If you lived in Bhutan instead of Suriname, you would:

Health

be 87.5% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS

In Suriname, 1.6% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Bhutan, that number is 0.2% of people as of 2024.

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be 57.6% less likely to be obese

In Suriname, 30.8% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Bhutan, that number is 13.1% of people as of 2024.

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be 78.0% less likely to die by suicide

Suriname has a suicide rate of 22.3 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Bhutan, it is 4.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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see 40.8% less spent on your healthcare

Suriname spends $1,143 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Bhutan spends $677 as of 2023.

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have 59.2% fewer doctors per person

Suriname has 13.6 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Bhutan has 5.5 as of 2022.

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Economy

be 58.7% less likely to be unemployed

In Suriname, 7.8% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Bhutan, that number is 3.2% as of 2025.

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be 29.5% less likely to live below the poverty line

In Suriname, 17.6% live below the poverty line as of 2022. In Bhutan, however, that number is 12.4% as of 2022.

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make 36.5% less money

Suriname has a GDP per capita of $7,070 as of 2025, while in Bhutan, the GDP per capita is $4,493 as of 2025.

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Life

be 44.0% less likely to die during childbirth

In Suriname, approximately 84.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Bhutan, 47.0 women do as of 2023.

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be 31.7% less likely to be literate

In Suriname, the literacy rate is 95.0% as of 2021. In Bhutan, it is 64.9% as of 2022.

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have 26.9% fewer children

In Suriname, there are approximately 17.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Bhutan, there are 12.5 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

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Expenditures

spend 18.3% less on healthcare

Suriname spends 5.4% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Bhutan, that number is 4.4% of GDP as of 2023.

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spend 2.0 times more on education

Suriname spends 2.9% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Bhutan spends 5.8% of total GDP on education as of 2023.

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Safety

be 62.1% less likely to be murdered

Suriname has a homicide rate of 6.5 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Bhutan, that number is 2.5 per 100,000 as of 2020.

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be 24.7% less likely to die in a road accident

In Suriname, road accidents kill 16.2 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Bhutan, they kill 12.2 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Infrastructure

live with 64.3% less strain on fresh water

Suriname withdraws 4% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Bhutan withdraws 1% as of 2022.

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find 84.4% less home broadband

Suriname has 18.8 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Bhutan has 2.9 as of 2024.

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Environment

emit 50.5% less CO2

Suriname emits 4.1 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Bhutan emits 2.0 tonnes as of 2024.

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be 46.2% more likely to die from air pollution

In Suriname, air pollution causes 39.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Bhutan, it causes 57.0 as of 2019.

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Sources: World Bank (2020–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook (2021). How we calculate this

Bhutan: At a glance

Bhutan is a sovereign country in South Asia, with a total land area of approximately 38,394 sq km. In 1865, Britain and Bhutan signed the Treaty of Sinchulu, under which Bhutan would receive an annual subsidy in exchange for ceding some border land to British India. Under British influence, a monarchy was set up in 1907; three years later, a treaty was signed whereby the British agreed not to interfere in Bhutanese internal affairs, and Bhutan allowed Britain to direct its foreign affairs. This role was assumed by independent India after 1947. Two years later, a formal Indo-Bhutanese accord returned to Bhutan the areas annexed by the British, formalized the annual subsidies the country received, and defined India's responsibilities in defense and foreign relations. In March 2005, King Jigme Singye WANGCHUCK unveiled the government's draft constitution - which introduced major democratic reforms - and pledged to hold a national referendum for its approval. In December 2006, the King abdicated the throne in favor of his son, Jigme Khesar Namgyel WANGCHUCK, in order to give him experience as head of state before the democratic transition. In early 2007, India and Bhutan renegotiated their treaty, eliminating the clause that stated that Bhutan would be "guided by" India in conducting its foreign policy, although Thimphu continues to coordinate closely with New Delhi. Elections for seating the country's first parliament were completed in March 2008; the king ratified the country's first constitution in July 2008. Bhutan experienced a peaceful turnover of power following parliamentary elections in 2013, which routed the incumbent party. The disposition of some 30,000 Bhutanese refugees - housed in two UN refugee camps in Nepal - remains unresolved.
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