Mauritania vs Tanzania
Mauritania is 9% larger than Tanzania.
MauritaniaTanzaniaMauritania moved onto Tanzania · Equal-area projection
1.09×
Mauritania is 1.09× the area of Tanzania.
 Mauritania |  Tanzania | |
|---|---|---|
| Size | ||
| AreaMauritania: 1.09× the area | 1,030,700 km²#28 of 194 | 947,303 km²#30 of 194 |
| Coastline | Has a coast | Has a coast |
| Land neighbours | 4 | 8 |
| People | ||
| PopulationTanzania: 13.3× the population | 5,315,065#124 of 194 · 2025 | 70,545,865#21 of 194 · 2025 |
| DensityTanzania: 14.4× the density | 5.2 / km²#185 of 194 | 74 / km²#111 of 194 |
| Urban populationMauritania: 1.67× the urban share | 62%#102 of 192 · 2025 | 37%#156 of 192 · 2025 |
| Fertility rateAbout the same births per woman | 4.63 per woman#11 of 192 · 2024 | 4.54 per woman#12 of 192 · 2024 |
| Population growthTanzania: 0.08 points higher | +2.78%#18 of 192 · 2025 | +2.86%#16 of 192 · 2025 |
| Birth rateAbout the same birth rate | 34.0 per 1,000#13 of 192 · 2024 | 34.8 per 1,000#10 of 192 · 2024 |
| Death rateTanzania: 1.06× the death rate | 5.4 per 1,000#161 of 192 · 2024 | 5.7 per 1,000#148 of 192 · 2024 |
| Children under 15Mauritania: 0.1 points higher | 42.4%#12 of 192 · 2025 | 42.3%#13 of 192 · 2025 |
| People over 65Mauritania: 0.2 points higher | 3.2%#161 of 192 · 2025 | 3.0%#171 of 192 · 2025 |
| Net migrationTanzania: 0.7 per 1,000 higher | −0.9 per 1,000#114 of 192 · 2025 | −0.2 per 1,000#84 of 192 · 2025 |
| Refugees abroadMauritania: 413× the refugees for its size | 8.26 per 1,000#22 of 190 · 2025 | 0.02 per 1,000#145 of 190 · 2025 |
| Health & education | ||
| Life expectancyMauritania: 1.5 years longer | 68.7 years#139 of 192 · 2024 | 67.2 years#151 of 192 · 2024 |
| Infant mortalityMauritania: 1.05× the infant mortality | 30.2 per 1,000 births#47 of 191 · 2024 | 28.7 per 1,000 births#50 of 191 · 2024 |
| DoctorsMauritania: 2.0× the doctors per person | 0.26 per 1,000#141 of 178 · 2022 | 0.13 per 1,000#164 of 178 · 2022 |
| University enrolmentMauritania: 1.5× the university enrolment | 6.0%#140 of 145 · 2020 | 4.0%#143 of 145 · 2024 |
| Human Development IndexMauritania: 0.008 higher | 0.563#160 of 190 · 2023 | 0.555#162 of 190 · 2023 |
| Economy | ||
| GNI per capitaMauritania: 1.74× the income per person | $2,210#145 of 185 · 2025 | $1,270#163 of 185 · 2025 |
| GDPTanzania: 7.72× the economy | $11.68B2025 | $90.14B2025 |
| Income group | Lower-middle income | Lower-middle income |
| GDP per capita (PPP)Mauritania: 1.72× the output per person | $7,676#139 of 184 · 2025 | $4,471#157 of 184 · 2025 |
| GDP growthTanzania: 1.9 points higher | +4.0%#69 of 187 · 2025 | +5.9%#33 of 187 · 2025 |
| InflationTanzania: 1.8 points higher | +1.5%#128 of 176 · 2025 | +3.3%#81 of 176 · 2025 |
| UnemploymentMauritania: 6.44× the unemployment | 10.3%#34 of 178 · 2025 | 1.6%#165 of 178 · 2025 |
| Extreme povertyTanzania: 5.03× the share in extreme poverty | 10.2%#45 of 149 · 2019 | 51.3%#11 of 149 · 2018 |
| Income inequality (Gini)Tanzania: 8.5 higher | 32.0#103 of 149 · 2019 | 40.5#35 of 149 · 2018 |
| Jobs in agricultureTanzania: 32.5 points higher | 32.1% of jobs#55 of 178 · 2025 | 64.6% of jobs#10 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in industryMauritania: 6.9 points higher | 15.0% of jobs#137 of 178 · 2025 | 8.1% of jobs#164 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in servicesMauritania: 25.5 points higher | 52.8% of jobs#105 of 178 · 2025 | 27.3% of jobs#170 of 178 · 2025 |
