Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Suriname instead of Colombia, you would:
Health
be 2.7 times more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Colombia, 0.6% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Suriname, that number is 1.6% of people as of 2024.
live 4.1 years less
In Colombia, 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 23.7% more likely to be obese
In Colombia, 24.9% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Suriname, that number is 30.8% of people as of 2024.
see 35.0% less spent on your healthcare
Colombia spends $1,758 per person on healthcare as of 2024 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Suriname spends $1,143 as of 2023.
have 46.5% fewer doctors per person
Colombia has 25.4 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Suriname has 13.6 as of 2023.
have 21.2% less access to essential health services
Colombia scores 80 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Suriname scores 63 as of 2021.
be 4.5 times more likely to die by suicide
Colombia has a suicide rate of 5.0 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Suriname, it is 22.3 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 44.7% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Colombia, 31.8% live below the poverty line as of 2024. In Suriname, however, that number is 17.6% as of 2022.
make 17.4% less money
Colombia has a GDP per capita of $8,562 as of 2025, while in Suriname, the GDP per capita is $7,070 as of 2025.
Life
have 29.4% more children
In Colombia, there are approximately 13.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Suriname, there are 17.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 42.4% more likely to die during childbirth
In Colombia, approximately 59.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Suriname, 84.0 women do as of 2023.
be 41.0% more likely to die during infancy
In Colombia, approximately 10.5 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 10.1% more likely to have internet access
In Colombia, approximately 79.3% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Suriname, about 87.4% do as of 2023.
Expenditures
spend 45.4% less on education
Colombia spends 5.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2020. Suriname spends 2.9% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 33.5% less on healthcare
Colombia spends 8.1% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2024. In Suriname, that number is 5.4% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 88.0% less coastline
Colombia has a total of 3,208 km of coastline. In Suriname, that number is 386 km.
Safety
be 73.8% less likely to be murdered
Colombia has a homicide rate of 24.9 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Suriname, that number is 6.5 per 100,000 as of 2023.
Infrastructure
use 86.8% more electricity
Colombia uses 1,551 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. Suriname uses 2,897 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
be 62.5% more likely to die from air pollution
In Colombia, air pollution causes 24.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Suriname, it causes 39.0 as of 2019.
emit 2.3 times more CO2
Colombia emits 1.8 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: Colombia vs. Suriname
Suriname: At a glance
How big is Suriname compared to Colombia? See an in-depth size comparison.