Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Suriname instead of Saudi Arabia, you would:
Health
be 23.2% less likely to be obese
In Saudi Arabia, 40.1% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Suriname, that number is 30.8% of people as of 2024.
be 16.0 times more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Saudi Arabia, 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 5.2 years less
In Saudi Arabia, the average life expectancy is 79 years (77 years for men, 81 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 67.1% less spent on your healthcare
Saudi Arabia spends $3,475 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Suriname spends $1,143 as of 2023.
have 60.2% fewer doctors per person
Saudi Arabia has 34.1 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Suriname has 13.6 as of 2023.
have 14.9% less access to essential health services
Saudi Arabia scores 74 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Suriname scores 63 as of 2021.
be 23.4 times more likely to die by suicide
Saudi Arabia has a suicide rate of 0.9 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Suriname, it is 22.3 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 2.6 times more likely to be unemployed
In Saudi Arabia, 3.0% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Suriname, that number is 7.8% as of 2025.
make 79.5% less money
Saudi Arabia has a GDP per capita of $34,537 as of 2025, while in Suriname, the GDP per capita is $7,070 as of 2025.
Life
be 12.0 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Saudi Arabia, 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 3.1 times more likely to die during infancy
In Saudi Arabia, approximately 4.7 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.
Basic Needs
be 12.6% less likely to have internet access
In Saudi Arabia, approximately 100.0% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Suriname, about 87.4% do as of 2023.
Expenditures
spend 35.9% less on education
Saudi Arabia spends 4.5% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Suriname spends 2.9% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
Geography
see 85.4% less coastline
Saudi Arabia has a total of 2,640 km of coastline. In Suriname, that number is 386 km.
Safety
be 12.4% less likely to die in a road accident
In Saudi Arabia, road accidents kill 18.5 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Suriname, they kill 16.2 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 99.6% less strain on fresh water
Saudi Arabia withdraws 974% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Suriname withdraws 4% as of 2022.
find 57.5% less home broadband
Saudi Arabia has 44.1 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Suriname has 18.8 as of 2024.
use 75.7% less electricity
Saudi Arabia uses 11,911 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Suriname uses 2,897 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
be 57.1% less likely to die from air pollution
In Saudi Arabia, air pollution causes 91.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Suriname, it causes 39.0 as of 2019.
emit 78.0% less CO2
Saudi Arabia emits 18.5 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: Saudi Arabia vs. Suriname
Suriname: At a glance
How big is Suriname compared to Saudi Arabia? See an in-depth size comparison.