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

Health

be 68.8% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS

In Suriname, 1.6% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Paraguay, that number is 0.5% of people as of 2024.

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see 28.6% more spent on your healthcare

Suriname spends $1,143 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Paraguay spends $1,469 as of 2023.

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have 2.9 times more doctors per person

Suriname has 13.6 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Paraguay has 38.9 as of 2022.

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have 14.3% more access to essential health services

Suriname scores 63 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Paraguay scores 72 as of 2021.

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be 71.4% less likely to die by suicide

Suriname has a suicide rate of 22.3 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Paraguay, it is 6.4 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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be 12.6% more likely to be obese

In Suriname, 30.8% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Paraguay, that number is 34.7% of people as of 2024.

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Economy

be 38.7% less likely to be unemployed

In Suriname, 7.8% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Paraguay, that number is 4.8% as of 2025.

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Life

be 31.0% 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 Paraguay, 58.0 women do as of 2023.

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have 15.0% more children

In Suriname, there are approximately 17.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Paraguay, there are 19.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

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Expenditures

spend 23.0% more on education

Suriname spends 2.9% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Paraguay spends 3.5% of total GDP on education as of 2024.

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spend 54.5% more on healthcare

Suriname spends 5.4% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Paraguay, that number is 8.4% of GDP as of 2023.

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Safety

be 29.6% more likely to die in a road accident

In Suriname, road accidents kill 16.2 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Paraguay, they kill 21.0 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Infrastructure

live with 53.4% less strain on fresh water

Suriname withdraws 4% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Paraguay withdraws 2% as of 2022.

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find 31.3% less home broadband

Suriname has 18.8 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Paraguay has 12.9 as of 2023.

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use 17.6% less electricity

Suriname uses 2,897 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Paraguay uses 2,389 kWh as of 2023.

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Environment

be 35.9% less likely to die from air pollution

In Suriname, air pollution causes 39.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Paraguay, it causes 25.0 as of 2019.

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emit 71.4% less CO2

Suriname emits 4.1 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Paraguay emits 1.2 tonnes as of 2024.

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

Paraguay: At a glance

Paraguay is a sovereign country in South America, with a total land area of approximately 397,302 sq km. Paraguay achieved its independence from Spain in 1811. In the disastrous War of the Triple Alliance (1865-70) - between Paraguay and Argentina, Brazil, and Uruguay - Paraguay lost two-thirds of its adult males and much of its territory. The country stagnated economically for the next half century. Following the Chaco War of 1932-35 with Bolivia, Paraguay gained a large part of the Chaco lowland region. The 35-year military dictatorship of Alfredo STROESSNER ended in 1989, and, despite a marked increase in political infighting in recent years, Paraguay has held relatively free and regular presidential elections since the country's return to democracy.
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How big is Paraguay compared to Suriname? See an in-depth size comparison.

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