Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Mauritania instead of South Africa, you would:
Health
be 99.4% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In South Africa, 17.2% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Mauritania, that number is 0.1% of people as of 2024.
live 2.4 years longer
In South Africa, the average life expectancy is 66 years (63 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.
be 24.2% less likely to be obese
In South Africa, 31.8% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Mauritania, that number is 24.1% of people as of 2024.
be 87.8% less likely to die by suicide
South Africa has a suicide rate of 22.3 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Mauritania, it is 2.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.
see 77.7% less spent on your healthcare
South Africa spends $1,354 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Mauritania spends $302 as of 2023.
have 67.1% fewer doctors per person
South Africa has 7.9 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Mauritania has 2.6 as of 2022.
have 43.7% less access to essential health services
South Africa scores 71 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Mauritania scores 40 as of 2021.
Economy
be 68.1% less likely to be unemployed
In South Africa, 32.4% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Mauritania, that number is 10.3% as of 2025.
be 16.1% less likely to live below the poverty line
In South Africa, 37.9% live below the poverty line as of 2022. In Mauritania, however, that number is 31.8% as of 2019.
make 66.7% less money
South Africa has a GDP per capita of $6,598 as of 2025, while in Mauritania, the GDP per capita is $2,198 as of 2025.
Life
have 84.1% more children
In South Africa, there are approximately 18.5 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Mauritania, there are 34.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 3.2 times more likely to die during childbirth
In South Africa, approximately 118.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Mauritania, 381.0 women do as of 2023.
be 26.5% less likely to be literate
In South Africa, the literacy rate is 91.2% as of 2024. In Mauritania, it is 67.0% as of 2021.
be 24.8% more likely to die during infancy
In South Africa, approximately 24.2 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 42.6% less likely to have access to electricity
In South Africa, approximately 88% of people have electricity access (91% in urban areas, and 94% 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 41.6% less likely to have internet access
In South Africa, approximately 78.4% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Mauritania, about 45.8% do as of 2024.
be 14.3% less likely to have access to drinking water
In South Africa, approximately 90% of people have access to drinking water (98% in urban areas, and 73% 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 51.3% less on healthcare
South Africa spends 8.9% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Mauritania, that number is 4.3% of GDP as of 2023.
spend 26.4% more on education
South Africa spends 6.0% of its total GDP on education as of 2024. Mauritania spends 7.6% of total GDP on education as of 2024.
Geography
see 73.1% less coastline
South Africa has a total of 2,798 km of coastline. In Mauritania, that number is 754 km.
Safety
be 97.7% less likely to be murdered
South Africa has a homicide rate of 43.7 per 100,000 people as of 2022. In Mauritania, that number is 1.0 per 100,000 as of 2020.
be 61.2% less likely to die in a road accident
In South Africa, road accidents kill 24.5 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Mauritania, they kill 9.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 80.4% less strain on fresh water
South Africa withdraws 68% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Mauritania withdraws 13% as of 2022.
find 82.2% less home broadband
South Africa has 5.3 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Mauritania has 0.9 as of 2024.
Environment
emit 85.9% less CO2
South Africa emits 6.9 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Mauritania emits 1.0 tonnes as of 2024.
be 31.9% more likely to die from air pollution
In South Africa, air pollution causes 47.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Mauritania, it causes 62.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2019–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), The World Factbook (2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: South Africa vs. Mauritania
Mauritania: At a glance
How big is Mauritania compared to South Africa? See an in-depth size comparison.