Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Panama instead of Suriname, you would:
Health
be 31.2% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Suriname, 1.6% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Panama, that number is 1.1% of people as of 2024.
live 6.0 years longer
In Suriname, the average life expectancy is 74 years (71 years for men, 77 years for women) as of 2024. In Panama, that number is 80 years (77 years for men, 83 years for women) as of 2024.
see 2.9 times more spent on your healthcare
Suriname spends $1,143 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Panama spends $3,318 as of 2023.
have 19.9% more doctors per person
Suriname has 13.6 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Panama has 16.2 as of 2022.
have 23.8% more access to essential health services
Suriname scores 63 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Panama scores 78 as of 2021.
be 85.2% less likely to die by suicide
Suriname has a suicide rate of 22.3 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Panama, it is 3.3 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 22.5% more likely to be obese
In Suriname, 30.8% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Panama, that number is 37.7% of people as of 2024.
Economy
make 2.8 times more money
Suriname has a GDP per capita of $7,070 as of 2025, while in Panama, the GDP per capita is $19,790 as of 2025.
be 23.3% more likely to live below the poverty line
In Suriname, 17.6% live below the poverty line as of 2022. In Panama, however, that number is 21.7% as of 2023.
Life
be 56.0% 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 Panama, 37.0 women do as of 2023.
be 18.9% 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 Panama, on the other hand, 12.0 children do as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 16.7% less likely to have internet access
In Suriname, approximately 87.4% of the population has internet access as of 2023. In Panama, about 72.8% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 13.9% less on education
Suriname spends 2.9% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Panama spends 2.5% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 54.0% more on healthcare
Suriname spends 5.4% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Panama, that number is 8.3% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 6.5 times more coastline
Suriname has a total of 386 km of coastline. In Panama, that number is 2,490 km.
Safety
be 54.9% less likely to die in a road accident
In Suriname, road accidents kill 16.2 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Panama, they kill 7.3 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 79.6% more likely to be murdered
Suriname has a homicide rate of 6.5 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Panama, that number is 11.7 per 100,000 as of 2023.
Infrastructure
live with 77.2% less strain on fresh water
Suriname withdraws 4% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Panama withdraws 1% as of 2022.
Environment
be 56.4% less likely to die from air pollution
In Suriname, air pollution causes 39.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Panama, it causes 17.0 as of 2019.
emit 32.5% less CO2
Suriname emits 4.1 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Panama emits 2.7 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. Panama
Panama: At a glance
How big is Panama compared to Suriname? See an in-depth size comparison.