Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Malaysia instead of Suriname, you would:
Health
be 81.2% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Suriname, 1.6% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Malaysia, that number is 0.3% of people as of 2024.
live 3.1 years longer
In Suriname, the average life expectancy is 74 years (71 years for men, 77 years for women) as of 2024. In Malaysia, that number is 77 years (74 years for men, 80 years for women) as of 2024.
be 24.2% less likely to be obese
In Suriname, 30.8% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Malaysia, that number is 23.3% of people as of 2024.
see 26.1% more spent on your healthcare
Suriname spends $1,143 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Malaysia spends $1,441 as of 2023.
have 72.8% more doctors per person
Suriname has 13.6 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Malaysia has 23.4 as of 2023.
have 20.6% more access to essential health services
Suriname scores 63 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Malaysia scores 76 as of 2021.
be 74.6% less likely to die by suicide
Suriname has a suicide rate of 22.3 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Malaysia, it is 5.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 52.0% less likely to be unemployed
In Suriname, 7.8% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Malaysia, that number is 3.8% as of 2025.
be 71.0% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Suriname, 17.6% live below the poverty line as of 2022. In Malaysia, however, that number is 5.1% as of 2023.
make 85.6% more money
Suriname has a GDP per capita of $7,070 as of 2025, while in Malaysia, the GDP per capita is $13,125 as of 2025.
Life
be 69.0% 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 Malaysia, 26.0 women do as of 2023.
be 52.7% 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 Malaysia, on the other hand, 7.0 children do as of 2024.
have 27.9% fewer children
In Suriname, there are approximately 17.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Malaysia, there are 12.4 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 12.2% more likely to have internet access
In Suriname, approximately 87.4% of the population has internet access as of 2023. In Malaysia, about 98.0% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 26.8% less on healthcare
Suriname spends 5.4% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Malaysia, that number is 4.0% of GDP as of 2023.
spend 22.3% more on education
Suriname spends 2.9% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Malaysia spends 3.5% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
Geography
see 12.1 times more coastline
Suriname has a total of 386 km of coastline. In Malaysia, that number is 4,675 km.
Safety
be 88.8% less likely to be murdered
Suriname has a homicide rate of 6.5 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Malaysia, that number is 0.7 per 100,000 as of 2023.
be 14.2% less likely to die in a road accident
In Suriname, road accidents kill 16.2 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Malaysia, they kill 13.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 12.9% less strain on fresh water
Suriname withdraws 4% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Malaysia withdraws 3% as of 2022.
use 75.5% more electricity
Suriname uses 2,897 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Malaysia uses 5,084 kWh as of 2023.
find 27.7% less home broadband
Suriname has 18.8 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Malaysia has 13.6 as of 2024.
Environment
be 61.5% more likely to die from air pollution
In Suriname, air pollution causes 39.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Malaysia, it causes 63.0 as of 2019.
emit 2.0 times more CO2
Suriname emits 4.1 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Malaysia emits 8.3 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Suriname vs. Malaysia
Malaysia: At a glance
How big is Malaysia compared to Suriname? See an in-depth size comparison.