| Foreign investmentMauritania: 3.5 points higher | 5.4% of GDP#34 of 184 · 2025 | 1.9% of GDP#96 of 184 · 2025 |
| ExportsMauritania: 20.9 points higher | 39.9% of GDP#73 of 168 · 2025 | 19.0% of GDP#136 of 168 · 2025 |
| Military spendingMauritania: 2.37× the military spending | 2.8% of GDP#37 of 155 · 2025 | 1.2% of GDP#104 of 155 · 2025 |
| Internet usersMauritania: 1.47× the share online | 46%#149 of 184 · 2024 | 31%#165 of 184 · 2024 |
| Mobile subscriptionsTanzania: 1.38× the mobile subscriptions | 92 per 100#141 of 191 · 2024 | 127 per 100#59 of 191 · 2024 |
| Energy & environment | ||
| Forest areaTanzania: 49.6× the forest share | 1% of land#179 of 192 · 2024 | 50% of land#51 of 192 · 2024 |
| CO₂ per personMauritania: 3.13× the CO₂ per person | 0.97 t a year#129 of 185 · 2024 | 0.31 t a year#159 of 185 · 2024 |
| Renewable energyTanzania: 58.7 points higher | 19.6%#108 of 190 · 2022 | 78.3%#20 of 190 · 2021 |
| Access to electricityTanzania: 0.2 points higher | 52.2%#177 of 192 · 2024 | 52.4%#176 of 192 · 2024 |
| Air pollution (PM2.5)Mauritania: 2.3× the air pollution | 46.5 µg/m³#16 of 191 · 2023 | 20.2 µg/m³#80 of 191 · 2023 |
| Protected landTanzania: 39.3 points higher | 0.6% of land#186 of 191 · 2025 | 39.9% of land#9 of 191 · 2025 |
| Arable landTanzania: 15.1 points higher | 0.4% of land#183 of 190 · 2024 | 15.5% of land#73 of 190 · 2024 |
| Water stressAbout the same water stress | 13.2%#78 of 176 · 2022 | 13.0%#79 of 176 · 2022 |
| PrecipitationTanzania: 11.6× the rain and snow | 92 mm#173 of 180 · 2022 | 1,071 mm#87 of 180 · 2022 |
| Governance & safety | ||
| Political stabilityTanzania: 0.17 higher | −0.65#152 of 193 · 2025 | −0.48#137 of 193 · 2025 |
| Control of corruptionTanzania: 0.62 higher | −0.95#151 of 193 · 2025 | −0.33#105 of 193 · 2025 |
| Homicide rateTanzania: 3.7× the homicide rate | 1.0 per 100,000#107 of 146 · 2020 | 3.7 per 100,000#59 of 146 · 2020 |
| State | ||
| Status | Independent state | Independent state |
| Government | Presidential republic | Presidential republic |
| Capital | Nouakchott | Dodoma |
| Currency | Mauritanian ouguiya (MRU) | Tanzanian shilling (TZS) |
| Official languages | Arabic | English, Swahili |
| Traffic drives | On the right | On the left |
| Time zone | UTC | UTC+3 |
| Calling code | +222 | +255 |
| Region | Western Africa, Africa | Eastern 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; Tanzania at 6° S is stretched to 1.01×. 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 Tanzania?
- Yes. Mauritania is 9% larger than Tanzania. Mauritania covers 1,030,700 km² and Tanzania covers 947,303 km².
- How many times does Tanzania fit into Mauritania?
- About 1.1 times: Mauritania has 1.09× the area of Tanzania.
- Why do Mauritania and Tanzania 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 Tanzania about 1.01×. 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 Tanzania?
- Tanzania: 70,545,865 people against 5,315,065. Density: Mauritania 5.2 per km², Tanzania 74 per km².
- Which is richer, Mauritania or Tanzania?
- By gross national income per person, Mauritania: $2,210 against $1,270 (World Bank, Atlas method, 2025) — 1.74× as much.
- Where do people live longer, Mauritania or Tanzania?
- In Mauritania: life expectancy at birth is 68.7 years, against 67.2 — 1.5 years longer (World Bank, 2024).
- What kind of government do Mauritania and Tanzania have?
- The same form of government, by constitution: presidential republic (CIA World Factbook).