Quality of life comparison
If you lived in South Africa instead of Suriname, you would:
Health
see 18.5% more spent on your healthcare
Suriname spends $1,143 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). South Africa spends $1,354 as of 2023.
have 12.7% more access to essential health services
Suriname scores 63 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. South Africa scores 71 as of 2021.
be 10.8 times more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Suriname, 1.6% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In South Africa, that number is 17.2% of people as of 2024.
live 7.5 years less
In Suriname, the average life expectancy is 74 years (71 years for men, 77 years for women) as of 2024. In South Africa, that number is 66 years (63 years for men, 70 years for women) as of 2024.
have 41.4% fewer doctors per person
Suriname has 13.6 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. South Africa has 7.9 as of 2022.
Economy
be 4.1 times more likely to be unemployed
In Suriname, 7.8% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In South Africa, that number is 32.4% as of 2025.
be 2.2 times more likely to live below the poverty line
In Suriname, 17.6% live below the poverty line as of 2022. In South Africa, however, that number is 37.9% as of 2022.
Life
be 40.5% 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 South Africa, 118.0 women do as of 2023.
be 63.5% 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 South Africa, on the other hand, 24.2 children do as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 11.9% less likely to have access to electricity
In Suriname, approximately 100% of people have electricity access (100% in urban areas, and 99% in rural areas) as of 2023. In South Africa, that number is 88% of people on average (91% in urban areas, and 94% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 10.3% less likely to have internet access
In Suriname, approximately 87.4% of the population has internet access as of 2023. In South Africa, about 78.4% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 2.1 times more on education
Suriname spends 2.9% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. South Africa spends 6.0% of total GDP on education as of 2024.
spend 64.7% more on healthcare
Suriname spends 5.4% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In South Africa, that number is 8.9% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 7.2 times more coastline
Suriname has a total of 386 km of coastline. In South Africa, that number is 2,798 km.
Safety
be 6.7 times more likely to be murdered
Suriname has a homicide rate of 6.5 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In South Africa, that number is 43.7 per 100,000 as of 2022.
be 51.2% more likely to die in a road accident
In Suriname, road accidents kill 16.2 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In South Africa, they kill 24.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
use 12.1% more electricity
Suriname uses 2,897 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. South Africa uses 3,247 kWh as of 2023.
find 71.5% less home broadband
Suriname has 18.8 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. South Africa has 5.3 as of 2024.
live with 17.1 times more strain on fresh water
Suriname withdraws 4% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. South Africa withdraws 68% as of 2022.
Environment
be 20.5% more likely to die from air pollution
In Suriname, air pollution causes 39.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In South Africa, it causes 47.0 as of 2019.
emit 69.5% more CO2
Suriname emits 4.1 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. South Africa emits 6.9 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2022–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Suriname vs. South Africa
South Africa: At a glance
How big is South Africa compared to Suriname? See an in-depth size comparison.