Quality of life comparison

compared to

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

Health

be 21.4% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS

In Jamaica, 1.4% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2020. In Suriname, that number is 1.1% of people as of 2020.

live 3.3 years less

In Jamaica, the average life expectancy is 76 years (74 years for men, 78 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

make 84.5% more money

Jamaica has a GDP per capita of $10,300 as of 2023, while in Suriname, the GDP per capita is $19,000 as of 2023.

be 74.2% more likely to be unemployed

In Jamaica, 4.4% of adults are unemployed as of 2023. In Suriname, that number is 7.7% as of 2023.

be 4.1 times more likely to live below the poverty line

In Jamaica, 17.1% 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

Jamaica 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 2.7 times more likely to die during infancy

In Jamaica, approximately 11.2 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.

Basic Needs

be 19.5% less likely to have internet access

In Jamaica, approximately 82.0% of the population has internet access as of 2021. In Suriname, about 66.0% do as of 2021.

Expenditures

spend 16.7% less on education

Jamaica spends 6.0% of its total GDP on education as of 2021. Suriname spends 5.0% of total GDP on education as of 2020.

Geography

see 62.2% less coastline

Jamaica has a total of 1,022 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, Tax Admministration of Jamaica.

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 Jamaica? See an in-depth size comparison.

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