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

Health

be 87.5% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS

In Suriname, 1.6% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Pakistan, that number is 0.2% of people as of 2024.

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be 20.4% less likely to be obese

In Suriname, 30.8% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Pakistan, that number is 24.5% of people as of 2024.

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be 74.7% less likely to die by suicide

Suriname has a suicide rate of 22.3 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Pakistan, it is 5.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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live 6.0 years less

In Suriname, the average life expectancy is 74 years (71 years for men, 77 years for women) as of 2024. In Pakistan, that number is 68 years (65 years for men, 70 years for women) as of 2024.

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see 86.7% less spent on your healthcare

Suriname spends $1,143 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Pakistan spends $152 as of 2023.

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have 14.4% fewer doctors per person

Suriname has 13.6 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Pakistan has 11.6 as of 2021.

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have 28.6% less access to essential health services

Suriname scores 63 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Pakistan scores 45 as of 2021.

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Economy

be 30.8% less likely to be unemployed

In Suriname, 7.8% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Pakistan, that number is 5.4% as of 2025.

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be 64.2% more likely to live below the poverty line

In Suriname, 17.6% live below the poverty line as of 2022. In Pakistan, however, that number is 28.9% as of 2024.

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make 77.4% less money

Suriname has a GDP per capita of $7,070 as of 2025, while in Pakistan, the GDP per capita is $1,596 as of 2025.

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Life

have 59.8% more children

In Suriname, there are approximately 17.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Pakistan, there are 27.4 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

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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 Pakistan, 155.0 women do as of 2023.

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be 38.0% less likely to be literate

In Suriname, the literacy rate is 95.0% as of 2021. In Pakistan, it is 58.9% as of 2021.

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be 3.3 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 Pakistan, on the other hand, 48.2 children do as of 2024.

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Basic Needs

be 34.5% less likely to have internet access

In Suriname, approximately 87.4% of the population has internet access as of 2023. In Pakistan, about 57.2% do as of 2024.

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Expenditures

spend 32.1% less on education

Suriname spends 2.9% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Pakistan spends 1.9% of total GDP on education as of 2023.

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spend 53.4% less on healthcare

Suriname spends 5.4% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Pakistan, that number is 2.5% of GDP as of 2023.

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Geography

see 2.7 times more coastline

Suriname has a total of 386 km of coastline. In Pakistan, that number is 1,046 km.

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Safety

be 33.6% less likely to be murdered

Suriname has a homicide rate of 6.5 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Pakistan, that number is 4.3 per 100,000 as of 2023.

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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 Pakistan, they kill 11.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Infrastructure

find 92.2% less home broadband

Suriname has 18.8 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Pakistan has 1.5 as of 2024.

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live with 27.8 times more strain on fresh water

Suriname withdraws 4% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Pakistan withdraws 110% as of 2022.

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use 82.1% less electricity

Suriname uses 2,897 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Pakistan uses 518 kWh as of 2023.

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Environment

emit 80.0% less CO2

Suriname emits 4.1 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Pakistan emits 0.8 tonnes as of 2024.

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be 2.7 times more likely to die from air pollution

In Suriname, air pollution causes 39.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Pakistan, it causes 105.0 as of 2019.

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

Pakistan: At a glance

Pakistan is a sovereign country in South Asia, with a total land area of approximately 770,875 sq km. The Indus Valley civilization, one of the oldest in the world and dating back at least 5,000 years, spread over much of what is presently Pakistan. During the second millennium B.C., remnants of this culture fused with the migrating Indo-Aryan peoples. The area underwent successive invasions in subsequent centuries from the Persians, Greeks, Scythians, Arabs (who brought Islam), Afghans, and Turks. The Mughal Empire flourished in the 16th and 17th centuries; the British came to dominate the region in the 18th century. The separation in 1947 of British India into the Muslim state of Pakistan (with West and East sections) and largely Hindu India was never satisfactorily resolved, and India and Pakistan fought two wars - in 1947-48 and 1965 - over the disputed Kashmir territory. A third war between these countries in 1971 - in which India capitalized on Islamabad's marginalization of Bengalis in Pakistani politics - resulted in East Pakistan becoming the separate nation of Bangladesh. In response to Indian nuclear weapons testing, Pakistan conducted its own tests in 1998. India-Pakistan relations have been rocky since the November 2008 Mumbai attacks, but both countries are taking small steps to put relations back on track. In February 2008, Pakistan held parliamentary elections and in September 2008, after the resignation of former President MUSHARRAF, elected Asif Ali ZARDARI to the presidency. Pakistani government and military leaders are struggling to control domestic insurgents, many of whom are located in the tribal areas adjacent to the border with Afghanistan.
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