Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Laos instead of Suriname, you would:
Health
be 75.0% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Suriname, 1.6% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Laos, that number is 0.4% of people as of 2024.
be 70.2% less likely to be obese
In Suriname, 30.8% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Laos, that number is 9.2% of people as of 2024.
be 79.4% less likely to die by suicide
Suriname has a suicide rate of 22.3 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Laos, it is 4.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
live 4.5 years less
In Suriname, the average life expectancy is 74 years (71 years for men, 77 years for women) as of 2024. In Laos, that number is 69 years (67 years for men, 72 years for women) as of 2024.
see 89.2% less spent on your healthcare
Suriname spends $1,143 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Laos spends $123 as of 2023.
have 75.6% fewer doctors per person
Suriname has 13.6 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Laos has 3.3 as of 2022.
have 17.5% less access to essential health services
Suriname scores 63 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Laos scores 52 as of 2021.
Economy
be 84.8% less likely to be unemployed
In Suriname, 7.8% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Laos, that number is 1.2% as of 2025.
be 14.8% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Suriname, 17.6% live below the poverty line as of 2022. In Laos, however, that number is 15.0% as of 2024.
make 67.1% less money
Suriname has a GDP per capita of $7,070 as of 2025, while in Laos, the GDP per capita is $2,325 as of 2025.
Life
have 22.0% more children
In Suriname, there are approximately 17.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Laos, there are 20.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 33.3% 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 Laos, 112.0 women do as of 2023.
be 20.4% less likely to be literate
In Suriname, the literacy rate is 95.0% as of 2021. In Laos, it is 75.6% as of 2023.
be 83.8% 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 Laos, on the other hand, 27.2 children do as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 25.0% less likely to have internet access
In Suriname, approximately 87.4% of the population has internet access as of 2023. In Laos, about 65.6% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 57.1% less on education
Suriname spends 2.9% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Laos spends 1.2% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 75.4% less on healthcare
Suriname spends 5.4% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Laos, that number is 1.3% of GDP as of 2023.
Infrastructure
find 85.5% less home broadband
Suriname has 18.8 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Laos has 2.7 as of 2023.
live with 21.3% more strain on fresh water
Suriname withdraws 4% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Laos withdraws 5% as of 2022.
use 42.5% less electricity
Suriname uses 2,897 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Laos uses 1,665 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
emit 17.5% less CO2
Suriname emits 4.1 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Laos emits 3.4 tonnes as of 2024.
be 76.9% more likely to die from air pollution
In Suriname, air pollution causes 39.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Laos, it causes 69.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook (2021). How we calculate this
Compare further: Suriname vs. Laos
Laos: At a glance
How big is Laos compared to Suriname? See an in-depth size comparison.