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

Health

be 62.6% less likely to be obese

In Suriname, 30.8% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Tanzania, that number is 11.5% of people as of 2024.

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be 77.1% less likely to die by suicide

Suriname has a suicide rate of 22.3 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Tanzania, it is 5.1 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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be 2.2 times more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS

In Suriname, 1.6% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Tanzania, that number is 3.5% of people as of 2024.

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live 6.6 years less

In Suriname, the average life expectancy is 74 years (71 years for men, 77 years for women) as of 2024. In Tanzania, that number is 67 years (64 years for men, 70 years for women) as of 2024.

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see 89.6% less spent on your healthcare

Suriname spends $1,143 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Tanzania spends $119 as of 2023.

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have 90.1% fewer doctors per person

Suriname has 13.6 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Tanzania has 1.3 as of 2022.

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have 31.7% less access to essential health services

Suriname scores 63 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Tanzania scores 43 as of 2021.

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Economy

be 79.9% less likely to be unemployed

In Suriname, 7.8% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Tanzania, that number is 1.6% as of 2025.

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make 81.3% less money

Suriname has a GDP per capita of $7,070 as of 2025, while in Tanzania, the GDP per capita is $1,319 as of 2025.

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Life

have 2.0 times more children

In Suriname, there are approximately 17.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Tanzania, there are 34.8 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

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be 3.3 times 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 Tanzania, 276.0 women do as of 2023.

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be 17.7% less likely to be literate

In Suriname, the literacy rate is 95.0% as of 2021. In Tanzania, it is 78.2% as of 2022.

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be 93.9% 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 Tanzania, on the other hand, 28.7 children do as of 2024.

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Basic Needs

be 51.5% 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 Tanzania, that number is 48% of people on average (82% in urban areas, and 28% in rural areas) as of 2023.

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be 64.3% less likely to have internet access

In Suriname, approximately 87.4% of the population has internet access as of 2023. In Tanzania, about 31.2% do as of 2024.

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be 34.1% less likely to have access to drinking water

In Suriname, approximately 98% of people have access to drinking water (99% in urban areas, and 97% in rural areas) as of 2024. In Tanzania, that number is 65% of people on average (86% in urban areas, and 51% in rural areas) as of 2024.

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Expenditures

spend 43.6% less on healthcare

Suriname spends 5.4% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Tanzania, that number is 3.0% of GDP as of 2023.

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spend 10.1% more on education

Suriname spends 2.9% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Tanzania spends 3.2% of total GDP on education as of 2024.

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Geography

see 3.7 times more coastline

Suriname has a total of 386 km of coastline. In Tanzania, that number is 1,424 km.

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Safety

be 42.5% less likely to be murdered

Suriname has a homicide rate of 6.5 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Tanzania, that number is 3.8 per 100,000 as of 2020.

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Infrastructure

find 98.7% less home broadband

Suriname has 18.8 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Tanzania has 0.2 as of 2024.

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live with 3.3 times more strain on fresh water

Suriname withdraws 4% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Tanzania withdraws 13% as of 2022.

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use 95.3% less electricity

Suriname uses 2,897 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Tanzania uses 135 kWh as of 2023.

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Environment

emit 92.4% less CO2

Suriname emits 4.1 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Tanzania emits 0.3 tonnes as of 2024.

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Sources: World Bank (2020–2025), The World Factbook (2021), World Health Organization (2024), United Nations SDG Indicators (2021). How we calculate this

Tanzania: At a glance

Tanzania is a sovereign country in Africa, with a total land area of approximately 885,800 sq km. Shortly after achieving independence from Britain in the early 1960s, Tanganyika and Zanzibar merged to form the nation of Tanzania in 1964. One-party rule ended in 1995 with the first democratic elections held in the country since the 1970s. Zanzibar's semi-autonomous status and popular opposition led to two contentious elections since 1995, which the ruling party won despite international observers' claims of voting irregularities. The formation of a government of national unity between Zanzibar's two leading parties succeeded in minimizing electoral tension in 2010.
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How big is Tanzania compared to Suriname? See an in-depth size comparison.

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