Quality of life comparison

compared to

If you lived in Mauritania instead of Burkina Faso, you would:

Health

live 1.8 years longer

In Burkina Faso, the average life expectancy is 63 years (62 years for men, 65 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 2.3 times more likely to be obese

In Burkina Faso, 5.6% of adults are obese as of 2016. In Mauritania, that number is 12.7% of people as of 2016.

Economy

make 2.5 times more money

Burkina Faso has a GDP per capita of $2,500 as of 2023, while in Mauritania, the GDP per capita is $6,300 as of 2023.

be 26.4% less likely to live below the poverty line

In Burkina Faso, 43.2% live below the poverty line as of 2021. In Mauritania, however, that number is 31.8% as of 2019.

be 98.7% more likely to be unemployed

In Burkina Faso, 5.3% of adults are unemployed as of 2023. In Mauritania, that number is 10.5% as of 2023.

Life

be 45.7% more likely to be literate

In Burkina Faso, the literacy rate is 46.0% as of 2021. In Mauritania, it is 67.0% as of 2021.

be 76.1% more likely to die during childbirth

In Burkina Faso, approximately 264.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2020. In Mauritania, 465.0 women do as of 2020.

have 14.7% fewer children

In Burkina Faso, there are approximately 31.9 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 2.5 times more likely to have access to electricity

In Burkina Faso, approximately 20% of people have electricity access (68% in urban areas, and 2% in rural areas) as of 2022. In Mauritania, that number is 49% of people on average (90% in urban areas, and 1% in rural areas) as of 2022.

be 2.7 times more likely to have internet access

In Burkina Faso, approximately 22.0% of the population has internet access as of 2021. In Mauritania, about 59.0% do as of 2021.

Expenditures

spend 65.5% less on education

Burkina Faso spends 5.5% of its total GDP on education as of 2020. Mauritania spends 1.9% of total GDP on education as of 2020.

spend 49.3% less on healthcare

Burkina Faso spends 6.7% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2020. In Mauritania, that number is 3.4% of GDP as of 2020.

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).
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How big is Mauritania compared to Burkina Faso? See an in-depth size comparison.

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