Mauritania vs Russia
Russia is 16.6 times larger than Mauritania. Mauritania would fit into Russia about 17 times.
MauritaniaRussiaMauritania moved onto Russia · Equal-area projection
Remote islands and overseas parts not drawn; the figures include them
0.06×
Mauritania is 0.06× the area of Russia. Put the other way, Russia is 16.6× the size of Mauritania.
 Mauritania |  Russia | |
|---|---|---|
| Size | ||
| AreaRussia: 16.6× the area | 1,030,700 km²#28 of 194 | 17,075,400 km²#1 of 194 |
| Coastline | Has a coast | Has a coast |
| Land neighbours | 4 | 14 |
| People | ||
| PopulationRussia: 27× the population | 5,315,065#124 of 194 · 2025 | 143,513,328#9 of 194 · 2025 |
| DensityRussia: 1.63× the density | 5.2 / km²#185 of 194 | 8.4 / km²#183 of 194 |
| Urban populationRussia: 1.22× the urban share | 62%#102 of 192 · 2025 | 75%#57 of 192 · 2025 |
| Fertility rateMauritania: 3.26× the births per woman | 4.63 per woman#11 of 192 · 2024 | 1.42 per woman#154 of 192 · 2024 |
| Population growthMauritania: 2.89 points higher | +2.78%#18 of 192 · 2025 | −0.11%#163 of 192 · 2025 |
| Birth rateMauritania: 4.05× the birth rate | 34.0 per 1,000#13 of 192 · 2024 | 8.4 per 1,000#163 of 192 · 2024 |
| Death rateRussia: 2.3× the death rate | 5.4 per 1,000#161 of 192 · 2024 | 12.4 per 1,000#15 of 192 · 2024 |
| Children under 15Mauritania: 25.4 points higher | 42.4%#12 of 192 · 2025 | 17.0%#142 of 192 · 2025 |
| People over 65Russia: 14.6 points higher | 3.2%#161 of 192 · 2025 | 17.8%#42 of 192 · 2025 |
| Net migrationMauritania: 0.9 per 1,000 higher | −0.9 per 1,000#114 of 192 · 2025 | −1.8 per 1,000#137 of 192 · 2025 |
| Refugees abroadMauritania: 12.0× the refugees for its size | 8.26 per 1,000#22 of 190 · 2025 | 0.69 per 1,000#68 of 190 · 2025 |
| Health & education | ||
| Life expectancyRussia: 4.7 years longer | 68.7 years#139 of 192 · 2024 | 73.4 years#101 of 192 · 2024 |
| Infant mortalityMauritania: 7.37× the infant mortality | 30.2 per 1,000 births#47 of 191 · 2024 | 4.1 per 1,000 births#150 of 191 · 2024 |
| DoctorsRussia: 19.7× the doctors per person | 0.26 per 1,000#141 of 178 · 2022 | 5.11 per 1,000#8 of 178 · 2022 |
| University enrolmentRussia: 10.1× the university enrolment | 6.0%#140 of 145 · 2020 | 60.4%#56 of 145 · 2024 |
| Human Development IndexRussia: 0.269 higher | 0.563#160 of 190 · 2023 | 0.832#63 of 190 · 2023 |
| Economy | ||
| GNI per capitaRussia: 7.22× the income per person | $2,210#145 of 185 · 2025 | $15,960#63 of 185 · 2025 |
| GDPRussia: 219× the economy | $11.68B2025 | $2.56T2025 |
| Income group | Lower-middle income | High income |
| GDP per capita (PPP)Russia: 6.46× the output per person | $7,676#139 of 184 · 2025 | $49,568#45 of 184 · 2025 |
| GDP growthMauritania: 3.0 points higher | +4.0%#69 of 187 · 2025 | +1.0%#156 of 187 · 2025 |
| InflationRussia: 7.2 points higher | +1.5%#128 of 176 · 2025 | +8.7%#25 of 176 · 2025 |
| UnemploymentMauritania: 4.9× the unemployment | 10.3%#34 of 178 · 2025 | 2.1%#161 of 178 · 2025 |
| Extreme povertyMauritania: 102× the share in extreme poverty | 10.2%#45 of 149 · 2019 | 0.1%#126 of 149 · 2023 |
| Income inequality (Gini)Russia: 1.0 higher | 32.0#103 of 149 · 2019 | 33.0#94 of 149 · 2023 |
| Jobs in agricultureMauritania: 27.0 points higher | 32.1% of jobs#55 of 178 · 2025 | 5.1% of jobs#130 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in industryRussia: 10.8 points higher | 15.0% of jobs#137 of 178 · 2025 | 25.8% of jobs#39 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in servicesRussia: 16.3 points higher | 52.8% of jobs#105 of 178 · 2025 | 69.1% of jobs#56 of 178 · 2025 |
| Foreign investmentMauritania: 5.0 points higher | 5.4% of GDP#34 of 184 · 2025 | 0.4% of GDP#150 of 184 · 2025 |
| ExportsMauritania: 21.7 points higher | 39.9% of GDP#73 of 168 · 2025 | 18.2% of GDP#138 of 168 · 2025 |
| Military spendingRussia: 2.73× the military spending | 2.8% of GDP#37 of 155 · 2025 | 7.5% of GDP#4 of 155 · 2025 |
| Internet usersRussia: 2.06× the share online | 46%#149 of 184 · 2024 | 94%#28 of 184 · 2024 |
| Mobile subscriptionsRussia: 2.02× the mobile subscriptions | 92 per 100#141 of 191 · 2024 | 186 per 100#5 of 191 · 2024 |
