Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Suriname instead of Sri Lanka, you would:
Health
see 2.3 times more spent on your healthcare
Sri Lanka spends $507 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Suriname spends $1,143 as of 2023.
have 19.3% more doctors per person
Sri Lanka has 11.4 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Suriname has 13.6 as of 2023.
be 16.0 times more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Sri Lanka, 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 3.9 years less
In Sri Lanka, the average life expectancy is 78 years (74 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.
be 2.7 times more likely to be obese
In Sri Lanka, 11.2% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Suriname, that number is 30.8% of people as of 2024.
be 51.0% more likely to die by suicide
Sri Lanka has a suicide rate of 14.7 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Suriname, it is 22.3 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
make 41.3% more money
Sri Lanka has a GDP per capita of $5,002 as of 2025, while in Suriname, the GDP per capita is $7,070 as of 2025.
be 95.8% more likely to be unemployed
In Sri Lanka, 4.0% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Suriname, that number is 7.8% as of 2025.
be 23.1% more likely to live below the poverty line
In Sri Lanka, 14.3% live below the poverty line as of 2019. In Suriname, however, that number is 17.6% as of 2022.
Life
have 69.8% more children
In Sri Lanka, there are approximately 10.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Suriname, there are 17.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 4.7 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Sri Lanka, approximately 18.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Suriname, 84.0 women do as of 2023.
be 2.8 times more likely to die during infancy
In Sri Lanka, approximately 5.2 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 60.1% more likely to have internet access
In Sri Lanka, approximately 54.6% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Suriname, about 87.4% do as of 2023.
Expenditures
spend 56.8% more on education
Sri Lanka spends 1.8% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Suriname spends 2.9% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 47.0% more on healthcare
Sri Lanka spends 3.7% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Suriname, that number is 5.4% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 71.2% less coastline
Sri Lanka has a total of 1,340 km of coastline. In Suriname, that number is 386 km.
Safety
be 40.9% more likely to die in a road accident
In Sri Lanka, road accidents kill 11.5 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Suriname, they kill 16.2 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 2.2 times more home broadband
Sri Lanka has 8.5 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Suriname has 18.8 as of 2024.
live with 95.6% less strain on fresh water
Sri Lanka withdraws 91% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Suriname withdraws 4% as of 2022.
use 4.5 times more electricity
Sri Lanka uses 644 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Suriname uses 2,897 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
emit 3.8 times more CO2
Sri Lanka emits 1.1 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Suriname emits 4.1 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2019–2025), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook, United Nations SDG Indicators (2021). How we calculate this
Compare further: Sri Lanka vs. Suriname
Suriname: At a glance
How big is Suriname compared to Sri Lanka? See an in-depth size comparison.