Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Suriname instead of Barbados, you would:
Health
be 21.9% less likely to be obese
In Barbados, 39.4% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Suriname, that number is 30.8% of people as of 2024.
be 60.0% more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Barbados, 1.0% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Suriname, that number is 1.6% of people as of 2024.
live 2.6 years less
In Barbados, the average life expectancy is 76 years (74 years for men, 79 years for women) as of 2024. In Suriname, that number is 74 years (71 years for men, 77 years for women) as of 2024.
have 54.2% fewer doctors per person
Barbados has 29.6 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Suriname has 13.6 as of 2023.
have 18.2% less access to essential health services
Barbados scores 77 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Suriname scores 63 as of 2021.
be 6.4 times more likely to die by suicide
Barbados has a suicide rate of 3.5 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Suriname, it is 22.3 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 20.1% more likely to be unemployed
In Barbados, 6.5% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Suriname, that number is 7.8% as of 2025.
make 75.1% less money
Barbados has a GDP per capita of $28,365 as of 2025, while in Suriname, the GDP per capita is $7,070 as of 2025.
Life
have 54.2% more children
In Barbados, there are approximately 11.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Suriname, there are 17.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 2.4 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Barbados, approximately 35.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Suriname, 84.0 women do as of 2023.
be 62.6% more likely to die during infancy
In Barbados, approximately 9.1 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.
Basic Needs
be 24.2% more likely to have internet access
In Barbados, approximately 70.4% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Suriname, about 87.4% do as of 2023.
Expenditures
spend 19.4% less on education
Barbados spends 3.6% of its total GDP on education as of 2024. Suriname spends 2.9% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
Geography
see 4.0 times more coastline
Barbados has a total of 97 km of coastline. In Suriname, that number is 386 km.
Safety
be 12.4% less likely to be murdered
Barbados has a homicide rate of 7.4 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Suriname, that number is 6.5 per 100,000 as of 2023.
be 62.0% more likely to die in a road accident
In Barbados, road accidents kill 10.0 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Suriname, they kill 16.2 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 95.5% less strain on fresh water
Barbados withdraws 88% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Suriname withdraws 4% as of 2022.
find 50.0% less home broadband
Barbados has 37.5 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2022. Suriname has 18.8 as of 2024.
Environment
be 2.1 times more likely to die from air pollution
In Barbados, air pollution causes 19.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Suriname, it causes 39.0 as of 2019.
emit 61.1% more CO2
Barbados emits 2.5 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Suriname emits 4.1 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Barbados vs. Suriname
Suriname: At a glance
How big is Suriname compared to Barbados? See an in-depth size comparison.