| Energy & environment | ||
| Forest areaRussia: 50.8× the forest share | 1% of land#179 of 192 · 2024 | 51% of land#47 of 192 · 2024 |
| CO₂ per personRussia: 14.4× the CO₂ per person | 0.97 t a year#129 of 185 · 2024 | 14.0 t a year#12 of 185 · 2024 |
| Renewable energyMauritania: 16.1 points higher | 19.6%#108 of 190 · 2022 | 3.5%#162 of 190 · 2021 |
| Access to electricityRussia: 47.8 points higher | 52.2%#177 of 192 · 2024 | 100.0%#1 of 192 · 2024 |
| Air pollution (PM2.5)Mauritania: 4.01× the air pollution | 46.5 µg/m³#16 of 191 · 2023 | 11.6 µg/m³#141 of 191 · 2023 |
| Protected landRussia: 10.9 points higher | 0.6% of land#186 of 191 · 2025 | 11.5% of land#138 of 191 · 2025 |
| Arable landRussia: 7.0 points higher | 0.4% of land#183 of 190 · 2024 | 7.4% of land#113 of 190 · 2024 |
| Water stressMauritania: 3.22× the water stress | 13.2%#78 of 176 · 2022 | 4.1%#129 of 176 · 2022 |
| PrecipitationRussia: 5.0× the rain and snow | 92 mm#173 of 180 · 2022 | 460 mm#145 of 180 · 2022 |
| Governance & safety | ||
| Political stabilityMauritania: 0.29 higher | −0.65#152 of 193 · 2025 | −0.94#165 of 193 · 2025 |
| Control of corruptionMauritania: 0.03 higher | −0.95#151 of 193 · 2025 | −0.98#153 of 193 · 2025 |
| Homicide rateRussia: 6.8× the homicide rate | 1.0 per 100,000#107 of 146 · 2020 | 6.8 per 100,000#38 of 146 · 2021 |
| State | ||
| Status | Independent state | Independent state |
| Government | Presidential republic | Semi-presidential republicsemi-presidential federation |
| Member of | — | G20, BRICS |
| Capital | Nouakchott | Moscow |
| Currency | Mauritanian ouguiya (MRU) | Russian ruble (RUB) |
| Official languages | Arabic | Russian, Ukrainian, Azerbaijani, Tatar, Bashkir, Chechen, Chuvash, Ossetian, Crimean Tatar, Yakut, Avar, Udmurt, Tuvan, Erzya, Adyghe, Komi, Buryat, Lezgian, Karachay-Balkar, Ingush, Mari, Moksha, Kabardian, Abaza, Kalmyk, Khakas, Lak, Kumyk, Nogai, Rutulian, Tabasaran, Tat, Aghul, Tsakhur, Dargwa, Southern Altai |
| Traffic drives | On the right | On the right |
| Time zone | UTC | UTC+3 · UTC+2 to UTC+12, 11 time zones |
| Calling code | +222 | +7 |
| Region | Western Africa, Africa | Eastern Europe, Europe |
Area: Wikidata. Population, income, health, economy, environment and governance: World Bank. Human Development Index: UNDP. Government: CIA World Factbook. Ranks among the 194 independent states. All sources
Why the map you grew up with disagrees
On a Mercator map, area grows with distance from the equator. Mauritania sits at about 20° N and is stretched to 1.14× its true area; Russia at 66° N is stretched to 6.06×. That difference is why Russia looks so much bigger than it is next to Mauritania. The figure above uses the Equal Earth projection, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.
Questions about this pair
- Is Mauritania bigger than Russia?
- No. Mauritania is 16.6 times smaller than Russia. Mauritania covers 1,030,700 km² and Russia covers 17,075,400 km².
- How many times does Mauritania fit into Russia?
- About 17 times: Russia has 16.6× the area of Mauritania.
- Why do Mauritania and Russia look different on Google Maps?
- Web maps use the Mercator projection, which stretches area with distance from the equator. Mauritania is drawn about 1.14× its true area there and Russia about 6.06×. That is why Russia looks so much bigger than it really is next to Mauritania. Kartavera uses Equal Earth, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.
- Which has more people, Mauritania or Russia?
- Russia: 143,513,328 people against 5,315,065. Density: Mauritania 5.2 per km², Russia 8.4 per km².
- Which is richer, Mauritania or Russia?
- By gross national income per person, Russia: $15,960 against $2,210 (World Bank, Atlas method, 2025) — 7.22× as much.
- Where do people live longer, Mauritania or Russia?
- In Russia: life expectancy at birth is 73.4 years, against 68.7 — 4.7 years longer (World Bank, 2024).
- What kind of government do Mauritania and Russia have?
- By constitution, as the CIA World Factbook describes them — Mauritania: presidential republic; Russia: semi-presidential republic.