Quality of life comparison

compared to

If you lived in Suriname instead of North Korea, you would:

Health

be 3.9 times more likely to be obese

In North Korea, 6.8% of adults are obese as of 2016. In Suriname, that number is 26.4% of people as of 2016.

Economy

make 11.2 times more money

North Korea has a GDP per capita of $1,700 as of 2015, while in Suriname, the GDP per capita is $19,000 as of 2023.

be 2.6 times more likely to be unemployed

In North Korea, 3.0% of adults are unemployed as of 2023. In Suriname, that number is 7.7% as of 2023.

Life

have 12.9% more children

In North Korea, there are approximately 13.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Suriname, there are 14.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

be 36.2% more likely to die during infancy

In North Korea, approximately 22.2 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 81.0% more likely to have access to electricity

In North Korea, approximately 55% of people have electricity access (36% in urban areas, and 11% 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.

Geography

see 84.5% less coastline

North Korea has a total of 2,495 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 North Korea? See an in-depth size comparison.

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