Quality of life comparison
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
How big is Suriname compared to Sierra Leone? See an in-depth size comparison.