World median is the middle country on each statistic: half of all countries with data are above it, half below. It is not an average, so it is never pulled up or down by giants or microstates.
Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
The median country fits inside Mauritania 9.3 times
Mauritania: 1,030,700 km² (2024) · World median: 111,370 km² (2024)
How much coast is there?
Mauritania’s coastline is 71% longer than the median country’s
Mauritania: 754 km (2026 edition) · World median: 440 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
The median country’s highest peak towers 1,420 m above Mauritania’s
Mauritania: 915 m (2026 edition) · World median: 2,335 m (2026 edition)
How much of the land is farmed?
Farmland covers 39% of Mauritania, versus 38% of the median country
Mauritania: 38.5% (2024) · World median: 37.8% (2024)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
The median country has 39% more people than Mauritania
Mauritania: 5.32 million (2025) · World median: 7.4 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
The median country is 19 times as densely populated as Mauritania
Mauritania: 5 per km² (2025) · World median: 98 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in the median country are 8.0 cm taller than in Mauritania
Mauritania: 165.5 cm (2019) · World median: 173.5 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
The median country and Mauritania are practically level
Mauritania: 160.1 cm (2019) · World median: 160.6 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in the median country is 14 years older than in Mauritania
Mauritania: 17.1 years (2023) · World median: 31.1 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Mauritania have 2.7 more children on average than in the median country
Mauritania: 4.63 children per woman (2024) · World median: 1.9 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
8.6% of people in the median country are 65 or older, versus 3.2% in Mauritania
Mauritania: 3.2% (2025) · World median: 8.6% (2025)
How many refugees does it host?
Mauritania hosts 69 times as many refugees per resident as the median country
Mauritania: 56.7 per 1,000 (2025) · World median: 0.8 per 1,000 (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
Mauritania and the median country are practically level
Mauritania: 0 (2026) · World median: 0 (2026)
How many official languages?
Mauritania and the median country are practically level
Mauritania: 1 (2026) · World median: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
The median country’s economy is 3.9 times the size of Mauritania’s
Mauritania: $11.7 billion (2025) · World median: $45.5 billion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
The median country produces 2.7 times as much per person as Mauritania
Mauritania: Int$7,676 (2025) · World median: Int$21,072 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in the median country than in Mauritania (Gini 2.4 points higher)
Mauritania: 32 (2019) · World median: 34.4 (2023)
How many live on less than $3 a day?
10% of people in Mauritania live on less than $3 a day, versus 1.6% in the median country
Mauritania: 10.2% (2019) · World median: 1.6% (2023)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 10% in Mauritania, versus 5.1% in the median country
Mauritania: 10.3% (2025) · World median: 5.1% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
Mauritania spends 2.7% of its GDP on the military, the median country 1.8%
Mauritania: 2.7% (2025) · World median: 1.8% (2025)
How much does the central government collect in tax?
Mauritania: no data · World median: 17% (2024)
How expensive is it?
The median country’s price level (US = 100) is 1.6× Mauritania’s
Mauritania: 29% (2025) · World median: 45% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
The median country spends 5.1 times as much on health per person as Mauritania
Mauritania: $92 (2023) · World median: $470 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in the median country live 5.9 years longer than in Mauritania
Mauritania: 68.7 years (2024) · World median: 74.6 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Mauritania is 2.4 times as likely to die before turning one as in the median country
Mauritania: 30.2 per 1,000 (2024) · World median: 12.7 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
The median country has 6.4 times as many doctors per person as Mauritania
Mauritania: 0.3 per 1,000 (2022) · World median: 1.7 per 1,000 (2022)
How many hospital beds are there?
Mauritania: no data · World median: 2.4 per 1,000 (2023)
How common is suicide?
The suicide rate in the median country is 4% higher than in Mauritania
Mauritania: 9.6 per 100k (2023) · World median: 10 per 100k (2023)
How common is obesity?
