Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Suriname instead of New Zealand, you would:
Health
be 16.0 times more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In New Zealand, 0.1% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Suriname, that number is 1.6% of people as of 2024.
live 8.2 years less
In New Zealand, the average life expectancy is 82 years (80 years for men, 84 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 79.5% less spent on your healthcare
New Zealand spends $5,576 per person on healthcare as of 2024 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Suriname spends $1,143 as of 2023.
have 62.5% fewer doctors per person
New Zealand has 36.1 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Suriname has 13.6 as of 2023.
have 25.9% less access to essential health services
New Zealand scores 85 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Suriname scores 63 as of 2021.
be 86.7% more likely to die by suicide
New Zealand has a suicide rate of 11.9 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Suriname, it is 22.3 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 54.1% more likely to be unemployed
In New Zealand, 5.1% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Suriname, that number is 7.8% as of 2025.
make 85.7% less money
New Zealand has a GDP per capita of $49,591 as of 2025, while in Suriname, the GDP per capita is $7,070 as of 2025.
Life
have 55.5% more children
In New Zealand, there are approximately 11.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Suriname, there are 17.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 12.0 times more likely to die during childbirth
In New Zealand, approximately 7.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Suriname, 84.0 women do as of 2023.
be 3.7 times more likely to die during infancy
In New Zealand, approximately 4.0 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.
Expenditures
spend 44.9% less on education
New Zealand spends 5.2% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Suriname spends 2.9% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 46.2% less on healthcare
New Zealand spends 10.1% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2024. In Suriname, that number is 5.4% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 97.4% less coastline
New Zealand has a total of 15,134 km of coastline. In Suriname, that number is 386 km.
Safety
be 4.5 times more likely to be murdered
New Zealand has a homicide rate of 1.5 per 100,000 people as of 2022. In Suriname, that number is 6.5 per 100,000 as of 2023.
be 2.5 times more likely to die in a road accident
In New Zealand, road accidents kill 6.6 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Suriname, they kill 16.2 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 50.9% less strain on fresh water
New Zealand withdraws 8% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Suriname withdraws 4% as of 2022.
find 50.7% less home broadband
New Zealand has 38.0 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Suriname has 18.8 as of 2024.
use 63.7% less electricity
New Zealand uses 7,989 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. Suriname uses 2,897 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
emit 32.4% less CO2
New Zealand emits 6.0 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Suriname emits 4.1 tonnes as of 2024.
be 3.2 times more likely to die from air pollution
In New Zealand, air pollution causes 12.0 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), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: New Zealand vs. Suriname
Suriname: At a glance
How big is Suriname compared to New Zealand? See an in-depth size comparison.