Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Democratic Republic of the Congo instead of Suriname, you would:
Health
be 56.2% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Suriname, 1.6% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Democratic Republic of the Congo, that number is 0.7% of people as of 2024.
be 78.3% less likely to be obese
In Suriname, 30.8% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Democratic Republic of the Congo, that number is 6.7% of people as of 2024.
be 60.6% less likely to die by suicide
Suriname has a suicide rate of 22.3 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Democratic Republic of the Congo, it is 8.8 per 100,000 as of 2021.
live 11.7 years less
In Suriname, the average life expectancy is 74 years (71 years for men, 77 years for women) as of 2024. In Democratic Republic of the Congo, that number is 62 years (60 years for men, 64 years for women) as of 2024.
see 94.9% less spent on your healthcare
Suriname spends $1,143 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Democratic Republic of the Congo spends $58 as of 2023.
have 84.6% fewer doctors per person
Suriname has 13.6 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Democratic Republic of the Congo has 2.1 as of 2022.
have 33.3% less access to essential health services
Suriname scores 63 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Democratic Republic of the Congo scores 42 as of 2021.
Economy
be 43.4% less likely to be unemployed
In Suriname, 7.8% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Democratic Republic of the Congo, that number is 4.4% as of 2025.
be 3.2 times more likely to live below the poverty line
In Suriname, 17.6% live below the poverty line as of 2022. In Democratic Republic of the Congo, however, that number is 56.2% as of 2020.
make 88.6% less money
Suriname has a GDP per capita of $7,070 as of 2025, while in Democratic Republic of the Congo, the GDP per capita is $807 as of 2025.
Life
have 2.4 times more children
In Suriname, there are approximately 17.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Democratic Republic of the Congo, there are 40.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 5.1 times more 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 Democratic Republic of the Congo, 427.0 women do as of 2023.
be 27.9% less likely to be literate
In Suriname, the literacy rate is 95.0% as of 2021. In Democratic Republic of the Congo, it is 68.5% as of 2023.
be 3.8 times more 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 Democratic Republic of the Congo, on the other hand, 56.4 children do as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 77.8% less likely to have access to electricity
In Suriname, approximately 100% of people have electricity access (100% in urban areas, and 99% in rural areas) as of 2023. In Democratic Republic of the Congo, that number is 22% of people on average (56% in urban areas, and 1% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 77.5% less likely to have internet access
In Suriname, approximately 87.4% of the population has internet access as of 2023. In Democratic Republic of the Congo, about 19.7% do as of 2024.
be 63.6% less likely to have access to drinking water
In Suriname, approximately 98% of people have access to drinking water (99% in urban areas, and 97% in rural areas) as of 2024. In Democratic Republic of the Congo, that number is 36% of people on average (59% in urban areas, and 14% in rural areas) as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 32.0% less on healthcare
Suriname spends 5.4% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Democratic Republic of the Congo, that number is 3.7% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 90.4% less coastline
Suriname has a total of 386 km of coastline. In Democratic Republic of the Congo, that number is 37 km.
Infrastructure
live with 94.2% less strain on fresh water
Suriname withdraws 4% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Democratic Republic of the Congo withdraws 0% as of 2022.
find 99.8% less home broadband
Suriname has 18.8 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Democratic Republic of the Congo has 0.0 as of 2024.
use 95.6% less electricity
Suriname uses 2,897 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Democratic Republic of the Congo uses 129 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
emit 98.5% less CO2
Suriname emits 4.1 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Democratic Republic of the Congo emits 0.1 tonnes as of 2024.
be 84.6% more likely to die from air pollution
In Suriname, air pollution causes 39.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Democratic Republic of the Congo, it causes 72.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2020–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), The World Factbook (2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Suriname vs. Democratic Republic of the Congo
Democratic Republic of the Congo: At a glance
How big is Democratic Republic of the Congo compared to Suriname? See an in-depth size comparison.