Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Malawi instead of Suriname, you would:
Health
be 74.0% less likely to be obese
In Suriname, 30.8% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Malawi, that number is 8.0% of people as of 2024.
be 66.0% less likely to die by suicide
Suriname has a suicide rate of 22.3 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Malawi, it is 7.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 3.9 times more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Suriname, 1.6% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Malawi, that number is 6.2% of people as of 2024.
live 6.2 years less
In Suriname, the average life expectancy is 74 years (71 years for men, 77 years for women) as of 2024. In Malawi, that number is 68 years (64 years for men, 71 years for women) as of 2024.
see 89.0% less spent on your healthcare
Suriname spends $1,143 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Malawi spends $125 as of 2023.
have 96.0% fewer doctors per person
Suriname has 13.6 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Malawi has 0.5 as of 2022.
have 23.8% less access to essential health services
Suriname scores 63 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Malawi scores 48 as of 2021.
Economy
be 35.2% less likely to be unemployed
In Suriname, 7.8% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Malawi, that number is 5.1% as of 2025.
be 2.7 times more likely to live below the poverty line
In Suriname, 17.6% live below the poverty line as of 2022. In Malawi, however, that number is 47.3% as of 2024.
make 90.5% less money
Suriname has a GDP per capita of $7,070 as of 2025, while in Malawi, the GDP per capita is $672 as of 2025.
Life
have 81.6% more children
In Suriname, there are approximately 17.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Malawi, there are 31.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 2.7 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 Malawi, 225.0 women do as of 2023.
be 29.2% less likely to be literate
In Suriname, the literacy rate is 95.0% as of 2021. In Malawi, it is 67.3% as of 2021.
be 2.6 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 Malawi, on the other hand, 38.0 children do as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 84.3% 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 Malawi, that number is 16% of people on average (58% in urban areas, and 6% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 78.3% less likely to have internet access
In Suriname, approximately 87.4% of the population has internet access as of 2023. In Malawi, about 19.0% do as of 2024.
be 25.5% 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 Malawi, that number is 73% of people on average (86% in urban areas, and 70% in rural areas) as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 20.7% more on healthcare
Suriname spends 5.4% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Malawi, that number is 6.5% of GDP as of 2023.
Safety
be 24.7% more likely to die in a road accident
In Suriname, road accidents kill 16.2 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Malawi, they kill 20.2 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 99.5% less home broadband
Suriname has 18.8 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Malawi has 0.1 as of 2024.
live with 4.4 times more strain on fresh water
Suriname withdraws 4% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Malawi withdraws 18% as of 2022.
Environment
emit 94.6% less CO2
Suriname emits 4.1 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Malawi emits 0.2 tonnes as of 2024.
be 10.3% more likely to die from air pollution
In Suriname, air pollution causes 39.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Malawi, it causes 43.0 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. Malawi
Malawi: At a glance
How big is Malawi compared to Suriname? See an in-depth size comparison.