Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Suriname instead of Latvia, you would:
Health
be 3.2 times more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Latvia, 0.5% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Suriname, that number is 1.6% of people as of 2024.
live 2.7 years less
In Latvia, the average life expectancy is 76 years (72 years for men, 82 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 38.0% more likely to be obese
In Latvia, 22.3% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Suriname, that number is 30.8% of people as of 2024.
see 62.3% less spent on your healthcare
Latvia spends $3,034 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Suriname spends $1,143 as of 2023.
have 60.1% fewer doctors per person
Latvia has 34.0 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Suriname has 13.6 as of 2023.
have 16.0% less access to essential health services
Latvia scores 75 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Suriname scores 63 as of 2021.
be 46.4% more likely to die by suicide
Latvia has a suicide rate of 15.2 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Suriname, it is 22.3 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 21.8% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Latvia, 22.5% live below the poverty line as of 2022. In Suriname, however, that number is 17.6% as of 2022.
be 19.2% more likely to be unemployed
In Latvia, 6.6% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Suriname, that number is 7.8% as of 2025.
make 73.1% less money
Latvia has a GDP per capita of $26,312 as of 2025, while in Suriname, the GDP per capita is $7,070 as of 2025.
Life
have 2.5 times more children
In Latvia, there are approximately 6.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Suriname, there are 17.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 4.4 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Latvia, approximately 19.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Suriname, 84.0 women do as of 2023.
be 6.7 times more likely to die during infancy
In Latvia, approximately 2.2 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.
Expenditures
spend 33.6% less on education
Latvia spends 4.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Suriname spends 2.9% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 25.7% less on healthcare
Latvia spends 7.3% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Suriname, that number is 5.4% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 22.5% less coastline
Latvia has a total of 498 km of coastline. In Suriname, that number is 386 km.
Safety
be 2.6 times more likely to be murdered
Latvia has a homicide rate of 2.5 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Suriname, that number is 6.5 per 100,000 as of 2023.
be 65.3% more likely to die in a road accident
In Latvia, road accidents kill 9.8 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Suriname, they kill 16.2 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 27.2% less home broadband
Latvia has 25.8 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Suriname has 18.8 as of 2024.
live with 3.9 times more strain on fresh water
Latvia withdraws 1% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Suriname withdraws 4% as of 2022.
use 23.1% less electricity
Latvia uses 3,768 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. Suriname uses 2,897 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
emit 11.2% more CO2
Latvia emits 3.6 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 (2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Latvia vs. Suriname
Suriname: At a glance
How big is Suriname compared to Latvia? See an in-depth size comparison.