Quality of life comparison

compared to

If you lived in Suriname instead of South Africa, you would:

Health

be 94.2% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS

In South Africa, 19.1% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2020. In Suriname, that number is 1.1% of people as of 2020.

live 7.1 years longer

In South Africa, the average life expectancy is 65 years (64 years for men, 67 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 32.9% more money

South Africa has a GDP per capita of $14,300 as of 2023, while in Suriname, the GDP per capita is $19,000 as of 2023.

be 72.5% less likely to be unemployed

In South Africa, 28.0% of adults are unemployed as of 2023. In Suriname, that number is 7.7% as of 2023.

pay a 15.6% lower top tax rate

South Africa has a top tax rate of 45.0% as of 2017. In Suriname, the top tax rate is 38.0% as of 2016.

be 4.2 times more likely to live below the poverty line

In South Africa, 16.6% live below the poverty line as of 2016. In Suriname, however, that number is 70.0% as of 2002.

Life

be 24.4% less likely to die during childbirth

In South Africa, approximately 127.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2020. In Suriname, 96.0 women do as of 2020.

be 16.9% more likely to die during infancy

In South Africa, approximately 25.9 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 15.8% fewer children

In South Africa, there are approximately 17.7 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 14.5% more likely to have access to electricity

In South Africa, approximately 86% of people have electricity access (87% in urban areas, and 92% 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.

Expenditures

spend 24.2% less on education

South Africa spends 6.6% of its total GDP on education as of 2021. Suriname spends 5.0% of total GDP on education as of 2020.

spend 20.9% less on healthcare

South Africa spends 8.6% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2020. In Suriname, that number is 6.8% of GDP as of 2020.

Geography

see 86.2% less coastline

South Africa has a total of 2,798 km of coastline. In Suriname, that number is 386 km.

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

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 South Africa? See an in-depth size comparison.

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