Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Suriname instead of Democratic Republic of the Congo, you would:
Health
live 11.7 years longer
In Democratic Republic of the Congo, the average life expectancy is 62 years (60 years for men, 64 years for women) as of 2024. In Suriname, that number is 74 years (71 years for men, 77 years for women) as of 2024.
see 19.8 times more spent on your healthcare
Democratic Republic of the Congo spends $58 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Suriname spends $1,143 as of 2023.
have 6.5 times more doctors per person
Democratic Republic of the Congo has 2.1 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Suriname has 13.6 as of 2023.
have 50.0% more access to essential health services
Democratic Republic of the Congo scores 42 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Suriname scores 63 as of 2021.
be 2.3 times more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Democratic Republic of the Congo, 0.7% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Suriname, that number is 1.6% of people as of 2024.
be 4.6 times more likely to be obese
In Democratic Republic of the Congo, 6.7% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Suriname, that number is 30.8% of people as of 2024.
be 2.5 times more likely to die by suicide
Democratic Republic of the Congo has a suicide rate of 8.8 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Suriname, it is 22.3 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 68.7% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Democratic Republic of the Congo, 56.2% live below the poverty line as of 2020. In Suriname, however, that number is 17.6% as of 2022.
make 8.8 times more money
Democratic Republic of the Congo has a GDP per capita of $807 as of 2025, while in Suriname, the GDP per capita is $7,070 as of 2025.
be 76.7% more likely to be unemployed
In Democratic Republic of the Congo, 4.4% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Suriname, that number is 7.8% as of 2025.
Life
be 80.3% less likely to die during childbirth
In Democratic Republic of the Congo, approximately 427.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Suriname, 84.0 women do as of 2023.
be 38.7% more likely to be literate
In Democratic Republic of the Congo, the literacy rate is 68.5% as of 2023. In Suriname, it is 95.0% as of 2021.
be 73.8% less likely to die during infancy
In Democratic Republic of the Congo, approximately 56.4 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.
have 58.0% fewer children
In Democratic Republic of the Congo, there are approximately 40.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Suriname, there are 17.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 4.5 times more likely to have access to electricity
In Democratic Republic of the Congo, approximately 22% of people have electricity access (56% in urban areas, and 1% in rural areas) as of 2023. In Suriname, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 99% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 4.4 times more likely to have internet access
In Democratic Republic of the Congo, approximately 19.7% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Suriname, about 87.4% do as of 2023.
be 2.7 times more likely to have access to drinking water
In Democratic Republic of the Congo, approximately 36% of people have access to drinking water (59% in urban areas, and 14% in rural areas) as of 2024. In Suriname, that number is 98% of people on average (99% in urban areas, and 97% in rural areas) as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 47.0% more on healthcare
Democratic Republic of the Congo spends 3.7% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Suriname, that number is 5.4% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 10.4 times more coastline
Democratic Republic of the Congo has a total of 37 km of coastline. In Suriname, that number is 386 km.
Infrastructure
find 625.0 times more home broadband
Democratic Republic of the Congo has 0.0 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Suriname has 18.8 as of 2024.
use 22.5 times more electricity
Democratic Republic of the Congo uses 129 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Suriname uses 2,897 kWh as of 2023.
live with 17.2 times more strain on fresh water
Democratic Republic of the Congo withdraws 0% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Suriname withdraws 4% as of 2022.
Environment
be 45.8% less likely to die from air pollution
In Democratic Republic of the Congo, air pollution causes 72.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Suriname, it causes 39.0 as of 2019.
emit 67.7 times more CO2
Democratic Republic of the Congo emits 0.1 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), The World Factbook (2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Democratic Republic of the Congo vs. Suriname
MORE COMPARISONS
Suriname: At a glance
How big is Suriname compared to Democratic Republic of the Congo? See an in-depth size comparison.