Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Marshall Islands instead of Suriname, you would:
Health
live 6.7 years less
In Suriname, the average life expectancy is 74 years (71 years for men, 77 years for women) as of 2024. In Marshall Islands, that number is 67 years (65 years for men, 69 years for women) as of 2024.
be 36.3% more likely to be obese
In Suriname, 30.8% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Marshall Islands, that number is 42.0% of people as of 2024.
see 23.5% less spent on your healthcare
Suriname spends $1,143 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Marshall Islands spends $874 as of 2023.
Economy
be 59.1% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Suriname, 17.6% live below the poverty line as of 2022. In Marshall Islands, however, that number is 7.2% as of 2019.
make 20.1% more money
Suriname has a GDP per capita of $7,070 as of 2025, while in Marshall Islands, the GDP per capita is $8,489 as of 2025.
Life
have 17.1% more children
In Suriname, there are approximately 17.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Marshall Islands, there are 20.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 84.5% 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 Marshall Islands, 155.0 women do as of 2023.
be 53.4% 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 Marshall Islands, on the other hand, 22.7 children do as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 24.6% less likely to have internet access
In Suriname, approximately 87.4% of the population has internet access as of 2023. In Marshall Islands, about 65.9% do as of 2024.
be 10.8% 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 Marshall Islands, that number is 87% of people on average (86% in urban areas, and 94% in rural areas) as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 2.7 times more on education
Suriname spends 2.9% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Marshall Islands spends 7.7% of total GDP on education as of 2022.
spend 2.5 times more on healthcare
Suriname spends 5.4% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Marshall Islands, that number is 13.4% of GDP as of 2023.
Safety
be 26.5% less likely to die in a road accident
In Suriname, road accidents kill 16.2 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Marshall Islands, they kill 11.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 87.5% less home broadband
Suriname has 18.8 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Marshall Islands has 2.4 as of 2022.
Sources: World Bank (2019–2025), World Health Organization (2024), United Nations SDG Indicators (2021). How we calculate this
Compare further: Suriname vs. Marshall Islands
Marshall Islands: At a glance
How big is Marshall Islands compared to Suriname? See an in-depth size comparison.