Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Suriname instead of Portugal, you would:
Health
be 3.2 times more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Portugal, 0.5% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Suriname, that number is 1.6% of people as of 2024.
live 8.6 years less
In Portugal, the average life expectancy is 82 years (80 years for men, 85 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 70.4% more likely to be obese
In Portugal, 18.1% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Suriname, that number is 30.8% of people as of 2024.
see 76.8% less spent on your healthcare
Portugal spends $4,928 per person on healthcare as of 2024 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Suriname spends $1,143 as of 2023.
have 76.8% fewer doctors per person
Portugal has 58.5 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Suriname has 13.6 as of 2023.
have 28.4% less access to essential health services
Portugal scores 88 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Suriname scores 63 as of 2021.
be 93.2% more likely to die by suicide
Portugal 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 27.1% more likely to be unemployed
In Portugal, 6.2% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Suriname, that number is 7.8% as of 2025.
make 78.0% less money
Portugal has a GDP per capita of $32,082 as of 2025, while in Suriname, the GDP per capita is $7,070 as of 2025.
Life
have 2.2 times more children
In Portugal, there are approximately 7.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Suriname, there are 17.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 5.6 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Portugal, approximately 15.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Suriname, 84.0 women do as of 2023.
be 5.5 times more likely to die during infancy
In Portugal, approximately 2.7 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.
Expenditures
spend 36.9% less on education
Portugal spends 4.5% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Suriname spends 2.9% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 47.2% less on healthcare
Portugal spends 10.2% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2024. In Suriname, that number is 5.4% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 78.5% less coastline
Portugal has a total of 1,793 km of coastline. In Suriname, that number is 386 km.
Safety
be 9.1 times more likely to be murdered
Portugal has a homicide rate of 0.7 per 100,000 people as of 2022. In Suriname, that number is 6.5 per 100,000 as of 2023.
be 2.2 times more likely to die in a road accident
In Portugal, road accidents kill 7.2 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Suriname, they kill 16.2 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 67.9% less strain on fresh water
Portugal withdraws 12% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Suriname withdraws 4% as of 2022.
find 58.6% less home broadband
Portugal has 45.2 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Suriname has 18.8 as of 2024.
use 45.3% less electricity
Portugal uses 5,294 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. Suriname uses 2,897 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
be 3.9 times more likely to die from air pollution
In Portugal, air pollution causes 10.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Suriname, it causes 39.0 as of 2019.
emit 22.3% more CO2
Portugal emits 3.3 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: Portugal vs. Suriname
Suriname: At a glance
How big is Suriname compared to Portugal? See an in-depth size comparison.