Quality of life comparison

compared to

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

Health

live 4.5 years longer

In Kiribati, the average life expectancy is 68 years (65 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 42.6% less likely to be obese

In Kiribati, 46.0% of adults are obese as of 2016. In Suriname, that number is 26.4% of people as of 2016.

Economy

make 5.9 times more money

Kiribati has a GDP per capita of $3,200 as of 2023, while in Suriname, the GDP per capita is $19,000 as of 2023.

be 74.8% less likely to be unemployed

In Kiribati, 30.6% of adults are unemployed as of 2010. In Suriname, that number is 7.7% as of 2023.

be 3.2 times more likely to live below the poverty line

In Kiribati, 21.9% live below the poverty line as of 2020. In Suriname, however, that number is 70.0% as of 2002.

Life

be 26.3% more likely to die during childbirth

In Kiribati, approximately 76.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2020. In Suriname, 96.0 women do as of 2020.

have 24.4% fewer children

In Kiribati, there are approximately 19.7 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 22.2% more likely to have internet access

In Kiribati, approximately 54.0% of the population has internet access as of 2021. In Suriname, about 66.0% do as of 2021.

be 20.9% more likely to have access to improved drinking water

In Kiribati, approximately 82% of people have improved drinking water access (97% 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 59.7% less on education

Kiribati spends 12.4% of its total GDP on education as of 2019. Suriname spends 5.0% of total GDP on education as of 2020.

spend 41.4% less on healthcare

Kiribati spends 11.6% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2020. In Suriname, that number is 6.8% of GDP as of 2020.

Geography

see 66.2% less coastline

Kiribati has a total of 1,143 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.
Read more

How big is Suriname compared to Kiribati? See an in-depth size comparison.

Share this

ASK THE ELSEWHERE COMMUNITY

Join the Elsewhere community and ask a question about Suriname.or Kiribati It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.