Quality of life comparison

compared to

If you lived in Puerto Rico instead of Suriname, you would:

Health

live 9.3 years longer

In Suriname, the average life expectancy is 72 years (69 years for men, 76 years for women) as of 2022. In Puerto Rico, that number is 82 years (78 years for men, 85 years for women) as of 2022.

Economy

make 2.3 times more money

Suriname has a GDP per capita of $19,000 as of 2023, while in Puerto Rico, the GDP per capita is $43,000 as of 2023.

be 22.6% less likely to be unemployed

In Suriname, 7.7% of adults are unemployed as of 2023. In Puerto Rico, that number is 6.0% as of 2023.

pay a 13.2% lower top tax rate

Suriname has a top tax rate of 38.0% as of 2016. In Puerto Rico, the top tax rate is 33.0% as of 2016.

Life

be 64.6% less likely to die during childbirth

In Suriname, approximately 96.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2020. In Puerto Rico, 34.0 women do as of 2020.

be 80.0% 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 Puerto Rico, on the other hand, 6.0 children do as of 2022.

have 47.7% fewer children

In Suriname, there are approximately 14.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Puerto Rico, there are 7.8 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

Basic Needs

be 17.7% more likely to have internet access

In Suriname, approximately 66.0% of the population has internet access as of 2021. In Puerto Rico, about 77.7% do as of 2021.

Expenditures

spend 28.0% less on education

Suriname spends 5.0% of its total GDP on education as of 2020. Puerto Rico spends 3.6% of total GDP on education as of 2021.

Geography

see 29.8% more coastline

Suriname has a total of 386 km of coastline. In Puerto Rico, that number is 501 km.

The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook, Ministry of Finance, Puerto Rican Department of Treasury.

Puerto Rico: At a glance

Puerto Rico is a territory in Central America/Caribbean, with a total land area of approximately 8,959 sq km. Populated for centuries by aboriginal peoples, the island was claimed by the Spanish Crown in 1493 following Christopher COLUMBUS' second voyage to the Americas. In 1898, after 400 years of colonial rule that saw the indigenous population nearly exterminated and African slave labor introduced, Puerto Rico was ceded to the US as a result of the Spanish-American War. Puerto Ricans were granted US citizenship in 1917. Popularly-elected governors have served since 1948. In 1952, a constitution was enacted providing for internal self government. In plebiscites held in 1967, 1993, and 1998, voters chose not to alter the existing political status with the US, but the results of a 2012 vote left open the possibility of American statehood.
Read more

How big is Puerto Rico compared to Suriname? See an in-depth size comparison.

Share this

ASK THE ELSEWHERE COMMUNITY

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