If you lived in Moldova instead of Suriname, you would:

Health

be 43.8% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS

In Suriname, 1.6% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Moldova, that number is 0.9% of people as of 2024.

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be 27.6% less likely to be obese

In Suriname, 30.8% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Moldova, that number is 22.3% of people as of 2024.

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have 3.0 times more doctors per person

Suriname has 13.6 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Moldova has 40.2 as of 2023.

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have 12.7% more access to essential health services

Suriname scores 63 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Moldova scores 71 as of 2021.

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be 36.5% less likely to die by suicide

Suriname has a suicide rate of 22.3 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Moldova, it is 14.1 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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live 2.4 years less

In Suriname, the average life expectancy is 74 years (71 years for men, 77 years for women) as of 2024. In Moldova, that number is 71 years (67 years for men, 76 years for women) as of 2024.

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Economy

be 80.8% less likely to be unemployed

In Suriname, 7.8% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Moldova, that number is 1.5% as of 2025.

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make 22.0% more money

Suriname has a GDP per capita of $7,070 as of 2025, while in Moldova, the GDP per capita is $8,622 as of 2025.

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be 90.9% more likely to live below the poverty line

In Suriname, 17.6% live below the poverty line as of 2022. In Moldova, however, that number is 33.6% as of 2024.

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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 Moldova, 19.0 women do as of 2023.

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have 38.3% fewer children

In Suriname, there are approximately 17.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Moldova, there are 10.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

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Basic Needs

be 11.5% less likely to have internet access

In Suriname, approximately 87.4% of the population has internet access as of 2023. In Moldova, about 77.4% do as of 2024.

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Expenditures

spend 2.3 times more on education

Suriname spends 2.9% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Moldova spends 6.6% of total GDP on education as of 2023.

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spend 24.6% more on healthcare

Suriname spends 5.4% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Moldova, that number is 6.7% of GDP as of 2023.

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Safety

be 61.0% less likely to be murdered

Suriname has a homicide rate of 6.5 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Moldova, that number is 2.5 per 100,000 as of 2023.

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be 43.8% less likely to die in a road accident

In Suriname, road accidents kill 16.2 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Moldova, they kill 9.1 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Infrastructure

find 58.0% more home broadband

Suriname has 18.8 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Moldova has 29.6 as of 2024.

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live with 3.2 times more strain on fresh water

Suriname withdraws 4% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Moldova withdraws 13% as of 2022.

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use 16.8% less electricity

Suriname uses 2,897 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Moldova uses 2,412 kWh as of 2023.

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Environment

emit 15.8% less CO2

Suriname emits 4.1 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Moldova emits 3.4 tonnes as of 2024.

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be 48.7% more likely to die from air pollution

In Suriname, air pollution causes 39.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Moldova, it causes 58.0 as of 2019.

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Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this

Moldova: At a glance

Moldova is a sovereign country in Europe, with a total land area of approximately 32,891 sq km. Part of Romania during the interwar period, Moldova was incorporated into the Soviet Union at the close of World War II. Although the country has been independent from the USSR since 1991, Russian forces have remained on Moldovan territory east of the Nistru River supporting the separatist region of Transnistria, composed of a Slavic majority population (mostly Ukrainians and Russians), but with a sizeable ethnic Moldovan minority. One of the poorest nations in Europe, Moldova became the first former Soviet state to elect a communist, Vladimir VORONIN, as its president in 2001. VORONIN served as Moldova's president until he resigned in September 2009, following the opposition's gain of a narrow majority in July parliamentary elections and the Communist Party's (PCRM) subsequent inability to attract the three-fifths of parliamentary votes required to elect a president and, by doing so, put into place a permanent government. Four Moldovan opposition parties formed a new coalition, the Alliance for European Integration (AEI), iterations of which have acted as Moldova's governing coalitions since. Moldova experienced significant political uncertainty between 2009 and early 2012, holding three general elections and numerous presidential ballots in parliament, all of which failed to secure a president. Following November 2010 parliamentary elections, a reconstituted AEI-coalition consisting of three of the four original AEI parties formed a government, and in March 2012 was finally able to elect an independent as president. As of late May 2013, the ruling coalition - comprised of two of the original AEI parties and a splinter group from a third - is called the Pro-European Coalition. In November 2013, the Moldovan Government initialed an Association Agreement with the European Union (EU), advancing the coalition's policy priority of EU integration.
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