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

Health

see 2.1 times more spent on your healthcare

Vanuatu spends $141 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Mauritania spends $302 as of 2023.

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have 59.1% more doctors per person

Vanuatu has 1.6 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2019. Mauritania has 2.6 as of 2022.

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be 82.8% less likely to die by suicide

Vanuatu has a suicide rate of 15.7 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Mauritania, it is 2.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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live 2.9 years less

In Vanuatu, the average life expectancy is 72 years (70 years for men, 74 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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have 14.9% less access to essential health services

Vanuatu scores 47 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Mauritania scores 40 as of 2021.

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Economy

be 2.0 times more likely to be unemployed

In Vanuatu, 5.1% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Mauritania, that number is 10.3% as of 2025.

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be 100.0% more likely to live below the poverty line

In Vanuatu, 15.9% live below the poverty line as of 2020. In Mauritania, however, that number is 31.8% as of 2019.

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make 45.6% less money

Vanuatu has a GDP per capita of $4,039 as of 2025, while in Mauritania, the GDP per capita is $2,198 as of 2025.

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Life

have 23.1% more children

In Vanuatu, there are approximately 27.6 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 3.8 times more likely to die during childbirth

In Vanuatu, approximately 100.0 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 23.8% less likely to be literate

In Vanuatu, the literacy rate is 88.0% as of 2023. In Mauritania, it is 67.0% as of 2021.

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be 2.1 times more likely to die during infancy

In Vanuatu, approximately 14.4 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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Basic Needs

be 18.3% less likely to have access to electricity

In Vanuatu, approximately 62% of people have electricity access (88% in urban areas, and 54% 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 34.5% less likely to have internet access

In Vanuatu, approximately 69.9% of the population has internet access as of 2022. In Mauritania, about 45.8% do as of 2024.

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be 11.3% less likely to have access to drinking water

In Vanuatu, approximately 87% of people have access to drinking water (97% in urban areas, and 84% 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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Geography

see 70.2% less coastline

Vanuatu has a total of 2,528 km of coastline. In Mauritania, that number is 754 km.

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Safety

be 24.0% less likely to die in a road accident

In Vanuatu, road accidents kill 12.5 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Mauritania, they kill 9.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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be 3.0 times more likely to be murdered

Vanuatu has a homicide rate of 0.3 per 100,000 people as of 2020. In Mauritania, that number is 1.0 per 100,000 as of 2020.

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Infrastructure

find 18.1% less home broadband

Vanuatu has 1.2 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Mauritania has 0.9 as of 2024.

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Environment

emit 11.5% more CO2

Vanuatu 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 (2019–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2021–2022), The World Factbook (2020–2021). 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 Vanuatu? See an in-depth size comparison.

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