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

Health

see 5.8 times more spent on your healthcare

Bangladesh spends $199 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Suriname spends $1,143 as of 2023.

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have 87.7% more doctors per person

Bangladesh has 7.2 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Suriname has 13.6 as of 2023.

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have 21.2% more access to essential health services

Bangladesh scores 52 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Suriname scores 63 as of 2021.

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be 16.0 times more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS

In Bangladesh, 0.1% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Suriname, that number is 1.6% of people as of 2024.

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live 1.2 years less

In Bangladesh, the average life expectancy is 75 years (73 years for men, 77 years for women) as of 2024. In Suriname, that number is 74 years (71 years for men, 77 years for women) as of 2024.

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be 5.4 times more likely to be obese

In Bangladesh, 5.8% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Suriname, that number is 30.8% of people as of 2024.

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be 7.9 times more likely to die by suicide

Bangladesh has a suicide rate of 2.8 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Suriname, it is 22.3 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Economy

make 2.7 times more money

Bangladesh has a GDP per capita of $2,597 as of 2025, while in Suriname, the GDP per capita is $7,070 as of 2025.

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be 2.1 times more likely to be unemployed

In Bangladesh, 3.8% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Suriname, that number is 7.8% as of 2025.

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Life

be 27.0% less likely to die during childbirth

In Bangladesh, approximately 115.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Suriname, 84.0 women do as of 2023.

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be 20.3% more likely to be literate

In Bangladesh, the literacy rate is 79.0% as of 2022. In Suriname, it is 95.0% as of 2021.

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be 39.3% less likely to die during infancy

In Bangladesh, approximately 24.4 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2024. In Suriname, on the other hand, 14.8 children do as of 2024.

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have 14.2% fewer children

In Bangladesh, there are approximately 20.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Suriname, there are 17.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

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Basic Needs

be 63.6% more likely to have internet access

In Bangladesh, approximately 53.4% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Suriname, about 87.4% do as of 2023.

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Expenditures

spend 41.4% more on education

Bangladesh spends 2.0% of its total GDP on education as of 2024. Suriname spends 2.9% of total GDP on education as of 2023.

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spend 2.5 times more on healthcare

Bangladesh spends 2.2% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Suriname, that number is 5.4% of GDP as of 2023.

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Geography

see 33.4% less coastline

Bangladesh has a total of 580 km of coastline. In Suriname, that number is 386 km.

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Safety

be 12.9% less likely to die in a road accident

In Bangladesh, road accidents kill 18.6 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Suriname, they kill 16.2 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Infrastructure

find 2.3 times more home broadband

Bangladesh has 8.1 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Suriname has 18.8 as of 2024.

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live with 30.9% less strain on fresh water

Bangladesh withdraws 6% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Suriname withdraws 4% as of 2022.

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use 4.8 times more electricity

Bangladesh uses 603 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Suriname uses 2,897 kWh as of 2023.

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Environment

be 40.9% less likely to die from air pollution

In Bangladesh, air pollution causes 66.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Suriname, it causes 39.0 as of 2019.

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emit 5.6 times more CO2

Bangladesh emits 0.7 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Suriname emits 4.1 tonnes as of 2024.

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Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), The World Factbook (2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this

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 Bangladesh? See an in-depth size comparison.

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