Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Mauritania instead of Spain, you would:
Health
be 68.9% less likely to die by suicide
Spain 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.
live 15.2 years less
In Spain, the average life expectancy is 84 years (81 years for men, 86 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 57.3% more likely to be obese
In Spain, 15.3% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Mauritania, that number is 24.1% of people as of 2024.
see 93.9% less spent on your healthcare
Spain spends $4,935 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Mauritania spends $302 as of 2023.
have 93.9% fewer doctors per person
Spain has 42.9 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Mauritania has 2.6 as of 2022.
have 52.9% less access to essential health services
Spain scores 85 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Mauritania scores 40 as of 2021.
Economy
be 57.4% more likely to live below the poverty line
In Spain, 20.2% live below the poverty line as of 2022. In Mauritania, however, that number is 31.8% as of 2019.
make 94.3% less money
Spain has a GDP per capita of $38,627 as of 2025, while in Mauritania, the GDP per capita is $2,198 as of 2025.
Life
have 5.2 times more children
In Spain, there are approximately 6.5 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Mauritania, there are 34.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 127.0 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Spain, approximately 3.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Mauritania, 381.0 women do as of 2023.
be 32.8% less likely to be literate
In Spain, the literacy rate is 99.7% as of 2021. In Mauritania, it is 67.0% as of 2021.
be 11.6 times more likely to die during infancy
In Spain, approximately 2.6 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.
Basic Needs
be 49.7% less likely to have access to electricity
In Spain, 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 52.2% less likely to have internet access
In Spain, approximately 95.8% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Mauritania, about 45.8% do as of 2024.
be 22.7% less likely to have access to drinking water
In Spain, approximately 100% of people have access to drinking water (100% 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 52.9% less on healthcare
Spain spends 9.2% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Mauritania, that number is 4.3% of GDP as of 2023.
spend 65.8% more on education
Spain spends 4.6% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Mauritania spends 7.6% of total GDP on education as of 2024.
Geography
see 84.8% less coastline
Spain has a total of 4,964 km of coastline. In Mauritania, that number is 754 km.
Safety
be 44.9% more likely to be murdered
Spain has a homicide rate of 0.7 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Mauritania, that number is 1.0 per 100,000 as of 2020.
be 2.7 times more likely to die in a road accident
In Spain, road accidents kill 3.5 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Mauritania, they kill 9.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 69.4% less strain on fresh water
Spain withdraws 43% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Mauritania withdraws 13% as of 2022.
find 97.6% less home broadband
Spain has 39.2 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Mauritania has 0.9 as of 2024.
Environment
emit 78.5% less CO2
Spain emits 4.5 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Mauritania emits 1.0 tonnes as of 2024.
be 6.2 times more likely to die from air pollution
In Spain, air pollution causes 10.0 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: Spain vs. Mauritania
Mauritania: At a glance
How big is Mauritania compared to Spain? See an in-depth size comparison.