Quality of life comparison

compared to

If you lived in Suriname instead of Ghana, you would:

Health

be 35.3% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS

In Ghana, 1.7% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2020. In Suriname, that number is 1.1% of people as of 2020.

live 3.0 years longer

In Ghana, the average life expectancy is 69 years (68 years for men, 71 years for women) as of 2022. In Suriname, that number is 72 years (69 years for men, 76 years for women) as of 2022.

be 2.4 times more likely to be obese

In Ghana, 10.9% of adults are obese as of 2016. In Suriname, that number is 26.4% of people as of 2016.

Economy

make 2.8 times more money

Ghana has a GDP per capita of $6,700 as of 2023, while in Suriname, the GDP per capita is $19,000 as of 2023.

be 2.5 times more likely to be unemployed

In Ghana, 3.1% of adults are unemployed as of 2023. In Suriname, that number is 7.7% as of 2023.

be 3.0 times more likely to live below the poverty line

In Ghana, 23.4% live below the poverty line as of 2016. In Suriname, however, that number is 70.0% as of 2002.

pay a 52.0% higher top tax rate

Ghana has a top tax rate of 25.0% as of 2016. In Suriname, the top tax rate is 38.0% as of 2016.

Life

be 63.5% less likely to die during childbirth

In Ghana, approximately 263.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2020. In Suriname, 96.0 women do as of 2020.

be 20.3% more likely to be literate

In Ghana, the literacy rate is 79.0% as of 2018. In Suriname, it is 95.0% as of 2021.

have 46.0% fewer children

In Ghana, there are approximately 27.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Suriname, there are 14.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

Basic Needs

be 16.3% more likely to have access to electricity

In Ghana, approximately 85% of people have electricity access (95% in urban areas, and 74% in rural areas) as of 2022. In Suriname, that number is 99% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 97% in rural areas) as of 2022.

Expenditures

spend 25.0% more on education

Ghana spends 4.0% of its total GDP on education as of 2018. Suriname spends 5.0% of total GDP on education as of 2020.

spend 70.0% more on healthcare

Ghana spends 4.0% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2020. In Suriname, that number is 6.8% of GDP as of 2020.

Geography

see 28.4% less coastline

Ghana has a total of 539 km of coastline. In Suriname, that number is 386 km.

The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook, Ministry of Finance, Ghana Revenue Authority.

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 Ghana? See an in-depth size comparison.

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