Quality of life comparison

compared to

If you lived in Suriname instead of Hong Kong, you would:

Health

live 11.6 years less

In Hong Kong, the average life expectancy is 85 years (83 years for men, 88 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 2.8 times more likely to be unemployed

In Hong Kong, 2.8% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Suriname, that number is 7.8% as of 2025.

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make 87.6% less money

Hong Kong has a GDP per capita of $56,983 as of 2025, while in Suriname, the GDP per capita is $7,070 as of 2025.

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Life

have 3.5 times more children

In Hong Kong, there are approximately 4.9 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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be 5.8 times more likely to die during infancy

In Hong Kong, approximately 2.5 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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Expenditures

spend 24.7% less on education

Hong Kong spends 3.8% of its total GDP on education as of 2024. Suriname spends 2.9% of total GDP on education as of 2023.

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Geography

see 47.3% less coastline

Hong Kong has a total of 733 km of coastline. In Suriname, that number is 386 km.

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Safety

be 17.2 times more likely to be murdered

Hong Kong has a homicide rate of 0.4 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Suriname, that number is 6.5 per 100,000 as of 2023.

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Infrastructure

find 53.4% less home broadband

Hong Kong has 40.3 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Suriname has 18.8 as of 2024.

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use 54.4% less electricity

Hong Kong uses 6,359 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Suriname uses 2,897 kWh as of 2023.

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Environment

emit 11.7% less CO2

Hong Kong emits 4.6 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 (2022). How we calculate this

Compare further: Hong Kong vs. Suriname

Cost of Living Comparison · 7 categories - 2026 data
Suriname is 61.9% cheaper than Hong Kong overall
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Size Comparison · See true size
Hong Kong is about 148 times smaller than Suriname.
→
Moving from Hong Kong to Suriname · Cost, visas & climate
Compare cost of living, salary and climate.
→

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 Hong Kong? See an in-depth size comparison.

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