Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Suriname instead of China, you would:
Health
live 4.3 years less
In China, the average life expectancy is 78 years (75 years for men, 81 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 3.3 times more likely to be obese
In China, 9.3% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Suriname, that number is 30.8% of people as of 2024.
see 23.1% less spent on your healthcare
China spends $1,487 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Suriname spends $1,143 as of 2023.
have 56.5% fewer doctors per person
China has 31.1 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Suriname has 13.6 as of 2023.
have 22.2% less access to essential health services
China scores 81 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Suriname scores 63 as of 2021.
be 2.5 times more likely to die by suicide
China has a suicide rate of 8.9 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Suriname, it is 22.3 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 69.5% more likely to be unemployed
In China, 4.6% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Suriname, that number is 7.8% as of 2025.
make 49.0% less money
China has a GDP per capita of $13,862 as of 2025, while in Suriname, the GDP per capita is $7,070 as of 2025.
Life
have 2.5 times more children
In China, there are approximately 6.8 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Suriname, there are 17.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 5.2 times more likely to die during childbirth
In China, approximately 16.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Suriname, 84.0 women do as of 2023.
be 3.6 times more likely to die during infancy
In China, approximately 4.1 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 26.4% less on education
China spends 3.9% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Suriname spends 2.9% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
Geography
see 97.3% less coastline
China has a total of 14,500 km of coastline. In Suriname, that number is 386 km.
Safety
be 13.0 times more likely to be murdered
China has a homicide rate of 0.5 per 100,000 people as of 2020. In Suriname, that number is 6.5 per 100,000 as of 2023.
Infrastructure
live with 90.5% less strain on fresh water
China withdraws 42% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Suriname withdraws 4% as of 2022.
find 60.3% less home broadband
China has 47.2 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Suriname has 18.8 as of 2024.
use 55.6% less electricity
China uses 6,524 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Suriname uses 2,897 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
be 39.1% less likely to die from air pollution
In China, air pollution causes 64.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Suriname, it causes 39.0 as of 2019.
emit 56.4% less CO2
China emits 9.3 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Suriname emits 4.1 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2020–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: China vs. Suriname
Suriname: At a glance
How big is Suriname compared to China? See an in-depth size comparison.