If you lived in Suriname instead of Djibouti, you would:

Health

live 7.6 years longer

In Djibouti, the average life expectancy is 66 years (64 years for men, 69 years for women) as of 2024. In Suriname, that number is 74 years (71 years for men, 77 years for women) as of 2024.

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see 7.4 times more spent on your healthcare

Djibouti spends $155 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Suriname spends $1,143 as of 2023.

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have 6.4 times more doctors per person

Djibouti has 2.1 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Suriname has 13.6 as of 2023.

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have 43.2% more access to essential health services

Djibouti scores 44 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Suriname scores 63 as of 2021.

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be 77.8% more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS

In Djibouti, 0.9% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Suriname, that number is 1.6% of people as of 2024.

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be 2.6 times more likely to be obese

In Djibouti, 11.7% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Suriname, that number is 30.8% of people as of 2024.

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be 2.8 times more likely to die by suicide

Djibouti has a suicide rate of 8.0 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Suriname, it is 22.3 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Economy

be 69.9% less likely to be unemployed

In Djibouti, 26.0% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Suriname, that number is 7.8% as of 2025.

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make 81.0% more money

Djibouti has a GDP per capita of $3,906 as of 2025, while in Suriname, the GDP per capita is $7,070 as of 2025.

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Life

be 48.1% less likely to die during childbirth

In Djibouti, approximately 162.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Suriname, 84.0 women do as of 2023.

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be 65.6% less likely to die during infancy

In Djibouti, approximately 43.0 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.

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have 18.1% fewer children

In Djibouti, there are approximately 20.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Suriname, there are 17.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

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Basic Needs

be 52.8% more likely to have access to electricity

In Djibouti, approximately 65% of people have electricity access (75% in urban areas, and 37% 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.

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be 33.8% more likely to have internet access

In Djibouti, approximately 65.3% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Suriname, about 87.4% do as of 2023.

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be 23.0% more likely to have access to drinking water

In Djibouti, approximately 80% of people have access to drinking water (84% in urban areas, and 62% 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.

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Expenditures

spend 2.4 times more on healthcare

Djibouti spends 2.3% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Suriname, that number is 5.4% of GDP as of 2023.

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Geography

see 22.9% more coastline

Djibouti has a total of 314 km of coastline. In Suriname, that number is 386 km.

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Safety

be 30.5% less likely to die in a road accident

In Djibouti, road accidents kill 23.3 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Suriname, they kill 16.2 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Infrastructure

find 12.8 times more home broadband

Djibouti has 1.5 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2023. Suriname has 18.8 as of 2024.

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live with 37.6% less strain on fresh water

Djibouti withdraws 6% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Suriname withdraws 4% as of 2022.

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Environment

be 33.9% less likely to die from air pollution

In Djibouti, air pollution causes 59.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Suriname, it causes 39.0 as of 2019.

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emit 5.3 times more CO2

Djibouti emits 0.8 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Suriname emits 4.1 tonnes as of 2024.

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Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this

Suriname: At a glance

Suriname is a sovereign country in South America, with a total land area of approximately 156,000 sq km. First explored by the Spaniards in the 16th century and then settled by the English in the mid-17th century, Suriname became a Dutch colony in 1667. With the abolition of African slavery in 1863, workers were brought in from India and Java. Independence from the Netherlands was granted in 1975. Five years later the civilian government was replaced by a military regime that soon declared a socialist republic. It continued to exert control through a succession of nominally civilian administrations until 1987, when international pressure finally forced a democratic election. In 1990, the military overthrew the civilian leadership, but a democratically elected government - a four-party coalition - returned to power in 1991. The coalition expanded to eight parties in 2005 and ruled until August 2010, when voters returned former military leader Desire BOUTERSE and his opposition coalition to power.
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How big is Suriname compared to Djibouti? See an in-depth size comparison.

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