Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Suriname instead of South Africa, you would:
Health
be 90.7% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In South Africa, 17.2% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Suriname, that number is 1.6% of people as of 2024.
live 7.5 years longer
In South Africa, the average life expectancy is 66 years (63 years for men, 70 years for women) as of 2024. In Suriname, that number is 74 years (71 years for men, 77 years for women) as of 2024.
have 70.7% more doctors per person
South Africa has 7.9 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Suriname has 13.6 as of 2023.
see 15.6% less spent on your healthcare
South Africa spends $1,354 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Suriname spends $1,143 as of 2023.
have 11.3% less access to essential health services
South Africa scores 71 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Suriname scores 63 as of 2021.
Economy
be 75.8% less likely to be unemployed
In South Africa, 32.4% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Suriname, that number is 7.8% as of 2025.
be 53.6% less likely to live below the poverty line
In South Africa, 37.9% live below the poverty line as of 2022. In Suriname, however, that number is 17.6% as of 2022.
Life
be 28.8% less likely to die during childbirth
In South Africa, approximately 118.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Suriname, 84.0 women do as of 2023.
be 38.8% less likely to die during infancy
In South Africa, approximately 24.2 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 13.6% more likely to have access to electricity
In South Africa, approximately 88% of people have electricity access (91% in urban areas, and 94% 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 11.5% more likely to have internet access
In South Africa, approximately 78.4% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Suriname, about 87.4% do as of 2023.
Expenditures
spend 52.3% less on education
South Africa spends 6.0% of its total GDP on education as of 2024. Suriname spends 2.9% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 39.3% less on healthcare
South Africa spends 8.9% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Suriname, that number is 5.4% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 86.2% less coastline
South Africa has a total of 2,798 km of coastline. In Suriname, that number is 386 km.
Safety
be 85.1% less likely to be murdered
South Africa has a homicide rate of 43.7 per 100,000 people as of 2022. In Suriname, that number is 6.5 per 100,000 as of 2023.
be 33.9% less likely to die in a road accident
In South Africa, road accidents kill 24.5 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Suriname, they kill 16.2 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 3.5 times more home broadband
South Africa has 5.3 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Suriname has 18.8 as of 2024.
live with 94.2% less strain on fresh water
South Africa withdraws 68% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Suriname withdraws 4% as of 2022.
use 10.8% less electricity
South Africa uses 3,247 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Suriname uses 2,897 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
be 17.0% less likely to die from air pollution
In South Africa, air pollution causes 47.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Suriname, it causes 39.0 as of 2019.
emit 41.0% less CO2
South Africa emits 6.9 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Suriname emits 4.1 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2022–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: South Africa vs. Suriname
Suriname: At a glance
How big is Suriname compared to South Africa? See an in-depth size comparison.