Mauritania vs Senegal
Mauritania is 5.24 times larger than Senegal. Senegal would fit into Mauritania about 5.2 times.
MauritaniaSenegalMauritania moved onto Senegal · Equal-area projection
5.24×
Mauritania is 5.24× the area of Senegal.
 Mauritania |  Senegal | |
|---|---|---|
| Size | ||
| AreaMauritania: 5.24× the area | 1,030,700 km²#28 of 194 | 196,722 km²#86 of 194 |
| Coastline | Has a coast | Has a coast |
| Land neighbours | 4 | 5 |
| People | ||
| PopulationSenegal: 3.56× the population | 5,315,065#124 of 194 · 2025 | 18,931,966#69 of 194 · 2025 |
| DensitySenegal: 18.7× the density | 5.2 / km²#185 of 194 | 96 / km²#94 of 194 |
| Urban populationMauritania: 1.1× the urban share | 62%#102 of 192 · 2025 | 56%#119 of 192 · 2025 |
| Fertility rateMauritania: 1.23× the births per woman | 4.63 per woman#11 of 192 · 2024 | 3.77 per woman#33 of 192 · 2024 |
| Population growthMauritania: 0.48 points higher | +2.78%#18 of 192 · 2025 | +2.30%#34 of 192 · 2025 |
| Birth rateMauritania: 1.16× the birth rate | 34.0 per 1,000#13 of 192 · 2024 | 29.2 per 1,000#34 of 192 · 2024 |
| Death rateAbout the same death rate | 5.4 per 1,000#161 of 192 · 2024 | 5.5 per 1,000#156 of 192 · 2024 |
| Children under 15Mauritania: 4.7 points higher | 42.4%#12 of 192 · 2025 | 37.7%#35 of 192 · 2025 |
| People over 65Senegal: 0.4 points higher | 3.2%#161 of 192 · 2025 | 3.6%#150 of 192 · 2025 |
| Net migrationSenegal: 0.2 per 1,000 higher | −0.9 per 1,000#114 of 192 · 2025 | −0.7 per 1,000#111 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 expectancySenegal: 0.2 years longer | 68.7 years#139 of 192 · 2024 | 68.9 years#137 of 192 · 2024 |
| Infant mortalityMauritania: 1.04× the infant mortality | 30.2 per 1,000 births#47 of 191 · 2024 | 28.9 per 1,000 births#49 of 191 · 2024 |
| DoctorsMauritania: 2.36× the doctors per person | 0.26 per 1,000#141 of 178 · 2022 | 0.11 per 1,000#166 of 178 · 2023 |
| University enrolmentSenegal: 2.55× the university enrolment | 6.0%#140 of 145 · 2020 | 15.3%#120 of 145 · 2024 |
| Human Development IndexMauritania: 0.033 higher | 0.563#160 of 190 · 2023 | 0.530#166 of 190 · 2023 |
| Economy | ||
| GNI per capitaMauritania: 1.24× the income per person | $2,210#145 of 185 · 2025 | $1,780#153 of 185 · 2025 |
| GDPSenegal: 3.17× the economy | $11.68B2025 | $37.01B2025 |
| Income group | Lower-middle income | Lower-middle income |
| GDP per capita (PPP)Mauritania: 1.41× the output per person | $7,676#139 of 184 · 2025 | $5,463#149 of 184 · 2025 |
| GDP growthSenegal: 2.7 points higher | +4.0%#69 of 187 · 2025 | +6.7%#21 of 187 · 2025 |
| InflationThe same | +1.5%#128 of 176 · 2025 | +1.5%#128 of 176 · 2025 |
| UnemploymentMauritania: 3.81× the unemployment | 10.3%#34 of 178 · 2025 | 2.7%#149 of 178 · 2025 |
| Extreme povertySenegal: 1.75× the share in extreme poverty | 10.2%#45 of 149 · 2019 | 17.9%#38 of 149 · 2021 |
| Income inequality (Gini)Senegal: 4.2 higher | 32.0#103 of 149 · 2019 | 36.2#60 of 149 · 2021 |
| Jobs in agricultureMauritania: 2.5 points higher | 32.1% of jobs#55 of 178 · 2025 | 29.6% of jobs#61 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in industrySenegal: 7.5 points higher | 15.0% of jobs#137 of 178 · 2025 | 22.5% of jobs#59 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in servicesMauritania: 4.9 points higher | 52.8% of jobs#105 of 178 · 2025 | 47.9% of jobs#128 of 178 · 2025 |
| Foreign investmentMauritania: 5.3 points higher | 5.4% of GDP#34 of 184 · 2025 | 0.1% of GDP#158 of 184 · 2025 |
