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

Health

live 16.3 years longer

In Mauritania, the average life expectancy is 65 years (63 years for men, 68 years for women) as of 2022. In Portugal, that number is 82 years (78 years for men, 85 years for women) as of 2022.

be 63.8% more likely to be obese

In Mauritania, 12.7% of adults are obese as of 2016. In Portugal, that number is 20.8% of people as of 2016.

Economy

make 6.6 times more money

Mauritania has a GDP per capita of $6,300 as of 2023, while in Portugal, the GDP per capita is $41,700 as of 2023.

be 38.2% less likely to be unemployed

In Mauritania, 10.5% of adults are unemployed as of 2023. In Portugal, that number is 6.5% as of 2023.

be 48.4% less likely to live below the poverty line

In Mauritania, 31.8% live below the poverty line as of 2019. In Portugal, however, that number is 16.4% as of 2021.

pay a 41.2% higher top tax rate

Mauritania has a top tax rate of 40.0% as of 2016. In Portugal, the top tax rate is 56.5% as of 2016.

Life

be 97.4% less likely to die during childbirth

In Mauritania, approximately 465.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2020. In Portugal, 12.0 women do as of 2020.

be 43.1% more likely to be literate

In Mauritania, the literacy rate is 67.0% as of 2021. In Portugal, it is 95.9% as of 2021.

be 95.1% less likely to die during infancy

In Mauritania, approximately 51.0 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2022. In Portugal, on the other hand, 2.5 children do as of 2022.

have 70.2% fewer children

In Mauritania, there are approximately 27.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Portugal, there are 8.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2020.

Basic Needs

be 2.0 times more likely to have access to electricity

In Mauritania, approximately 49% of the population has electricity access as of 2022. In Portugal, 100% of the population do as of 2022.

be 39.0% more likely to have internet access

In Mauritania, approximately 59.0% of the population has internet access as of 2021. In Portugal, about 82.0% do as of 2021.

be 17.3% more likely to have access to improved drinking water

In Mauritania, approximately 85% of people have improved drinking water access (99% in urban areas, and 68% in rural areas) as of 2020. In Portugal, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2020.

Expenditures

spend 2.6 times more on education

Mauritania spends 1.9% of its total GDP on education as of 2020. Portugal spends 5.0% of total GDP on education as of 2020.

spend 3.1 times more on healthcare

Mauritania spends 3.4% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2020. In Portugal, that number is 10.6% of GDP as of 2020.

Geography

see 2.4 times more coastline

Mauritania has a total of 754 km of coastline. In Portugal, that number is 1,793 km.


The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook, Ministry of Finance, Autoridade Tributária e Aduaneira.

Portugal: At a glance

Portugal is a sovereign country in Europe, with a total land area of approximately 91,470 sq km. Following its heyday as a global maritime power during the 15th and 16th centuries, Portugal lost much of its wealth and status with the destruction of Lisbon in a 1755 earthquake, occupation during the Napoleonic Wars, and the independence of Brazil, its wealthiest colony, in 1822. A 1910 revolution deposed the monarchy; for most of the next six decades, repressive governments ran the country. In 1974, a left-wing military coup installed broad democratic reforms. The following year, Portugal granted independence to all of its African colonies. Portugal is a founding member of NATO and entered the EC (now the EU) in 1986.
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How big is Portugal compared to Mauritania? See an in-depth size comparison.

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