Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Suriname instead of Belgium, you would:
Health
be 8.0 times more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Belgium, 0.2% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Suriname, that number is 1.6% of people as of 2024.
live 8.5 years less
In Belgium, the average life expectancy is 82 years (80 years for men, 84 years for women) as of 2024. In Suriname, that number is 74 years (71 years for men, 77 years for women) as of 2024.
be 47.7% more likely to be obese
In Belgium, 20.9% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Suriname, that number is 30.8% of people as of 2024.
see 84.7% less spent on your healthcare
Belgium spends $7,489 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Suriname spends $1,143 as of 2023.
have 62.1% fewer doctors per person
Belgium has 35.7 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Suriname has 13.6 as of 2023.
have 26.7% less access to essential health services
Belgium scores 86 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Suriname scores 63 as of 2021.
be 21.2% more likely to die by suicide
Belgium has a suicide rate of 18.4 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Suriname, it is 22.3 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 32.5% more likely to be unemployed
In Belgium, 5.9% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Suriname, that number is 7.8% as of 2025.
be 43.1% more likely to live below the poverty line
In Belgium, 12.3% live below the poverty line as of 2022. In Suriname, however, that number is 17.6% as of 2022.
make 88.4% less money
Belgium has a GDP per capita of $60,750 as of 2025, while in Suriname, the GDP per capita is $7,070 as of 2025.
Life
have 86.4% more children
In Belgium, there are approximately 9.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Suriname, there are 17.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 21.0 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Belgium, approximately 4.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Suriname, 84.0 women do as of 2023.
be 4.8 times more likely to die during infancy
In Belgium, approximately 3.1 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.
Expenditures
spend 54.3% less on education
Belgium spends 6.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Suriname spends 2.9% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 49.9% less on healthcare
Belgium spends 10.8% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Suriname, that number is 5.4% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 5.8 times more coastline
Belgium has a total of 66 km of coastline. In Suriname, that number is 386 km.
Safety
be 6.0 times more likely to be murdered
Belgium has a homicide rate of 1.1 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Suriname, that number is 6.5 per 100,000 as of 2023.
be 3.5 times more likely to die in a road accident
In Belgium, road accidents kill 4.6 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Suriname, they kill 16.2 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 92.5% less strain on fresh water
Belgium withdraws 53% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Suriname withdraws 4% as of 2022.
find 57.6% less home broadband
Belgium has 44.2 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Suriname has 18.8 as of 2024.
use 59.2% less electricity
Belgium uses 7,099 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. Suriname uses 2,897 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
emit 44.5% less CO2
Belgium emits 7.3 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Suriname emits 4.1 tonnes as of 2024.
be 2.6 times more likely to die from air pollution
In Belgium, air pollution causes 15.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Suriname, it causes 39.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Belgium vs. Suriname
Suriname: At a glance
How big is Suriname compared to Belgium? See an in-depth size comparison.