Quality of life comparison

compared to

If you lived in Suriname instead of United States, you would:

Health

be 27.1% less likely to be obese

In United States, 36.2% of adults are obese as of 2016. In Suriname, that number is 26.4% of people as of 2016.

live 8.2 years less

In United States, the average life expectancy is 81 years (78 years for men, 83 years for women) as of 2022. In Suriname, that number is 72 years (69 years for men, 76 years for women) as of 2022.

Economy

make 74.2% less money

United States has a GDP per capita of $73,600 as of 2023, while in Suriname, the GDP per capita is $19,000 as of 2023.

be 2.1 times more likely to be unemployed

In United States, 3.6% of adults are unemployed as of 2023. In Suriname, that number is 7.7% as of 2023.

be 4.6 times more likely to live below the poverty line

In United States, 15.1% live below the poverty line as of 2010. In Suriname, however, that number is 70.0% as of 2002.

Life

have 22.1% more children

In United States, there are approximately 12.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Suriname, there are 14.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

be 4.6 times more likely to die during childbirth

In United States, approximately 21.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2020. In Suriname, 96.0 women do as of 2020.

be 5.9 times more likely to die during infancy

In United States, approximately 5.2 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.

Basic Needs

be 28.3% less likely to have internet access

In United States, approximately 92.0% of the population has internet access as of 2021. In Suriname, about 66.0% do as of 2021.

Expenditures

spend 18.0% less on education

United States spends 6.1% of its total GDP on education as of 2020. Suriname spends 5.0% of total GDP on education as of 2020.

spend 63.8% less on healthcare

United States spends 18.8% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2020. In Suriname, that number is 6.8% of GDP as of 2020.

Geography

see 98.1% less coastline

United States has a total of 19,924 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 United States? See an in-depth size comparison.

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