Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Suriname instead of Senegal, you would:
Health
live 4.8 years longer
In Senegal, the average life expectancy is 69 years (67 years for men, 71 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 5.6 times more spent on your healthcare
Senegal spends $206 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Suriname spends $1,143 as of 2023.
have 12.4 times more doctors per person
Senegal has 1.1 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Suriname has 13.6 as of 2023.
have 26.0% more access to essential health services
Senegal scores 50 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Suriname scores 63 as of 2021.
be 5.3 times more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Senegal, 0.3% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Suriname, that number is 1.6% of people as of 2024.
be 2.7 times more likely to be obese
In Senegal, 11.6% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Suriname, that number is 30.8% of people as of 2024.
be 3.3 times more likely to die by suicide
Senegal has a suicide rate of 6.8 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Suriname, it is 22.3 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 53.1% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Senegal, 37.5% live below the poverty line as of 2021. In Suriname, however, that number is 17.6% as of 2022.
make 3.6 times more money
Senegal has a GDP per capita of $1,955 as of 2025, while in Suriname, the GDP per capita is $7,070 as of 2025.
be 2.9 times more likely to be unemployed
In Senegal, 2.7% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Suriname, that number is 7.8% as of 2025.
Life
be 64.6% less likely to die during childbirth
In Senegal, approximately 237.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Suriname, 84.0 women do as of 2023.
be 88.6% more likely to be literate
In Senegal, the literacy rate is 50.4% as of 2023. In Suriname, it is 95.0% as of 2021.
be 48.8% less likely to die during infancy
In Senegal, approximately 28.9 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.
have 41.2% fewer children
In Senegal, there are approximately 29.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Suriname, there are 17.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 34.2% more likely to have access to electricity
In Senegal, approximately 74% of people have electricity access (96% in urban areas, and 56% 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.
be 45.4% more likely to have internet access
In Senegal, approximately 60.1% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Suriname, about 87.4% do as of 2023.
be 11.3% more likely to have access to drinking water
In Senegal, approximately 88% of people have access to drinking water (95% in urban areas, and 81% in rural areas) as of 2024. In Suriname, that number is 98% of people on average (99% in urban areas, and 97% in rural areas) as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 53.4% less on education
Senegal spends 6.2% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Suriname spends 2.9% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 25.2% more on healthcare
Senegal spends 4.3% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Suriname, that number is 5.4% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 27.3% less coastline
Senegal has a total of 531 km of coastline. In Suriname, that number is 386 km.
Safety
be 22.1% less likely to die in a road accident
In Senegal, road accidents kill 20.8 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Suriname, they kill 16.2 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 4.6 times more home broadband
Senegal has 4.0 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Suriname has 18.8 as of 2024.
live with 75.7% less strain on fresh water
Senegal withdraws 16% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Suriname withdraws 4% as of 2022.
use 7.1 times more electricity
Senegal uses 410 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Suriname uses 2,897 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
be 40.0% less likely to die from air pollution
In Senegal, air pollution causes 65.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Suriname, it causes 39.0 as of 2019.
emit 5.3 times more CO2
Senegal emits 0.8 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), The World Factbook (2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Senegal vs. Suriname
Suriname: At a glance
How big is Suriname compared to Senegal? See an in-depth size comparison.