Quality of life comparison

compared to

If you lived in Suriname instead of French Polynesia, you would:

Health

be 37.4% less likely to be obese

In French Polynesia, 49.1% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Suriname, that number is 30.8% of people as of 2024.

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live 10.4 years less

In French Polynesia, the average life expectancy is 84 years (82 years for men, 87 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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Economy

be 32.8% less likely to be unemployed

In French Polynesia, 11.7% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Suriname, that number is 7.8% as of 2025.

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make 68.5% less money

French Polynesia has a GDP per capita of $22,440 as of 2024, while in Suriname, the GDP per capita is $7,070 as of 2025.

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Life

have 60.4% more children

In French Polynesia, there are approximately 10.7 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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be 3.4 times more likely to die during infancy

In French Polynesia, approximately 4.4 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2022. In Suriname, on the other hand, 14.8 children do as of 2024.

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Basic Needs

be 20.2% more likely to have internet access

In French Polynesia, approximately 72.7% of the population has internet access as of 2021. In Suriname, about 87.4% do as of 2023.

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Geography

see 84.7% less coastline

French Polynesia has a total of 2,525 km of coastline. In Suriname, that number is 386 km.

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Infrastructure

find 47.3% less home broadband

French Polynesia has 35.5 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2023. Suriname has 18.8 as of 2024.

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Environment

emit 17.3% more CO2

French Polynesia emits 3.5 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 (2023–2025), The World Factbook (2021–2022), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this

Compare further: French Polynesia vs. Suriname

Cost of Living Comparison · 7 categories - 2026 data
Suriname is 51.8% cheaper than French Polynesia overall
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Size Comparison · See true size
French Polynesia is about 39 times smaller than Suriname.
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Moving from French Polynesia to Suriname · Cost, visas & climate
Compare cost of living, salary and climate.
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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 French Polynesia? See an in-depth size comparison.

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