Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Mauritania instead of Saudi Arabia, you would:
Health
be 39.9% less likely to be obese
In Saudi Arabia, 40.1% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Mauritania, that number is 24.1% of people as of 2024.
live 10.3 years less
In Saudi Arabia, the average life expectancy is 79 years (77 years for men, 81 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 91.3% less spent on your healthcare
Saudi Arabia spends $3,475 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Mauritania spends $302 as of 2023.
have 92.3% fewer doctors per person
Saudi Arabia has 34.1 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Mauritania has 2.6 as of 2022.
have 45.9% less access to essential health services
Saudi Arabia scores 74 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Mauritania scores 40 as of 2021.
be 2.9 times more likely to die by suicide
Saudi Arabia has a suicide rate of 0.9 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Mauritania, it is 2.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 3.4 times more likely to be unemployed
In Saudi Arabia, 3.0% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Mauritania, that number is 10.3% as of 2025.
make 93.6% less money
Saudi Arabia has a GDP per capita of $34,537 as of 2025, while in Mauritania, the GDP per capita is $2,198 as of 2025.
Life
have 2.1 times more children
In Saudi Arabia, there are approximately 16.5 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Mauritania, there are 34.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 54.4 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Saudi Arabia, approximately 7.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Mauritania, 381.0 women do as of 2023.
be 31.6% less likely to be literate
In Saudi Arabia, the literacy rate is 97.9% as of 2024. In Mauritania, it is 67.0% as of 2021.
be 6.4 times more likely to die during infancy
In Saudi Arabia, approximately 4.7 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.
Basic Needs
be 49.7% less likely to have access to electricity
In Saudi Arabia, 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 54.2% less likely to have internet access
In Saudi Arabia, approximately 100.0% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Mauritania, about 45.8% do as of 2024.
be 22.0% less likely to have access to drinking water
In Saudi Arabia, approximately 99% of people have access to drinking water (99% in urban areas, and 100% 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 23.7% less on healthcare
Saudi Arabia spends 5.7% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Mauritania, that number is 4.3% of GDP as of 2023.
spend 69.9% more on education
Saudi Arabia spends 4.5% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Mauritania spends 7.6% of total GDP on education as of 2024.
Geography
see 71.4% less coastline
Saudi Arabia has a total of 2,640 km of coastline. In Mauritania, that number is 754 km.
Safety
be 48.6% less likely to die in a road accident
In Saudi Arabia, road accidents kill 18.5 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Mauritania, they kill 9.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 98.6% less strain on fresh water
Saudi Arabia withdraws 974% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Mauritania withdraws 13% as of 2022.
find 97.8% less home broadband
Saudi Arabia has 44.1 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Mauritania has 0.9 as of 2024.
Environment
be 31.9% less likely to die from air pollution
In Saudi Arabia, air pollution causes 91.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Mauritania, it causes 62.0 as of 2019.
emit 94.8% less CO2
Saudi Arabia emits 18.5 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Mauritania emits 1.0 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), The World Factbook (2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Saudi Arabia vs. Mauritania
Mauritania: At a glance
How big is Mauritania compared to Saudi Arabia? See an in-depth size comparison.