Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Suriname instead of North Korea, you would:
Health
be 2.6 times more likely to be obese
In North Korea, 11.9% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Suriname, that number is 30.8% of people as of 2024.
be 2.4 times more likely to die by suicide
North Korea has a suicide rate of 9.3 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Suriname, it is 22.3 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 2.2 times more likely to be unemployed
In North Korea, 3.5% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Suriname, that number is 7.8% as of 2025.
Life
have 33.4% more children
In North Korea, there are approximately 12.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Suriname, there are 17.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 25.4% more likely to die during childbirth
In North Korea, approximately 67.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Suriname, 84.0 women do as of 2023.
be 11.3% more likely to die during infancy
In North Korea, approximately 13.3 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.
Basic Needs
be 73.2% more likely to have access to electricity
In North Korea, approximately 58% of people have electricity access (36% in urban areas, and 11% 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.
Geography
see 84.5% less coastline
North Korea has a total of 2,495 km of coastline. In Suriname, that number is 386 km.
Infrastructure
live with 85.8% less strain on fresh water
North Korea withdraws 28% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Suriname withdraws 4% as of 2022.
use 3.7 times more electricity
North Korea uses 789 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Suriname uses 2,897 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
be 54.7% less likely to die from air pollution
In North Korea, air pollution causes 86.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Suriname, it causes 39.0 as of 2019.
emit 62.4% more CO2
North Korea emits 2.5 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Suriname emits 4.1 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook, United Nations SDG Indicators (2019). How we calculate this
Compare further: North Korea vs. Suriname
Suriname: At a glance
How big is Suriname compared to North Korea? See an in-depth size comparison.