Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Saudi Arabia instead of Suriname, you would:
Health
be 93.8% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Suriname, 1.6% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Saudi Arabia, that number is 0.1% of people as of 2024.
live 5.2 years longer
In Suriname, the average life expectancy is 74 years (71 years for men, 77 years for women) as of 2024. In Saudi Arabia, that number is 79 years (77 years for men, 81 years for women) as of 2024.
see 3.0 times more spent on your healthcare
Suriname spends $1,143 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Saudi Arabia spends $3,475 as of 2023.
have 2.5 times more doctors per person
Suriname has 13.6 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Saudi Arabia has 34.1 as of 2023.
have 17.5% more access to essential health services
Suriname scores 63 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Saudi Arabia scores 74 as of 2021.
be 95.7% less likely to die by suicide
Suriname has a suicide rate of 22.3 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Saudi Arabia, it is 0.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 30.2% more likely to be obese
In Suriname, 30.8% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Saudi Arabia, that number is 40.1% of people as of 2024.
Economy
be 61.2% less likely to be unemployed
In Suriname, 7.8% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Saudi Arabia, that number is 3.0% as of 2025.
make 4.9 times more money
Suriname has a GDP per capita of $7,070 as of 2025, while in Saudi Arabia, the GDP per capita is $34,537 as of 2025.
Life
be 91.7% 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 Saudi Arabia, 7.0 women do as of 2023.
be 68.2% 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 Saudi Arabia, on the other hand, 4.7 children do as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 14.4% more likely to have internet access
In Suriname, approximately 87.4% of the population has internet access as of 2023. In Saudi Arabia, about 100.0% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 56.1% more on education
Suriname spends 2.9% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Saudi Arabia spends 4.5% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
Geography
see 6.8 times more coastline
Suriname has a total of 386 km of coastline. In Saudi Arabia, that number is 2,640 km.
Safety
be 14.2% more likely to die in a road accident
In Suriname, road accidents kill 16.2 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Saudi Arabia, they kill 18.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 2.4 times more home broadband
Suriname has 18.8 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Saudi Arabia has 44.1 as of 2024.
use 4.1 times more electricity
Suriname uses 2,897 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Saudi Arabia uses 11,911 kWh as of 2023.
live with 246.6 times more strain on fresh water
Suriname withdraws 4% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Saudi Arabia withdraws 974% as of 2022.
Environment
be 2.3 times more likely to die from air pollution
In Suriname, air pollution causes 39.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Saudi Arabia, it causes 91.0 as of 2019.
emit 4.6 times more CO2
Suriname emits 4.1 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Saudi Arabia emits 18.5 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. Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia: At a glance
How big is Saudi Arabia compared to Suriname? See an in-depth size comparison.