Quality of life comparison

compared to

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

Health

be 44.2% less likely to be obese

In Samoa, 47.3% of adults are obese as of 2016. In Suriname, that number is 26.4% of people as of 2016.

live 2.8 years less

In Samoa, the average life expectancy is 75 years (72 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 3.2 times more money

Samoa has a GDP per capita of $6,000 as of 2023, while in Suriname, the GDP per capita is $19,000 as of 2023.

be 21.0% less likely to be unemployed

In Samoa, 9.8% of adults are unemployed as of 2023. In Suriname, that number is 7.7% as of 2023.

be 3.2 times more likely to live below the poverty line

In Samoa, 21.9% live below the poverty line as of 2018. In Suriname, however, that number is 70.0% as of 2002.

pay a 40.7% higher top tax rate

Samoa has a top tax rate of 27.0% as of 2016. In Suriname, the top tax rate is 38.0% as of 2016.

Life

be 62.7% more likely to die during childbirth

In Samoa, approximately 59.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2020. In Suriname, 96.0 women do as of 2020.

be 77.9% more likely to die during infancy

In Samoa, approximately 17.0 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2020. In Suriname, on the other hand, 30.2 children do as of 2022.

have 20.7% fewer children

In Samoa, there are approximately 18.8 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 15.4% less likely to have internet access

In Samoa, approximately 78.0% of the population has internet access as of 2021. In Suriname, about 66.0% do as of 2021.

Expenditures

spend 28.3% more on healthcare

Samoa spends 5.3% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2020. In Suriname, that number is 6.8% of GDP as of 2020.

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

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 Samoa? See an in-depth size comparison.

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