Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Guatemala 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 Guatemala, that number is 0.2% of people as of 2024.
be 77.8% less likely to die by suicide
Suriname has a suicide rate of 22.3 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Guatemala, it is 4.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
live 1.0 years less
In Suriname, the average life expectancy is 74 years (71 years for men, 77 years for women) as of 2024. In Guatemala, that number is 73 years (70 years for men, 75 years for women) as of 2024.
see 18.1% less spent on your healthcare
Suriname spends $1,143 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Guatemala spends $935 as of 2023.
Economy
be 66.8% less likely to be unemployed
In Suriname, 7.8% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Guatemala, that number is 2.6% 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 Guatemala, however, that number is 56.0% as of 2023.
Life
have 20.2% more children
In Suriname, there are approximately 17.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Guatemala, there are 20.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 13.6% less likely to be literate
In Suriname, the literacy rate is 95.0% as of 2021. In Guatemala, it is 82.1% as of 2024.
be 16.2% 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 Guatemala, on the other hand, 17.2 children do as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 31.1% less likely to have internet access
In Suriname, approximately 87.4% of the population has internet access as of 2023. In Guatemala, about 60.2% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 25.7% more on healthcare
Suriname spends 5.4% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Guatemala, that number is 6.8% of GDP as of 2023.
Safety
be 22.2% less likely to die in a road accident
In Suriname, road accidents kill 16.2 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Guatemala, they kill 12.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 3.6 times more likely to be murdered
Suriname has a homicide rate of 6.5 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Guatemala, that number is 23.4 per 100,000 as of 2023.
Infrastructure
find 71.5% less home broadband
Suriname has 18.8 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Guatemala has 5.3 as of 2024.
live with 45.3% more strain on fresh water
Suriname withdraws 4% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Guatemala withdraws 6% as of 2022.
use 74.7% less electricity
Suriname uses 2,897 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Guatemala uses 733 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
emit 72.7% less CO2
Suriname emits 4.1 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Guatemala emits 1.1 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2021), The World Factbook (2021). How we calculate this
Compare further: Suriname vs. Guatemala
Guatemala: At a glance
How big is Guatemala compared to Suriname? See an in-depth size comparison.