Quality of life comparison

compared to

If you lived in Mauritania instead of Sierra Leone, you would:

Health

be 80.0% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS

In Sierra Leone, 1.5% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2020. In Mauritania, that number is 0.3% of people as of 2020.

live 6.5 years longer

In Sierra Leone, the average life expectancy is 59 years (57 years for men, 60 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 46.0% more likely to be obese

In Sierra Leone, 8.7% of adults are obese as of 2016. In Mauritania, that number is 12.7% of people as of 2016.

Economy

make 3.7 times more money

Sierra Leone has a GDP per capita of $1,700 as of 2023, while in Mauritania, the GDP per capita is $6,300 as of 2023.

be 44.0% less likely to live below the poverty line

In Sierra Leone, 56.8% live below the poverty line as of 2018. In Mauritania, however, that number is 31.8% as of 2019.

be 3.3 times more likely to be unemployed

In Sierra Leone, 3.2% of adults are unemployed as of 2023. In Mauritania, that number is 10.5% as of 2023.

pay a 33.3% higher top tax rate

Sierra Leone has a top tax rate of 30.0% as of 2014. In Mauritania, the top tax rate is 40.0% as of 2016.

Life

be 37.9% more likely to be literate

In Sierra Leone, the literacy rate is 48.6% as of 2022. In Mauritania, it is 67.0% as of 2021.

be 30.6% less likely to die during infancy

In Sierra Leone, approximately 73.4 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 11.7% fewer children

In Sierra Leone, there are approximately 30.8 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 66.7% more likely to have access to electricity

In Sierra Leone, approximately 29% of people have electricity access (57% in urban areas, and 5% 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 4.6 times more likely to have internet access

In Sierra Leone, approximately 12.7% of the population has internet access as of 2022. In Mauritania, about 59.0% do as of 2021.

be 17.0% more likely to have access to improved drinking water

In Sierra Leone, approximately 73% of people have improved drinking water access (92% in urban areas, and 58% 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 79.1% less on education

Sierra Leone spends 9.1% of its total GDP on education as of 2021. Mauritania spends 1.9% of total GDP on education as of 2020.

spend 61.4% less on healthcare

Sierra Leone spends 8.8% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2020. In Mauritania, that number is 3.4% of GDP as of 2020.

Geography

see 87.6% more coastline

Sierra Leone has a total of 402 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, National Revenue Authority.

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 Sierra Leone? See an in-depth size comparison.

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