Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Suriname instead of Marshall Islands, you would:
Health
live 6.7 years longer
In Marshall Islands, the average life expectancy is 67 years (65 years for men, 69 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 26.6% less likely to be obese
In Marshall Islands, 42.0% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Suriname, that number is 30.8% of people as of 2024.
see 30.7% more spent on your healthcare
Marshall Islands spends $874 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Suriname spends $1,143 as of 2023.
Economy
be 2.4 times more likely to live below the poverty line
In Marshall Islands, 7.2% live below the poverty line as of 2019. In Suriname, however, that number is 17.6% as of 2022.
make 16.7% less money
Marshall Islands has a GDP per capita of $8,489 as of 2025, while in Suriname, the GDP per capita is $7,070 as of 2025.
Life
be 45.8% less likely to die during childbirth
In Marshall Islands, approximately 155.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Suriname, 84.0 women do as of 2023.
be 34.8% less likely to die during infancy
In Marshall Islands, approximately 22.7 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 14.6% fewer children
In Marshall Islands, there are approximately 20.1 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 32.6% more likely to have internet access
In Marshall Islands, approximately 65.9% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Suriname, about 87.4% do as of 2023.
be 12.1% more likely to have access to drinking water
In Marshall Islands, approximately 87% of people have access to drinking water (86% in urban areas, and 94% 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 62.7% less on education
Marshall Islands spends 7.7% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Suriname spends 2.9% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 59.7% less on healthcare
Marshall Islands spends 13.4% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Suriname, that number is 5.4% of GDP as of 2023.
Safety
be 36.1% more likely to die in a road accident
In Marshall Islands, road accidents kill 11.9 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Suriname, they kill 16.2 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 8.0 times more home broadband
Marshall Islands has 2.4 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2022. Suriname has 18.8 as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2019–2025), World Health Organization (2024), United Nations SDG Indicators (2021). How we calculate this
Compare further: Marshall Islands vs. Suriname
Suriname: At a glance
How big is Suriname compared to Marshall Islands? See an in-depth size comparison.