Quality of life comparison

compared to

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

Health

be 73.8% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS

In Kenya, 4.2% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2020. In Suriname, that number is 1.1% of people as of 2020.

live 2.7 years longer

In Kenya, the average life expectancy is 70 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 3.7 times more likely to be obese

In Kenya, 7.1% of adults are obese as of 2016. In Suriname, that number is 26.4% of people as of 2016.

Economy

make 3.3 times more money

Kenya has a GDP per capita of $5,700 as of 2023, while in Suriname, the GDP per capita is $19,000 as of 2023.

be 35.6% more likely to be unemployed

In Kenya, 5.7% of adults are unemployed as of 2023. In Suriname, that number is 7.7% as of 2023.

be 93.9% more likely to live below the poverty line

In Kenya, 36.1% live below the poverty line as of 2016. In Suriname, however, that number is 70.0% as of 2002.

pay a 26.7% higher top tax rate

Kenya has a top tax rate of 30.0% as of 2016. In Suriname, the top tax rate is 38.0% as of 2016.

Life

be 81.9% less likely to die during childbirth

In Kenya, approximately 530.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2020. In Suriname, 96.0 women do as of 2020.

be 15.0% more likely to be literate

In Kenya, the literacy rate is 82.6% as of 2021. In Suriname, it is 95.0% as of 2021.

have 41.8% fewer children

In Kenya, there are approximately 25.6 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 30.3% more likely to have access to electricity

In Kenya, approximately 76% of people have electricity access (98% in urban areas, and 68% 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.

be 2.3 times more likely to have internet access

In Kenya, approximately 29.0% of the population has internet access as of 2021. In Suriname, about 66.0% do as of 2021.

be 39.2% more likely to have access to improved drinking water

In Kenya, approximately 71% of people have improved drinking water access (91% in urban areas, and 63% in rural areas) as of 2020. In Suriname, that number is 99% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 98% in rural areas) as of 2020.

Expenditures

spend 58.1% more on healthcare

Kenya spends 4.3% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2020. In Suriname, that number is 6.8% of GDP as of 2020.

Geography

see 28.0% less coastline

Kenya has a total of 536 km of coastline. In Suriname, that number is 386 km.

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

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 Kenya? See an in-depth size comparison.

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