Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Suriname instead of Netherlands, you would:
Health
be 16.0 times more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Netherlands, 0.1% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2023. In Suriname, that number is 1.6% of people as of 2024.
live 8.2 years less
In Netherlands, the average life expectancy is 82 years (81 years for men, 83 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 2.1 times more likely to be obese
In Netherlands, 14.7% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Suriname, that number is 30.8% of people as of 2024.
see 86.1% less spent on your healthcare
Netherlands spends $8,195 per person on healthcare as of 2024 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Suriname spends $1,143 as of 2023.
have 65.0% fewer doctors per person
Netherlands has 38.8 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Suriname has 13.6 as of 2023.
have 25.9% less access to essential health services
Netherlands scores 85 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Suriname scores 63 as of 2021.
be 93.6% more likely to die by suicide
Netherlands has a suicide rate of 11.5 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Suriname, it is 22.3 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 2.0 times more likely to be unemployed
In Netherlands, 3.9% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Suriname, that number is 7.8% as of 2025.
be 21.4% more likely to live below the poverty line
In Netherlands, 14.5% live below the poverty line as of 2021. In Suriname, however, that number is 17.6% as of 2022.
make 90.4% less money
Netherlands has a GDP per capita of $73,684 as of 2025, while in Suriname, the GDP per capita is $7,070 as of 2025.
Life
have 86.4% more children
In Netherlands, there are approximately 9.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Suriname, there are 17.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 21.0 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Netherlands, approximately 4.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Suriname, 84.0 women do as of 2023.
be 4.4 times more likely to die during infancy
In Netherlands, approximately 3.4 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 44.6% less on education
Netherlands spends 5.2% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Suriname spends 2.9% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 46.0% less on healthcare
Netherlands spends 10.0% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2024. In Suriname, that number is 5.4% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 14.4% less coastline
Netherlands has a total of 451 km of coastline. In Suriname, that number is 386 km.
Safety
be 9.4 times more likely to be murdered
Netherlands 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 4.8 times more likely to die in a road accident
In Netherlands, road accidents kill 3.4 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Suriname, they kill 16.2 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 76.3% less strain on fresh water
Netherlands withdraws 17% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Suriname withdraws 4% as of 2022.
find 56.4% less home broadband
Netherlands has 43.0 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Suriname has 18.8 as of 2024.
use 54.6% less electricity
Netherlands uses 6,386 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. Suriname uses 2,897 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
emit 38.5% less CO2
Netherlands emits 6.6 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Suriname emits 4.1 tonnes as of 2024.
be 3.0 times more likely to die from air pollution
In Netherlands, air pollution causes 13.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Suriname, it causes 39.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Netherlands vs. Suriname
Suriname: At a glance
How big is Suriname compared to Netherlands? See an in-depth size comparison.