Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Suriname instead of Spain, you would:
Health
be 5.3 times more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Spain, 0.3% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Suriname, that number is 1.6% of people as of 2024.
live 10.1 years less
In Spain, the average life expectancy is 84 years (81 years for men, 86 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 2.0 times more likely to be obese
In Spain, 15.3% 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
Spain spends $4,935 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Suriname spends $1,143 as of 2023.
have 68.4% fewer doctors per person
Spain has 42.9 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Suriname has 13.6 as of 2023.
have 25.9% less access to essential health services
Spain scores 85 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Suriname scores 63 as of 2021.
be 2.6 times more likely to die by suicide
Spain has a suicide rate of 8.7 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Suriname, it is 22.3 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 24.6% less likely to be unemployed
In Spain, 10.4% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Suriname, that number is 7.8% as of 2025.
be 12.9% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Spain, 20.2% live below the poverty line as of 2022. In Suriname, however, that number is 17.6% as of 2022.
make 81.7% less money
Spain has a GDP per capita of $38,627 as of 2025, while in Suriname, the GDP per capita is $7,070 as of 2025.
Life
have 2.6 times more children
In Spain, there are approximately 6.5 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Suriname, there are 17.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 28.0 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Spain, approximately 3.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Suriname, 84.0 women do as of 2023.
be 5.7 times more likely to die during infancy
In Spain, approximately 2.6 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 37.5% less on education
Spain spends 4.6% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Suriname spends 2.9% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 41.3% less on healthcare
Spain spends 9.2% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Suriname, that number is 5.4% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 92.2% less coastline
Spain has a total of 4,964 km of coastline. In Suriname, that number is 386 km.
Safety
be 9.4 times more likely to be murdered
Spain has a homicide rate of 0.7 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Suriname, that number is 6.5 per 100,000 as of 2023.
be 4.6 times more likely to die in a road accident
In Spain, road accidents kill 3.5 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Suriname, they kill 16.2 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 90.9% less strain on fresh water
Spain withdraws 43% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Suriname withdraws 4% as of 2022.
find 52.2% less home broadband
Spain has 39.2 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Suriname has 18.8 as of 2024.
use 44.2% less electricity
Spain uses 5,196 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 Spain, air pollution causes 10.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Suriname, it causes 39.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Spain vs. Suriname
Suriname: At a glance
How big is Suriname compared to Spain? See an in-depth size comparison.