Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Suriname instead of Lesotho, you would:
Health
be 90.6% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Lesotho, 17.1% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Suriname, that number is 1.6% of people as of 2024.
live 16.0 years longer
In Lesotho, the average life expectancy is 58 years (55 years for men, 60 years for women) as of 2024. In Suriname, that number is 74 years (71 years for men, 77 years for women) as of 2024.
see 3.0 times more spent on your healthcare
Lesotho spends $386 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Suriname spends $1,143 as of 2023.
have 5.8 times more doctors per person
Lesotho has 2.4 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Suriname has 13.6 as of 2023.
have 18.9% more access to essential health services
Lesotho scores 53 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Suriname scores 63 as of 2021.
be 22.3% less likely to die by suicide
Lesotho has a suicide rate of 28.7 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Suriname, it is 22.3 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 38.6% more likely to be obese
In Lesotho, 22.2% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Suriname, that number is 30.8% of people as of 2024.
Economy
be 52.0% less likely to be unemployed
In Lesotho, 16.3% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Suriname, that number is 7.8% as of 2025.
make 6.5 times more money
Lesotho has a GDP per capita of $1,089 as of 2025, while in Suriname, the GDP per capita is $7,070 as of 2025.
Life
be 82.4% less likely to die during childbirth
In Lesotho, approximately 478.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Suriname, 84.0 women do as of 2023.
be 73.7% less likely to die during infancy
In Lesotho, approximately 56.3 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.
have 27.8% fewer children
In Lesotho, there are approximately 23.8 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Suriname, there are 17.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 73.8% more likely to have access to electricity
In Lesotho, approximately 57% of people have electricity access (85% in urban areas, and 45% 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.
be 68.7% more likely to have internet access
In Lesotho, approximately 51.8% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Suriname, about 87.4% do as of 2023.
be 25.5% more likely to have access to drinking water
In Lesotho, approximately 78% of people have access to drinking water (95% in urban areas, and 71% 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.
Expenditures
spend 56.6% less on education
Lesotho spends 6.6% of its total GDP on education as of 2024. Suriname spends 2.9% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 57.1% less on healthcare
Lesotho spends 12.6% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Suriname, that number is 5.4% of GDP as of 2023.
Safety
be 25.0% less likely to die in a road accident
In Lesotho, road accidents kill 21.6 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Suriname, they kill 16.2 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 49.3 times more home broadband
Lesotho has 0.4 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Suriname has 18.8 as of 2024.
live with 53.7% more strain on fresh water
Lesotho withdraws 3% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Suriname withdraws 4% as of 2022.
Environment
be 61.0% less likely to die from air pollution
In Lesotho, air pollution causes 100.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Suriname, it causes 39.0 as of 2019.
emit 9.4 times more CO2
Lesotho emits 0.4 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), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Lesotho vs. Suriname
Suriname: At a glance
How big is Suriname compared to Lesotho? See an in-depth size comparison.