Quality of life comparison

compared to

If you lived in Suriname instead of Timor-Leste, you would:

Health

live 2.5 years longer

In Timor-Leste, the average life expectancy is 70 years (68 years for men, 72 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 5.5 times more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS

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

be 6.9 times more likely to be obese

In Timor-Leste, 3.8% of adults are obese as of 2016. In Suriname, that number is 26.4% of people as of 2016.

Economy

make 4.1 times more money

Timor-Leste has a GDP per capita of $4,600 as of 2023, while in Suriname, the GDP per capita is $19,000 as of 2023.

be 5.1 times more likely to be unemployed

In Timor-Leste, 1.5% of adults are unemployed as of 2023. In Suriname, that number is 7.7% as of 2023.

be 67.5% more likely to live below the poverty line

In Timor-Leste, 41.8% live below the poverty line as of 2014. In Suriname, however, that number is 70.0% as of 2002.

Life

be 52.9% less likely to die during childbirth

In Timor-Leste, approximately 204.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2020. In Suriname, 96.0 women do as of 2020.

be 39.5% more likely to be literate

In Timor-Leste, the literacy rate is 68.1% as of 2018. In Suriname, it is 95.0% as of 2021.

be 10.2% less likely to die during infancy

In Timor-Leste, approximately 33.7 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 49.8% fewer children

In Timor-Leste, there are approximately 29.7 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 69.2% more likely to have internet access

In Timor-Leste, approximately 39.0% of the population has internet access as of 2021. In Suriname, about 66.0% do as of 2021.

be 13.4% more likely to have access to improved drinking water

In Timor-Leste, approximately 87% of people have improved drinking water access (98% in urban areas, and 82% 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 31.3% less on healthcare

Timor-Leste spends 9.9% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2020. In Suriname, that number is 6.8% of GDP as of 2020.

spend 19.0% more on education

Timor-Leste spends 4.2% of its total GDP on education as of 2020. Suriname spends 5.0% of total GDP on education as of 2020.

Geography

see 45.3% less coastline

Timor-Leste has a total of 706 km of coastline. In Suriname, that number is 386 km.

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

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 Timor-Leste? See an in-depth size comparison.

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