Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Mauritania instead of Rwanda, you would:
Health
be 95.0% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Rwanda, 2.0% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Mauritania, that number is 0.1% of people as of 2024.
live 0.7 years longer
In Rwanda, the average life expectancy is 68 years (66 years for men, 70 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 70.4% more spent on your healthcare
Rwanda spends $177 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Mauritania spends $302 as of 2023.
have 2.9 times more doctors per person
Rwanda has 0.9 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Mauritania has 2.6 as of 2022.
be 68.8% less likely to die by suicide
Rwanda has a suicide rate of 8.7 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Mauritania, it is 2.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 4.3 times more likely to be obese
In Rwanda, 5.6% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Mauritania, that number is 24.1% of people as of 2024.
have 18.4% less access to essential health services
Rwanda scores 49 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Mauritania scores 40 as of 2021.
Economy
make 95.6% more money
Rwanda has a GDP per capita of $1,124 as of 2025, while in Mauritania, the GDP per capita is $2,198 as of 2025.
Life
have 21.3% more children
In Rwanda, there are approximately 28.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Mauritania, there are 34.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 66.4% more likely to die during childbirth
In Rwanda, approximately 229.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Mauritania, 381.0 women do as of 2023.
be 14.9% less likely to be literate
In Rwanda, the literacy rate is 78.8% as of 2022. In Mauritania, it is 67.0% as of 2021.
Basic Needs
be 44.4% more likely to have internet access
In Rwanda, approximately 31.7% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Mauritania, about 45.8% do as of 2024.
be 25.9% more likely to have access to drinking water
In Rwanda, approximately 61% of people have access to drinking water (88% in urban areas, and 56% 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.
be 21.3% less likely to have access to electricity
In Rwanda, approximately 64% of people have electricity access (100% in urban areas, and 58% 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.
Expenditures
spend 15.4% less on healthcare
Rwanda spends 5.1% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Mauritania, that number is 4.3% of GDP as of 2023.
spend 65.1% more on education
Rwanda spends 4.6% of its total GDP on education as of 2024. Mauritania spends 7.6% of total GDP on education as of 2024.
Safety
be 72.3% less likely to be murdered
Rwanda has a homicide rate of 3.6 per 100,000 people as of 2020. In Mauritania, that number is 1.0 per 100,000 as of 2020.
be 18.1% less likely to die in a road accident
In Rwanda, road accidents kill 11.6 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Mauritania, they kill 9.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 58.3% more home broadband
Rwanda has 0.6 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Mauritania has 0.9 as of 2024.
live with 34.4% less strain on fresh water
Rwanda withdraws 20% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Mauritania withdraws 13% as of 2022.
Environment
emit 6.1 times more CO2
Rwanda emits 0.2 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Mauritania emits 1.0 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2020–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook (2021). How we calculate this
Compare further: Rwanda vs. Mauritania
Mauritania: At a glance
How big is Mauritania compared to Rwanda? See an in-depth size comparison.