Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Brunei instead of Suriname, you would:
Health
live 1.7 years longer
In Suriname, the average life expectancy is 74 years (71 years for men, 77 years for women) as of 2024. In Brunei, that number is 76 years (73 years for men, 78 years for women) as of 2024.
see 65.9% more spent on your healthcare
Suriname spends $1,143 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Brunei spends $1,896 as of 2023.
have 39.2% more doctors per person
Suriname has 13.6 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Brunei has 18.9 as of 2021.
have 23.8% more access to essential health services
Suriname scores 63 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Brunei scores 78 as of 2021.
be 86.3% less likely to die by suicide
Suriname has a suicide rate of 22.3 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Brunei, it is 3.0 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 20.3% more likely to be obese
In Suriname, 30.8% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Brunei, that number is 37.0% of people as of 2024.
Economy
be 32.6% less likely to be unemployed
In Suriname, 7.8% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Brunei, that number is 5.3% as of 2025.
make 4.6 times more money
Suriname has a GDP per capita of $7,070 as of 2025, while in Brunei, the GDP per capita is $32,235 as of 2025.
Life
be 57.1% 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 Brunei, 36.0 women do as of 2023.
be 41.9% less likely to die during infancy
In Suriname, approximately 14.8 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2024. In Brunei, on the other hand, 8.6 children do as of 2024.
have 22.3% fewer children
In Suriname, there are approximately 17.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Brunei, there are 13.3 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 10.2% more likely to have internet access
In Suriname, approximately 87.4% of the population has internet access as of 2023. In Brunei, about 96.3% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 58.8% less on healthcare
Suriname spends 5.4% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Brunei, that number is 2.2% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 58.3% less coastline
Suriname has a total of 386 km of coastline. In Brunei, that number is 161 km.
Safety
be 77.8% less likely to die in a road accident
In Suriname, road accidents kill 16.2 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Brunei, they kill 3.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 13.0% more home broadband
Suriname has 18.8 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Brunei has 21.2 as of 2024.
live with 12.2% less strain on fresh water
Suriname withdraws 4% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Brunei withdraws 3% as of 2022.
use 3.7 times more electricity
Suriname uses 2,897 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Brunei uses 10,674 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
be 48.7% less likely to die from air pollution
In Suriname, air pollution causes 39.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Brunei, it causes 20.0 as of 2019.
emit 5.0 times more CO2
Suriname emits 4.1 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Brunei emits 20.2 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Suriname vs. Brunei
Brunei: At a glance
How big is Brunei compared to Suriname? See an in-depth size comparison.