Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Latvia instead of Suriname, you would:
Health
be 68.8% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Suriname, 1.6% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Latvia, that number is 0.5% of people as of 2024.
live 2.7 years longer
In Suriname, the average life expectancy is 74 years (71 years for men, 77 years for women) as of 2024. In Latvia, that number is 76 years (72 years for men, 82 years for women) as of 2024.
be 27.5% less likely to be obese
In Suriname, 30.8% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Latvia, that number is 22.3% of people as of 2024.
see 2.7 times more spent on your healthcare
Suriname spends $1,143 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Latvia spends $3,034 as of 2023.
have 2.5 times more doctors per person
Suriname has 13.6 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Latvia has 34.0 as of 2022.
have 19.0% more access to essential health services
Suriname scores 63 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Latvia scores 75 as of 2021.
be 31.7% less likely to die by suicide
Suriname has a suicide rate of 22.3 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Latvia, it is 15.2 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 16.1% less likely to be unemployed
In Suriname, 7.8% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Latvia, that number is 6.6% as of 2025.
make 3.7 times more money
Suriname has a GDP per capita of $7,070 as of 2025, while in Latvia, the GDP per capita is $26,312 as of 2025.
be 27.8% more likely to live below the poverty line
In Suriname, 17.6% live below the poverty line as of 2022. In Latvia, however, that number is 22.5% as of 2022.
Life
be 77.4% 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 Latvia, 19.0 women do as of 2023.
be 85.1% 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 Latvia, on the other hand, 2.2 children do as of 2024.
have 59.8% fewer children
In Suriname, there are approximately 17.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Latvia, there are 6.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 50.5% more on education
Suriname spends 2.9% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Latvia spends 4.3% of total GDP on education as of 2022.
spend 34.6% more on healthcare
Suriname spends 5.4% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Latvia, that number is 7.3% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 29.0% more coastline
Suriname has a total of 386 km of coastline. In Latvia, that number is 498 km.
Safety
be 61.7% less likely to be murdered
Suriname has a homicide rate of 6.5 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Latvia, that number is 2.5 per 100,000 as of 2023.
be 39.5% less likely to die in a road accident
In Suriname, road accidents kill 16.2 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Latvia, they kill 9.8 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 37.3% more home broadband
Suriname has 18.8 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Latvia has 25.8 as of 2024.
live with 74.2% less strain on fresh water
Suriname withdraws 4% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Latvia withdraws 1% as of 2022.
use 30.0% more electricity
Suriname uses 2,897 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Latvia uses 3,768 kWh as of 2024.
Environment
emit 10.1% less CO2
Suriname emits 4.1 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Latvia emits 3.6 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Suriname vs. Latvia
Latvia: At a glance
How big is Latvia compared to Suriname? See an in-depth size comparison.