Quality of life comparison

compared to

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

Health

live 3.0 years longer

In Benin, the average life expectancy is 62 years (60 years for men, 64 years for women) as of 2022. In Mauritania, that number is 65 years (63 years for men, 68 years for women) as of 2022.

be 32.3% more likely to be obese

In Benin, 9.6% of adults are obese as of 2016. In Mauritania, that number is 12.7% of people as of 2016.

Economy

make 55.9% more money

Benin has a GDP per capita of $3,400 as of 2022, while in Mauritania, the GDP per capita is $5,300 as of 2022.

be 17.4% less likely to live below the poverty line

In Benin, 38.5% live below the poverty line as of 2019. In Mauritania, however, that number is 31.8% as of 2019.

be 7.3 times more likely to be unemployed

In Benin, 1.5% of adults are unemployed as of 2022. In Mauritania, that number is 10.8% as of 2022.

Life

be 46.3% more likely to be literate

In Benin, the literacy rate is 45.8% as of 2021. In Mauritania, it is 67.0% as of 2021.

have 32.5% fewer children

In Benin, there are approximately 40.3 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Mauritania, there are 27.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

Basic Needs

be 13.6% more likely to have access to electricity

In Benin, approximately 42% of people have electricity access (67% in urban areas, and 18% in rural areas) as of 2021. In Mauritania, that number is 48% of people on average (90% in urban areas, and 1% in rural areas) as of 2021.

be 73.5% more likely to have internet access

In Benin, approximately 34.0% of the population has internet access as of 2021. In Mauritania, about 59.0% do as of 2021.

be 14.1% more likely to have access to improved drinking water

In Benin, approximately 75% of people have improved drinking water access (79% in urban areas, and 71% in rural areas) as of 2020. In Mauritania, that number is 85% of people on average (99% in urban areas, and 68% in rural areas) as of 2020.

Expenditures

spend 36.7% less on education

Benin spends 3.0% of its total GDP on education as of 2020. Mauritania spends 1.9% of total GDP on education as of 2020.

spend 30.8% more on healthcare

Benin spends 2.6% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2020. In Mauritania, that number is 3.4% of GDP as of 2020.

Geography

see 6.2 times more coastline

Benin has a total of 121 km of coastline. In Mauritania, that number is 754 km.

The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook.

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).
Read more

How big is Mauritania compared to Benin? See an in-depth size comparison.

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