Quality of life comparison

compared to

If you lived in Mauritania instead of Equatorial Guinea, you would:

Health

be 95.9% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS

In Equatorial Guinea, 7.3% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2020. In Mauritania, that number is 0.3% of people as of 2020.

live 1.5 years longer

In Equatorial Guinea, the average life expectancy is 64 years (61 years for men, 66 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 58.7% more likely to be obese

In Equatorial Guinea, 8.0% of adults are obese as of 2016. In Mauritania, that number is 12.7% of people as of 2016.

Economy

be 27.7% less likely to live below the poverty line

In Equatorial Guinea, 44.0% live below the poverty line as of 2011. In Mauritania, however, that number is 31.8% as of 2019.

make 62.7% less money

Equatorial Guinea has a GDP per capita of $16,900 as of 2023, while in Mauritania, the GDP per capita is $6,300 as of 2023.

be 21.2% more likely to be unemployed

In Equatorial Guinea, 8.7% of adults are unemployed as of 2023. In Mauritania, that number is 10.5% as of 2023.

pay a 14.3% higher top tax rate

Equatorial Guinea has a top tax rate of 35.0% as of 2016. In Mauritania, the top tax rate is 40.0% as of 2016.

Life

be 34.9% less likely to die during infancy

In Equatorial Guinea, approximately 78.3 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.

be 2.2 times more likely to die during childbirth

In Equatorial Guinea, approximately 212.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2020. In Mauritania, 465.0 women do as of 2020.

be 29.7% less likely to be literate

In Equatorial Guinea, the literacy rate is 95.3% as of 2015. In Mauritania, it is 67.0% as of 2021.

Basic Needs

be 26.0% more likely to have access to improved drinking water

In Equatorial Guinea, approximately 68% of people have improved drinking water access (82% in urban areas, and 32% in rural areas) as of 2017. In Mauritania, that number is 85% of people on average (99% in urban areas, and 68% in rural areas) as of 2020.

be 26.9% less likely to have access to electricity

In Equatorial Guinea, approximately 67% of people have electricity access (90% in urban areas, and 47% 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.

Expenditures

spend 10.5% less on healthcare

Equatorial Guinea spends 3.8% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2020. In Mauritania, that number is 3.4% of GDP as of 2020.

Geography

see 2.5 times more coastline

Equatorial Guinea has a total of 296 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.

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 Equatorial Guinea? See an in-depth size comparison.

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