mauritania, that number is 10.3% as of 2025.

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be 27.7% more likely to live below the poverty line

In Nicaragua, 24.9% live below the poverty line as of 2016. In Mauritania, however, that number is 31.8% as of 2019.

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make 30.8% less money

Nicaragua has a GDP per capita of $3,173 as of 2025, while in Mauritania, the GDP per capita is $2,198 as of 2025.

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Life

have 77.8% more children

In Nicaragua, there are approximately 19.1 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 6.3 times more likely to die during childbirth

In Nicaragua, approximately 60.0 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 3.2 times more likely to die during infancy

In Nicaragua, approximately 9.4 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 43.0% less likely to have access to electricity

In Nicaragua, approximately 88% of people have electricity access (100% in urban areas, and 71% 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 25.4% less likely to have internet access

In Nicaragua, approximately 61.4% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Mauritania, about 45.8% do as of 2024.

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Expenditures

spend 47.7% less on healthcare

Nicaragua spends 8.3% 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 2.7 times more on education

Nicaragua spends 2.9% 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 17.1% less coastline

Nicaragua has a total of 910 km of coastline. In Mauritania, that number is 754 km.

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Safety

be 91.2% less likely to be murdered

Nicaragua has a homicide rate of 11.3 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Mauritania, that number is 1.0 per 100,000 as of 2020.

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be 30.1% less likely to die in a road accident

In Nicaragua, road accidents kill 13.6 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 83.6% less home broadband

Nicaragua has 5.8 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Mauritania has 0.9 as of 2024.

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live with 6.0 times more strain on fresh water

Nicaragua withdraws 2% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Mauritania withdraws 13% as of 2022.

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Environment

be 63.2% more likely to die from air pollution

In Nicaragua, air pollution causes 38.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Mauritania, it causes 62.0 as of 2019.

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emit 16.9% more CO2

Nicaragua emits 0.8 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Mauritania emits 1.0 tonnes as of 2024.

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Sources: World Bank (2016–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. 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 Nicaragua? See an in-depth size comparison.

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