| ExportsMauritania: 7.4 points higher | 39.9% of GDP#73 of 168 · 2025 | 32.5% of GDP#91 of 168 · 2025 |
| Military spendingMauritania: 1.76× the military spending | 2.8% of GDP#37 of 155 · 2025 | 1.6% of GDP#84 of 155 · 2025 |
| Internet usersSenegal: 1.31× the share online | 46%#149 of 184 · 2024 | 60%#135 of 184 · 2024 |
| Mobile subscriptionsSenegal: 1.35× the mobile subscriptions | 92 per 100#141 of 191 · 2024 | 124 per 100#71 of 191 · 2024 |
| Energy & environment | ||
| Forest areaSenegal: 45× the forest share | 1% of land#179 of 192 · 2024 | 45% of land#55 of 192 · 2024 |
| CO₂ per personMauritania: 1.26× the CO₂ per person | 0.97 t a year#129 of 185 · 2024 | 0.77 t a year#136 of 185 · 2024 |
| Renewable energySenegal: 15.8 points higher | 19.6%#108 of 190 · 2022 | 35.4%#68 of 190 · 2021 |
| Access to electricitySenegal: 30.7 points higher | 52.2%#177 of 192 · 2024 | 82.9%#145 of 192 · 2024 |
| Air pollution (PM2.5)Mauritania: 1.12× the air pollution | 46.5 µg/m³#16 of 191 · 2023 | 41.6 µg/m³#21 of 191 · 2023 |
| Protected landSenegal: 26.9 points higher | 0.6% of land#186 of 191 · 2025 | 27.5% of land#47 of 191 · 2025 |
| Arable landSenegal: 19.5 points higher | 0.4% of land#183 of 190 · 2024 | 19.9% of land#54 of 190 · 2024 |
| Water stressSenegal: 1.23× the water stress | 13.2%#78 of 176 · 2022 | 16.3%#73 of 176 · 2022 |
| PrecipitationSenegal: 7.46× the rain and snow | 92 mm#173 of 180 · 2022 | 686 mm#115 of 180 · 2022 |
| Governance & safety | ||
| Political stabilitySenegal: 0.48 higher | −0.65#152 of 193 · 2025 | −0.17#117 of 193 · 2025 |
| Control of corruptionSenegal: 1.10 higher | −0.95#151 of 193 · 2025 | +0.15#73 of 193 · 2025 |
| Homicide rate | 1.0 per 100,000#107 of 146 · 2020 | — |
| State | ||
| Status | Independent state | Independent state |
| Government | Presidential republic | Presidential republic |
| Capital | Nouakchott | Dakar |
| Currency | Mauritanian ouguiya (MRU) | West African CFA franc (XOF) |
| Official languages | Arabic | French, Wolof, Balanta, Badyara |
| Traffic drives | On the right | On the right |
| Time zone | UTC | UTC |
| Calling code | +222 | +221 |
| Region | Western Africa, Africa | Western Africa, Africa |
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; Senegal at 14° N is stretched to 1.07×. Here the two are distorted about the same amount, so Mercator gets this pair roughly right. 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 Senegal?
- Yes. Mauritania is 5.24 times larger than Senegal. Mauritania covers 1,030,700 km² and Senegal covers 196,722 km².
- How many times does Senegal fit into Mauritania?
- About 5.2 times: Mauritania has 5.24× the area of Senegal.
- Why do Mauritania and Senegal 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 Senegal about 1.07×. For this pair the distortion is similar, so Mercator gets the comparison roughly right. Kartavera uses Equal Earth, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.
- Which has more people, Mauritania or Senegal?
- Senegal: 18,931,966 people against 5,315,065. Density: Mauritania 5.2 per km², Senegal 96 per km².
- Which is richer, Mauritania or Senegal?
- By gross national income per person, Mauritania: $2,210 against $1,780 (World Bank, Atlas method, 2025) — 1.24× as much.
- Where do people live longer, Mauritania or Senegal?
- In Senegal: life expectancy at birth is 68.9 years, against 68.7 — 0.2 years longer (World Bank, 2024).
- What kind of government do Mauritania and Senegal have?
- The same form of government, by constitution: presidential republic (CIA World Factbook).