24% of adults in the median country are obese, versus 22% in Mauritania
Mauritania: 22.1% (2024) · World median: 24% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
19% of adults in the median country smoke, versus 9.9% in Mauritania
Mauritania: 9.9% (2024) · World median: 19% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in the median country rate their lives 1.36 points higher than in Mauritania
Mauritania: 4.47 (2025) · World median: 5.83 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in the median country drink 2,633 times as much alcohol as in Mauritania
Mauritania: 0.0017 litres (2019) · World median: 4.3 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
The median country has 54% more meat per person than Mauritania
Mauritania: 36.5 kg (2023) · World median: 56.2 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
The median country has 28 kcal more food per person per day than Mauritania
Mauritania: 2,909 kcal (2023) · World median: 2,938 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Mauritania: no data · World median: 1,974 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in the median country went to school 5.1 years longer than in Mauritania
Mauritania: 4.9 years (2023) · World median: 9.9 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Mauritania: no data · World median: 0.34 (2024)
How many World Heritage sites?
The median country has 1 more World Heritage site than Mauritania (3 against 2)
Mauritania: 2 (2026) · World median: 3 (2026)
How many Olympic medals has it won?
The median country has won 4 Olympic medals, Mauritania none
Mauritania: 0 (2026 edition) · World median: 4 (2026 edition)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
82% of people in the median country are online, versus 46% in Mauritania
Mauritania: 46% (2024) · World median: 82% (2024)
How fast is home internet?
Home internet in the median country is 2.9 times as fast as in Mauritania
Mauritania: 55 Mbps (2026) · World median: 161 Mbps (2026)
Who has electricity at home?
100% of people in the median country have electricity, versus 52% in Mauritania
Mauritania: 52.2% (2024) · World median: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
64% of people in the median country live in cities, versus 61% in Mauritania
Mauritania: 61% (2025) · World median: 64% (2025)
How many phones per person?
The median country has 115 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Mauritania 92
Mauritania: 92 (2024) · World median: 115 (2024)
How much railway is there?
The median country’s railway network is 2.9 times as long as Mauritania’s
Mauritania: 728 km (2021) · World median: 2,141 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from the median country fly 3.9 times as many passengers per resident as those from Mauritania
Mauritania: 0.06 (2023) · World median: 0.24 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 33% of the median country, but only 1.0% of Mauritania
Mauritania: 1% (2024) · World median: 32.8% (2024)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in the median country emits 2.9 times as much CO₂ as someone in Mauritania
Mauritania: 1 t (2024) · World median: 3 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
31% of the median country’s electricity is renewable, versus 23% in Mauritania
Mauritania: 22.7% (2024) · World median: 30.8% (2024)
How clean is the air?
The air in Mauritania carries 2.1 times as much fine dust as in the median country
Mauritania: 35.2 µg/m³ (2024) · World median: 16.6 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 2.3 times as likely to be murdered in the median country as in Mauritania
Mauritania: 1 per 100k (2020) · World median: 2.3 per 100k (2023)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in the median country are 2.9 times as deadly as in Mauritania
Mauritania: 6.5 per 100k (2023) · World median: 18.6 per 100k (2023)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Mauritania is on average 5.2 °C warmer than the median country
Mauritania: 28.1°C (2016–2025 avg) · World median: 23°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
The median country gets 18 times as much rain as Mauritania
Mauritania: 57 mm (2016–2025 avg) · World median: 1,014 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is Mauritania bigger than the median country?
Mauritania is larger. The median country fits inside Mauritania 9.3 times.
Which has more people, Mauritania or the median country?
The median country has 39% more people than Mauritania (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Mauritania or the median country?
People in the median country live 5.9 years longer than in Mauritania. Life expectancy at birth is 68.7 years in Mauritania and 74.6 in the median country.
Are people taller in Mauritania or the median country?
Men in the median country are 8.0 cm taller than in Mauritania (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
