Quality of life comparison
If you lived in China instead of Suriname, you would:
Health
live 4.3 years longer
In Suriname, the average life expectancy is 74 years (71 years for men, 77 years for women) as of 2024. In China, that number is 78 years (75 years for men, 81 years for women) as of 2024.
be 69.8% less likely to be obese
In Suriname, 30.8% of adults are obese as of 2024. In China, that number is 9.3% of people as of 2024.
see 30.1% more spent on your healthcare
Suriname spends $1,143 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). China spends $1,487 as of 2023.
have 2.3 times more doctors per person
Suriname has 13.6 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. China has 31.1 as of 2022.
have 28.6% more access to essential health services
Suriname scores 63 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. China scores 81 as of 2021.
be 59.8% less likely to die by suicide
Suriname has a suicide rate of 22.3 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In China, it is 8.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 41.0% less likely to be unemployed
In Suriname, 7.8% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In China, that number is 4.6% as of 2025.
make 96.1% more money
Suriname has a GDP per capita of $7,070 as of 2025, while in China, the GDP per capita is $13,862 as of 2025.
Life
be 81.0% 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 China, 16.0 women do as of 2023.
be 72.3% 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 China, on the other hand, 4.1 children do as of 2024.
have 60.5% fewer children
In Suriname, there are approximately 17.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In China, there are 6.8 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 35.9% more on education
Suriname spends 2.9% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. China spends 3.9% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
Geography
see 37.6 times more coastline
Suriname has a total of 386 km of coastline. In China, that number is 14,500 km.
Safety
be 92.3% less likely to be murdered
Suriname has a homicide rate of 6.5 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In China, that number is 0.5 per 100,000 as of 2020.
Infrastructure
find 2.5 times more home broadband
Suriname has 18.8 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. China has 47.2 as of 2024.
use 2.3 times more electricity
Suriname uses 2,897 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. China uses 6,524 kWh as of 2023.
live with 10.5 times more strain on fresh water
Suriname withdraws 4% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. China withdraws 42% as of 2022.
Environment
be 64.1% more likely to die from air pollution
In Suriname, air pollution causes 39.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In China, it causes 64.0 as of 2019.
emit 2.3 times more CO2
Suriname emits 4.1 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. China emits 9.3 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2020–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Suriname vs. China
China: At a glance
How big is China compared to Suriname? See an in-depth size comparison.