Quality of life comparison

compared to

If you lived in Suriname instead of French Polynesia, you would:

Health

live 6.0 years less

In French Polynesia, the average life expectancy is 78 years (76 years for men, 81 years for women) as of 2022. In Suriname, that number is 72 years (69 years for men, 76 years for women) as of 2022.

Economy

be 34.3% less likely to be unemployed

In French Polynesia, 11.7% of adults are unemployed as of 2023. In Suriname, that number is 7.7% as of 2023.

be 3.6 times more likely to live below the poverty line

In French Polynesia, 19.7% live below the poverty line as of 2009. In Suriname, however, that number is 70.0% as of 2002.

Life

have 10.6% more children

In French Polynesia, there are approximately 13.5 babies per 1,000 people as of 2022. In Suriname, there are 14.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

be 6.9 times more likely to die during infancy

In French Polynesia, approximately 4.4 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2022. In Suriname, on the other hand, 30.2 children do as of 2022.

Geography

see 84.7% less coastline

French Polynesia has a total of 2,525 km of coastline. In Suriname, that number is 386 km.

The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook.

Suriname: At a glance

Suriname is a sovereign country in South America, with a total land area of approximately 156,000 sq km. First explored by the Spaniards in the 16th century and then settled by the English in the mid-17th century, Suriname became a Dutch colony in 1667. With the abolition of African slavery in 1863, workers were brought in from India and Java. Independence from the Netherlands was granted in 1975. Five years later the civilian government was replaced by a military regime that soon declared a socialist republic. It continued to exert control through a succession of nominally civilian administrations until 1987, when international pressure finally forced a democratic election. In 1990, the military overthrew the civilian leadership, but a democratically elected government - a four-party coalition - returned to power in 1991. The coalition expanded to eight parties in 2005 and ruled until August 2010, when voters returned former military leader Desire BOUTERSE and his opposition coalition to power.
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How big is Suriname compared to French Polynesia? See an in-depth size comparison.

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