If you lived in Mauritania instead of Timor-Leste, you would:

Health

live 0.8 years longer

In Timor-Leste, the average life expectancy is 68 years (66 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.

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be 23.9% less likely to die by suicide

Timor-Leste has a suicide rate of 3.6 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Mauritania, it is 2.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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be 6.7 times more likely to be obese

In Timor-Leste, 3.6% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Mauritania, that number is 24.1% of people as of 2024.

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see 34.6% less spent on your healthcare

Timor-Leste spends $461 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Mauritania spends $302 as of 2023.

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have 65.3% fewer doctors per person

Timor-Leste has 7.5 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2020. Mauritania has 2.6 as of 2022.

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have 23.1% less access to essential health services

Timor-Leste scores 52 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Mauritania scores 40 as of 2021.

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Economy

make 63.9% more money

Timor-Leste has a GDP per capita of $1,341 as of 2025, while in Mauritania, the GDP per capita is $2,198 as of 2025.

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be 6.5 times more likely to be unemployed

In Timor-Leste, 1.6% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Mauritania, that number is 10.3% as of 2025.

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Life

be 12.7% less likely to die during infancy

In Timor-Leste, approximately 34.6 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.

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have 56.3% more children

In Timor-Leste, there are approximately 21.8 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 98.4% more likely to die during childbirth

In Timor-Leste, approximately 192.0 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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Basic Needs

be 12.3% more likely to have internet access

In Timor-Leste, approximately 40.8% of the population has internet access as of 2022. In Mauritania, about 45.8% do as of 2024.

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be 49.7% less likely to have access to electricity

In Timor-Leste, 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.

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be 11.5% less likely to have access to drinking water

In Timor-Leste, approximately 87% of people have access to drinking water (98% in urban areas, and 82% 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.

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Expenditures

spend 54.8% less on healthcare

Timor-Leste spends 9.6% 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 45.2% more on education

Timor-Leste spends 5.2% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Mauritania spends 7.6% of total GDP on education as of 2024.

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Safety

be 20.8% less likely to die in a road accident

In Timor-Leste, road accidents kill 12.0 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Mauritania, they kill 9.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Infrastructure

find 95.0 times more home broadband

Timor-Leste has 0.0 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Mauritania has 0.9 as of 2024.

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live with 53.1% less strain on fresh water

Timor-Leste withdraws 28% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Mauritania withdraws 13% as of 2022.

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Environment

emit 94.0% more CO2

Timor-Leste emits 0.5 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 (2021–2022), World Health Organization (2024). 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 Timor-Leste? See an in-depth size comparison.

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