Quality of life comparison

compared to

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

Health

be 90.1% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS

In Zambia, 11.1% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2020. In Suriname, that number is 1.1% of people as of 2020.

live 6.2 years longer

In Zambia, the average life expectancy is 66 years (65 years for men, 68 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 3.3 times more likely to be obese

In Zambia, 8.1% of adults are obese as of 2016. In Suriname, that number is 26.4% of people as of 2016.

Economy

make 5.1 times more money

Zambia has a GDP per capita of $3,700 as of 2023, while in Suriname, the GDP per capita is $19,000 as of 2023.

be 30.3% more likely to be unemployed

In Zambia, 5.9% of adults are unemployed as of 2023. In Suriname, that number is 7.7% as of 2023.

be 16.7% more likely to live below the poverty line

In Zambia, 60.0% live below the poverty line as of 2022. In Suriname, however, that number is 70.0% as of 2002.

Life

be 28.9% less likely to die during childbirth

In Zambia, approximately 135.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2020. In Suriname, 96.0 women do as of 2020.

be 18.5% less likely to die during infancy

In Zambia, approximately 37.1 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 56.3% fewer children

In Zambia, there are approximately 34.1 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 2.1 times more likely to have access to electricity

In Zambia, approximately 48% of people have electricity access (86% in urban areas, and 14% in rural areas) as of 2022. In Suriname, that number is 99% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 97% in rural areas) as of 2022.

be 3.1 times more likely to have internet access

In Zambia, approximately 21.0% of the population has internet access as of 2021. In Suriname, about 66.0% do as of 2021.

be 38.4% more likely to have access to improved drinking water

In Zambia, approximately 72% of people have improved drinking water access (90% in urban areas, and 57% 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 35.1% more on education

Zambia spends 3.7% of its total GDP on education as of 2020. Suriname spends 5.0% of total GDP on education as of 2020.

spend 21.4% more on healthcare

Zambia spends 5.6% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2020. In Suriname, that number is 6.8% of GDP as of 2020.

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 Zambia? See an in-depth size comparison.

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