Quality of life comparison

compared to

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

Health

be 81.8% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS

In Suriname, 1.1% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2020. In Guatemala, that number is 0.2% of people as of 2020.

be 19.7% less likely to be obese

In Suriname, 26.4% of adults are obese as of 2016. In Guatemala, that number is 21.2% of people as of 2016.

Economy

be 64.8% less likely to be unemployed

In Suriname, 7.7% of adults are unemployed as of 2023. In Guatemala, that number is 2.7% as of 2023.

be 15.3% less likely to live below the poverty line

In Suriname, 70.0% live below the poverty line as of 2002. In Guatemala, however, that number is 59.3% as of 2014.

pay a 81.6% lower top tax rate

Suriname has a top tax rate of 38.0% as of 2016. In Guatemala, the top tax rate is 7.0% as of 2016.

make 33.2% less money

Suriname has a GDP per capita of $19,000 as of 2023, while in Guatemala, the GDP per capita is $12,700 as of 2023.

Life

be 13.5% less likely to die during infancy

In Suriname, approximately 30.2 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2022. In Guatemala, on the other hand, 26.2 children do as of 2022.

have 43.6% more children

In Suriname, there are approximately 14.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Guatemala, there are 21.4 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

be 12.3% less likely to be literate

In Suriname, the literacy rate is 95.0% as of 2021. In Guatemala, it is 83.3% as of 2021.

Basic Needs

be 22.7% less likely to have internet access

In Suriname, approximately 66.0% of the population has internet access as of 2021. In Guatemala, about 51.0% do as of 2021.

Expenditures

spend 38.0% less on education

Suriname spends 5.0% of its total GDP on education as of 2020. Guatemala spends 3.1% of total GDP on education as of 2021.

The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook, Ministry of Finance, Superintendence of the Tax Administration.

Guatemala: At a glance

Guatemala is a sovereign country in Central America/Caribbean, with a total land area of approximately 107,159 sq km. The Maya civilization flourished in Guatemala and surrounding regions during the first millennium A.D. After almost three centuries as a Spanish colony, Guatemala won its independence in 1821. During the second half of the 20th century, it experienced a variety of military and civilian governments, as well as a 36-year guerrilla war. In 1996, the government signed a peace agreement formally ending the internal conflict, which had left more than 200,000 people dead and had created, by some estimates, about 1 million refugees.
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How big is Guatemala compared to Suriname? See an in-depth size comparison.

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