Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Mauritania instead of Niger, you would:
Health
live 7.3 years longer
In Niger, the average life expectancy is 61 years (60 years for men, 62 years for women) as of 2024. In Mauritania, that number is 69 years (67 years for men, 71 years for women) as of 2024.
see 3.9 times more spent on your healthcare
Niger spends $76 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Mauritania spends $302 as of 2023.
have 6.9 times more doctors per person
Niger has 0.4 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Mauritania has 2.6 as of 2022.
have 14.3% more access to essential health services
Niger scores 35 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Mauritania scores 40 as of 2021.
be 39.5% less likely to die by suicide
Niger has a suicide rate of 4.5 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Mauritania, it is 2.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 3.6 times more likely to be obese
In Niger, 6.8% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Mauritania, that number is 24.1% of people as of 2024.
Economy
be 22.8% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Niger, 41.2% live below the poverty line as of 2021. In Mauritania, however, that number is 31.8% as of 2019.
make 2.8 times more money
Niger has a GDP per capita of $775 as of 2025, while in Mauritania, the GDP per capita is $2,198 as of 2025.
be 26.5 times more likely to be unemployed
In Niger, 0.4% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Mauritania, that number is 10.3% as of 2025.
Life
be 88.1% more likely to be literate
In Niger, the literacy rate is 35.6% as of 2022. In Mauritania, it is 67.0% as of 2021.
be 54.0% less likely to die during infancy
In Niger, approximately 65.6 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.
have 17.8% fewer children
In Niger, there are approximately 41.4 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Mauritania, there are 34.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 2.5 times more likely to have access to electricity
In Niger, approximately 20% of people have electricity access (67% in urban areas, and 10% 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.
be 2.9 times more likely to have internet access
In Niger, approximately 15.6% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Mauritania, about 45.8% do as of 2024.
be 44.6% more likely to have access to drinking water
In Niger, approximately 53% of people have access to drinking water (87% in urban areas, and 46% in rural areas) as of 2024. In Mauritania, that number is 77% of people on average (90% in urban areas, and 59% in rural areas) as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 87.0% more on education
Niger spends 4.1% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Mauritania spends 7.6% of total GDP on education as of 2024.
Safety
be 61.8% less likely to die in a road accident
In Niger, road accidents kill 24.9 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Mauritania, they kill 9.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 8.6 times more home broadband
Niger has 0.1 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Mauritania has 0.9 as of 2024.
live with 20.2% more strain on fresh water
Niger withdraws 11% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Mauritania withdraws 13% as of 2022.
Environment
be 33.3% less likely to die from air pollution
In Niger, air pollution causes 93.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Mauritania, it causes 62.0 as of 2019.
emit 8.1 times more CO2
Niger emits 0.1 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Mauritania emits 1.0 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2019–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook (2021). How we calculate this
Compare further: Niger vs. Mauritania
Mauritania: At a glance
How big is Mauritania compared to Niger? See an in-depth size comparison.