If you lived in Suriname instead of Sierra Leone, you would:

Health

be 26.7% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS

In Sierra Leone, 1.5% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2020. In Suriname, that number is 1.1% of people as of 2020.

live 13.7 years longer

In Sierra Leone, the average life expectancy is 59 years (57 years for men, 60 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 3.0 times more likely to be obese

In Sierra Leone, 8.7% 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

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

be 2.4 times more likely to be unemployed

In Sierra Leone, 3.2% of adults are unemployed as of 2023. In Suriname, that number is 7.7% as of 2023.

be 23.2% more likely to live below the poverty line

In Sierra Leone, 56.8% live below the poverty line as of 2018. In Suriname, however, that number is 70.0% as of 2002.

pay a 26.7% higher top tax rate

Sierra Leone has a top tax rate of 30.0% as of 2014. In Suriname, the top tax rate is 38.0% as of 2016.

Life

be 78.3% less likely to die during childbirth

In Sierra Leone, approximately 443.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2020. In Suriname, 96.0 women do as of 2020.

be 95.5% more likely to be literate

In Sierra Leone, the literacy rate is 48.6% as of 2022. In Suriname, it is 95.0% as of 2021.

be 58.8% less likely to die during infancy

In Sierra Leone, approximately 73.4 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.

have 51.6% fewer children

In Sierra Leone, there are approximately 30.8 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 3.4 times more likely to have access to electricity

In Sierra Leone, approximately 29% of people have electricity access (57% in urban areas, and 5% 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 5.2 times more likely to have internet access

In Sierra Leone, approximately 12.7% of the population has internet access as of 2022. In Suriname, about 66.0% do as of 2021.

be 36.1% more likely to have access to improved drinking water

In Sierra Leone, approximately 73% of people have improved drinking water access (92% in urban areas, and 58% 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 45.1% less on education

Sierra Leone spends 9.1% of its total GDP on education as of 2021. Suriname spends 5.0% of total GDP on education as of 2020.

spend 22.7% less on healthcare

Sierra Leone spends 8.8% 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, National Revenue Authority.

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 Sierra Leone? See an in-depth size comparison.

Share this

ASK THE ELSEWHERE COMMUNITY

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