Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Suriname instead of El Salvador, you would:
Health
live 1.5 years longer
In El Salvador, the average life expectancy is 72 years (68 years for men, 76 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 4.0 times more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In El Salvador, 0.4% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Suriname, that number is 1.6% of people as of 2024.
have 16.2% fewer doctors per person
El Salvador has 16.2 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Suriname has 13.6 as of 2023.
have 19.2% less access to essential health services
El Salvador scores 78 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Suriname scores 63 as of 2021.
be 2.9 times more likely to die by suicide
El Salvador has a suicide rate of 7.6 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Suriname, it is 22.3 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 35.3% less likely to live below the poverty line
In El Salvador, 27.2% live below the poverty line as of 2023. In Suriname, however, that number is 17.6% as of 2022.
make 22.6% more money
El Salvador has a GDP per capita of $5,767 as of 2025, while in Suriname, the GDP per capita is $7,070 as of 2025.
be 2.4 times more likely to be unemployed
In El Salvador, 3.3% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Suriname, that number is 7.8% as of 2025.
Life
be 2.2 times more likely to die during childbirth
In El Salvador, approximately 39.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Suriname, 84.0 women do as of 2023.
be 68.2% more likely to die during infancy
In El Salvador, approximately 8.8 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 31.5% more likely to have internet access
In El Salvador, approximately 66.5% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Suriname, about 87.4% do as of 2023.
Expenditures
spend 13.6% less on education
El Salvador spends 3.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2024. Suriname spends 2.9% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 41.8% less on healthcare
El Salvador spends 9.3% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Suriname, that number is 5.4% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 25.7% more coastline
El Salvador has a total of 307 km of coastline. In Suriname, that number is 386 km.
Safety
be 17.5% less likely to be murdered
El Salvador has a homicide rate of 7.9 per 100,000 people as of 2022. In Suriname, that number is 6.5 per 100,000 as of 2023.
be 24.7% less likely to die in a road accident
In El Salvador, road accidents kill 21.5 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Suriname, they kill 16.2 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 50.5% more home broadband
El Salvador has 12.5 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Suriname has 18.8 as of 2024.
live with 67.3% less strain on fresh water
El Salvador withdraws 12% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Suriname withdraws 4% as of 2022.
use 2.5 times more electricity
El Salvador uses 1,137 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Suriname uses 2,897 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
be 25.8% more likely to die from air pollution
In El Salvador, air pollution causes 31.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Suriname, it causes 39.0 as of 2019.
emit 2.7 times more CO2
El Salvador emits 1.5 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Suriname emits 4.1 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: El Salvador vs. Suriname
Suriname: At a glance
How big is Suriname compared to El Salvador? See an in-depth size comparison.