Quality of life comparison

compared to

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

Health

live 4.0 years longer

In Tuvalu, the average life expectancy is 68 years (66 years for men, 71 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 48.8% less likely to be obese

In Tuvalu, 51.6% of adults are obese as of 2016. In Suriname, that number is 26.4% of people as of 2016.

Economy

make 3.7 times more money

Tuvalu has a GDP per capita of $5,200 as of 2023, while in Suriname, the GDP per capita is $19,000 as of 2023.

be 2.7 times more likely to live below the poverty line

In Tuvalu, 26.3% live below the poverty line as of 2010. In Suriname, however, that number is 70.0% as of 2002.

Life

have 34.4% fewer children

In Tuvalu, there are approximately 22.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2022. In Suriname, there are 14.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

Basic Needs

be 34.7% more likely to have internet access

In Tuvalu, approximately 49.0% of the population has internet access as of 2021. In Suriname, about 66.0% do as of 2021.

Expenditures

spend 68.4% less on healthcare

Tuvalu spends 21.5% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2020. In Suriname, that number is 6.8% of GDP as of 2020.

Geography

see 16.1 times more coastline

Tuvalu has a total of 24 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 Tuvalu? See an in-depth size comparison.

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