Quality of life comparison

compared to

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

Health

be 43.2% less likely to be obese

In Suriname, 26.4% of adults are obese as of 2016. In Gabon, that number is 15.0% of people as of 2016.

be 2.7 times more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS

In Suriname, 1.1% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2020. In Gabon, that number is 3.0% of people as of 2020.

live 2.7 years less

In Suriname, the average life expectancy is 72 years (69 years for men, 76 years for women) as of 2022. In Gabon, that number is 70 years (68 years for men, 71 years for women) as of 2022.

Economy

be 52.3% less likely to live below the poverty line

In Suriname, 70.0% live below the poverty line as of 2002. In Gabon, however, that number is 33.4% as of 2017.

be 2.6 times more likely to be unemployed

In Suriname, 7.7% of adults are unemployed as of 2023. In Gabon, that number is 20.4% as of 2023.

Life

have 72.5% more children

In Suriname, there are approximately 14.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Gabon, there are 25.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

be 2.4 times more likely to die during childbirth

In Suriname, approximately 96.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2020. In Gabon, 227.0 women do as of 2020.

be 10.0% less likely to be literate

In Suriname, the literacy rate is 95.0% as of 2021. In Gabon, it is 85.5% as of 2021.

Expenditures

spend 36.0% less on education

Suriname spends 5.0% of its total GDP on education as of 2020. Gabon spends 3.2% of total GDP on education as of 2020.

spend 50.0% less on healthcare

Suriname spends 6.8% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2020. In Gabon, that number is 3.4% of GDP as of 2020.

Geography

see 2.3 times more coastline

Suriname has a total of 386 km of coastline. In Gabon, that number is 885 km.

The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook.

Gabon: At a glance

Gabon is a sovereign country in Africa, with a total land area of approximately 257,667 sq km. El Hadj Omar BONGO Ondimba - one of the longest-serving heads of state in the world - dominated the country's political scene for four decades (1967-2009) following independence from France in 1960. President BONGO introduced a nominal multiparty system and a new constitution in the early 1990s. However, allegations of electoral fraud during local elections in December 2002 and the presidential elections in 2005 exposed the weaknesses of formal political structures in Gabon. Following President BONGO's death in 2009, new elections brought Ali BONGO Ondimba, son of the former president, to power. Despite constrained political conditions, Gabon's small population, abundant natural resources, and considerable foreign support have helped make it one of the more stable African countries.
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How big is Gabon compared to Suriname? See an in-depth size comparison.

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