Quality of life comparison

compared to

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

Health

live 1.9 years less

In Sudan, the average life expectancy is 67 years (65 years for men, 69 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 92.4% more likely to be obese

In Sudan, 6.6% of adults are obese as of 2014. In Mauritania, that number is 12.7% of people as of 2016.

Economy

make 47.2% more money

Sudan has a GDP per capita of $3,600 as of 2022, while in Mauritania, the GDP per capita is $5,300 as of 2022.

be 38.7% less likely to be unemployed

In Sudan, 17.6% of adults are unemployed as of 2022. In Mauritania, that number is 10.8% as of 2022.

be 31.6% less likely to live below the poverty line

In Sudan, 46.5% live below the poverty line as of 2009. In Mauritania, however, that number is 31.8% as of 2019.

pay a 2.7 times higher top tax rate

Sudan has a top tax rate of 15.0% as of 2015. In Mauritania, the top tax rate is 40.0% as of 2016.

Life

be 10.4% more likely to be literate

In Sudan, the literacy rate is 60.7% as of 2018. In Mauritania, it is 67.0% as of 2021.

be 72.2% more likely to die during childbirth

In Sudan, approximately 270.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2020. In Mauritania, 465.0 women do as of 2020.

be 20.6% more likely to die during infancy

In Sudan, approximately 42.3 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2022. In Mauritania, on the other hand, 51.0 children do as of 2022.

have 17.8% fewer children

In Sudan, there are approximately 33.1 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 2.0 times more likely to have internet access

In Sudan, approximately 28.8% of the population has internet access as of 2021. In Mauritania, about 59.0% do as of 2021.

be 22.9% less likely to have access to electricity

In Sudan, approximately 62% of people have electricity access (84% in urban areas, and 49% 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.

Expenditures

spend 13.6% less on education

Sudan spends 2.2% of its total GDP on education as of 2009. Mauritania spends 1.9% of total GDP on education as of 2020.

spend 13.3% more on healthcare

Sudan spends 3.0% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2020. In Mauritania, that number is 3.4% of GDP as of 2020.

Geography

see 11.6% less coastline

Sudan has a total of 853 km of coastline. In Mauritania, that number is 754 km.

The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook, Ministry of Finance, Sudan Chamber of Taxation.

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 Sudan? See an in-depth size comparison.

Share this

ASK THE ELSEWHERE COMMUNITY

Join the Elsewhere community and ask a question about Mauritania.or Sudan It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.