Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Suriname instead of Malaysia, you would:
Health
be 5.3 times more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Malaysia, 0.3% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Suriname, that number is 1.6% of people as of 2024.
live 3.1 years less
In Malaysia, the average life expectancy is 77 years (74 years for men, 80 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 32.0% more likely to be obese
In Malaysia, 23.3% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Suriname, that number is 30.8% of people as of 2024.
see 20.7% less spent on your healthcare
Malaysia spends $1,441 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Suriname spends $1,143 as of 2023.
have 42.1% fewer doctors per person
Malaysia has 23.4 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Suriname has 13.6 as of 2023.
have 17.1% less access to essential health services
Malaysia scores 76 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Suriname scores 63 as of 2021.
be 3.9 times more likely to die by suicide
Malaysia has a suicide rate of 5.7 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Suriname, it is 22.3 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 2.1 times more likely to be unemployed
In Malaysia, 3.8% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Suriname, that number is 7.8% as of 2025.
be 3.5 times more likely to live below the poverty line
In Malaysia, 5.1% live below the poverty line as of 2023. In Suriname, however, that number is 17.6% as of 2022.
make 46.1% less money
Malaysia has a GDP per capita of $13,125 as of 2025, while in Suriname, the GDP per capita is $7,070 as of 2025.
Life
have 38.8% more children
In Malaysia, there are approximately 12.4 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Suriname, there are 17.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 3.2 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Malaysia, approximately 26.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Suriname, 84.0 women do as of 2023.
be 2.1 times more likely to die during infancy
In Malaysia, approximately 7.0 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 10.8% less likely to have internet access
In Malaysia, approximately 98.0% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Suriname, about 87.4% do as of 2023.
Expenditures
spend 18.2% less on education
Malaysia spends 3.5% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Suriname spends 2.9% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 36.6% more on healthcare
Malaysia spends 4.0% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Suriname, that number is 5.4% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 91.7% less coastline
Malaysia has a total of 4,675 km of coastline. In Suriname, that number is 386 km.
Safety
be 8.9 times more likely to be murdered
Malaysia has a homicide rate of 0.7 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Suriname, that number is 6.5 per 100,000 as of 2023.
be 16.5% more likely to die in a road accident
In Malaysia, road accidents kill 13.9 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Suriname, they kill 16.2 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 38.4% more home broadband
Malaysia has 13.6 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Suriname has 18.8 as of 2024.
live with 14.8% more strain on fresh water
Malaysia withdraws 3% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Suriname withdraws 4% as of 2022.
use 43.0% less electricity
Malaysia uses 5,084 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Suriname uses 2,897 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
be 38.1% less likely to die from air pollution
In Malaysia, air pollution causes 63.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Suriname, it causes 39.0 as of 2019.
emit 51.2% less CO2
Malaysia emits 8.3 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), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Malaysia vs. Suriname
Suriname: At a glance
How big is Suriname compared to Malaysia? See an in-depth size comparison.