If you lived in Mauritania instead of Swaziland, you would:

Health

be 99.6% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS

In Swaziland, 23.4% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Mauritania, that number is 0.1% of people as of 2024.

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live 4.4 years longer

In Swaziland, the average life expectancy is 64 years (61 years for men, 67 years for women) as of 2024. In Mauritania, that number is 69 years (67 years for men, 71 years for women) as of 2024.

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be 18.6% less likely to be obese

In Swaziland, 29.6% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Mauritania, that number is 24.1% of people as of 2024.

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be 90.0% less likely to die by suicide

Swaziland has a suicide rate of 27.2 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Mauritania, it is 2.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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see 67.3% less spent on your healthcare

Swaziland spends $922 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Mauritania spends $302 as of 2023.

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have 53.1% fewer doctors per person

Swaziland has 5.6 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Mauritania has 2.6 as of 2022.

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have 28.6% less access to essential health services

Swaziland scores 56 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Mauritania scores 40 as of 2021.

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Economy

be 69.8% less likely to be unemployed

In Swaziland, 34.2% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Mauritania, that number is 10.3% as of 2025.

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make 46.5% less money

Swaziland has a GDP per capita of $4,108 as of 2025, while in Mauritania, the GDP per capita is $2,198 as of 2025.

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Life

be 28.4% less likely to die during infancy

In Swaziland, approximately 42.2 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.

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have 43.9% more children

In Swaziland, there are approximately 23.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Mauritania, there are 34.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

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be 3.2 times more likely to die during childbirth

In Swaziland, 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.

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be 26.2% less likely to be literate

In Swaziland, the literacy rate is 90.8% as of 2022. In Mauritania, it is 67.0% as of 2021.

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Basic Needs

be 41.8% less likely to have access to electricity

In Swaziland, approximately 86% of people have electricity access (91% in urban areas, and 85% 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.

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be 27.8% less likely to have internet access

In Swaziland, approximately 63.4% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Mauritania, about 45.8% do as of 2024.

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Expenditures

spend 42.1% less on healthcare

Swaziland spends 7.5% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Mauritania, that number is 4.3% of GDP as of 2023.

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spend 26.2% more on education

Swaziland spends 6.0% of its total GDP on education as of 2024. Mauritania spends 7.6% of total GDP on education as of 2024.

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Safety

be 92.0% less likely to be murdered

Swaziland has a homicide rate of 12.5 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Mauritania, that number is 1.0 per 100,000 as of 2020.

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be 61.5% less likely to die in a road accident

In Swaziland, road accidents kill 24.7 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Mauritania, they kill 9.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Infrastructure

live with 82.9% less strain on fresh water

Swaziland withdraws 78% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Mauritania withdraws 13% as of 2022.

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find 62.2% less home broadband

Swaziland has 2.5 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Mauritania has 0.9 as of 2024.

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Environment

emit 10.2% more CO2

Swaziland emits 0.9 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Mauritania emits 1.0 tonnes as of 2024.

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Sources: World Bank (2020–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook (2021). How we calculate this

Mauritania: At a glance

Mauritania is a sovereign country in Africa, with a total land area of approximately 1,030,700 sq km. Independent from France in 1960, Mauritania annexed the southern third of the former Spanish Sahara (now Western Sahara) in 1976 but relinquished it after three years of raids by the Polisario guerrilla front seeking independence for the territory. Maaouya Ould Sid Ahmed TAYA seized power in a coup in 1984 and ruled Mauritania with a heavy hand for more than two decades. A series of presidential elections that he held were widely seen as flawed. A bloodless coup in August 2005 deposed President TAYA and ushered in a military council that oversaw a transition to democratic rule. Independent candidate Sidi Ould Cheikh ABDALLAHI was inaugurated in April 2007 as Mauritania's first freely and fairly elected president. His term ended prematurely in August 2008 when a military junta led by General Mohamed Ould Abdel AZIZ deposed him and installed a military council government. AZIZ was subsequently elected president in July 2009 and sworn in the following month. AZIZ sustained injuries from an accidental shooting by his own troops in October 2012 but has continued to maintain his authority. The country continues to experience ethnic tensions among its black population (Afro-Mauritanians) and white and black Moor (Arab-Berber) communities, and confronts a terrorism threat by al-Qa'ida in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM).
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How big is Mauritania compared to Swaziland? See an in-depth size comparison.

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