Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Mauritania instead of Samoa, you would:
Health
be 62.5% less likely to be obese
In Samoa, 64.3% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Mauritania, that number is 24.1% of people as of 2024.
be 77.4% less likely to die by suicide
Samoa has a suicide rate of 12.0 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Mauritania, it is 2.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.
live 3.1 years less
In Samoa, the average life expectancy is 72 years (70 years for men, 74 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 36.4% less spent on your healthcare
Samoa spends $475 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Mauritania spends $302 as of 2023.
have 53.5% fewer doctors per person
Samoa has 5.6 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2021. Mauritania has 2.6 as of 2022.
have 27.3% less access to essential health services
Samoa scores 55 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Mauritania scores 40 as of 2021.
Economy
be 2.1 times more likely to be unemployed
In Samoa, 5.0% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Mauritania, that number is 10.3% as of 2025.
be 45.2% more likely to live below the poverty line
In Samoa, 21.9% live below the poverty line as of 2018. In Mauritania, however, that number is 31.8% as of 2019.
make 62.6% less money
Samoa has a GDP per capita of $5,873 as of 2025, while in Mauritania, the GDP per capita is $2,198 as of 2025.
Life
have 36.3% more children
In Samoa, there are approximately 25.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Mauritania, there are 34.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 3.8 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Samoa, approximately 101.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Mauritania, 381.0 women do as of 2023.
be 32.4% less likely to be literate
In Samoa, the literacy rate is 99.1% as of 2021. In Mauritania, it is 67.0% as of 2021.
be 2.5 times more likely to die during infancy
In Samoa, approximately 12.3 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.
Basic Needs
be 49.7% less likely to have access to electricity
In Samoa, 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.
be 39.2% less likely to have internet access
In Samoa, approximately 75.3% of the population has internet access as of 2022. In Mauritania, about 45.8% do as of 2024.
be 22.3% less likely to have access to drinking water
In Samoa, approximately 99% of people have access to drinking water (100% in urban areas, and 99% 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 36.0% less on healthcare
Samoa spends 6.8% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Mauritania, that number is 4.3% of GDP as of 2023.
spend 39.4% more on education
Samoa spends 5.5% of its total GDP on education as of 2024. Mauritania spends 7.6% of total GDP on education as of 2024.
Geography
see 87.1% more coastline
Samoa has a total of 403 km of coastline. In Mauritania, that number is 754 km.
Safety
be 84.0% less likely to be murdered
Samoa has a homicide rate of 6.3 per 100,000 people as of 2018. In Mauritania, that number is 1.0 per 100,000 as of 2020.
Environment
emit 39.4% less CO2
Samoa emits 1.6 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Mauritania emits 1.0 tonnes as of 2024.
be 82.4% more likely to die from air pollution
In Samoa, air pollution causes 34.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Mauritania, it causes 62.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2018–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2022), The World Factbook (2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Samoa vs. Mauritania
Mauritania: At a glance
How big is Mauritania compared to Samoa? See an in-depth size comparison.