Quality of life comparison

compared to

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

Health

be 52.3% less likely to be obese

In Palau, 55.3% of adults are obese as of 2016. In Suriname, that number is 26.4% of people as of 2016.

live 2.2 years less

In Palau, the average life expectancy is 75 years (71 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 20.3% more money

Palau has a GDP per capita of $15,800 as of 2023, while in Suriname, the GDP per capita is $19,000 as of 2023.

be 4.5 times more likely to be unemployed

In Palau, 1.7% of adults are unemployed as of 2015. In Suriname, that number is 7.7% as of 2023.

be 2.8 times more likely to live below the poverty line

In Palau, 24.9% live below the poverty line as of 2006. In Suriname, however, that number is 70.0% as of 2002.

Life

have 28.4% more children

In Palau, there are approximately 11.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Suriname, there are 14.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

be 2.7 times more likely to die during infancy

In Palau, approximately 11.3 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 77.4% more likely to have internet access

In Palau, approximately 37.2% of the population has internet access as of 2021. In Suriname, about 66.0% do as of 2021.

Expenditures

spend 26.5% less on education

Palau spends 6.8% of its total GDP on education as of 2019. Suriname spends 5.0% of total GDP on education as of 2020.

spend 63.0% less on healthcare

Palau spends 18.4% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2020. In Suriname, that number is 6.8% of GDP as of 2020.

Geography

see 74.6% less coastline

Palau has a total of 1,519 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 Palau? See an in-depth size comparison.

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