Quality of life comparison
If you lived in United States instead of Suriname, you would:
Health
live 5.1 years longer
In Suriname, the average life expectancy is 74 years (71 years for men, 77 years for women) as of 2024. In United States, that number is 79 years (76 years for men, 81 years for women) as of 2024.
see 11.8 times more spent on your healthcare
Suriname spends $1,143 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). United States spends $13,473 as of 2023.
have 2.7 times more doctors per person
Suriname has 13.6 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. United States has 36.8 as of 2022.
have 36.5% more access to essential health services
Suriname scores 63 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. United States scores 86 as of 2021.
be 29.8% less likely to die by suicide
Suriname has a suicide rate of 22.3 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In United States, it is 15.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 33.0% more likely to be obese
In Suriname, 30.8% of adults are obese as of 2024. In United States, that number is 41.0% of people as of 2024.
Economy
be 46.4% less likely to be unemployed
In Suriname, 7.8% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In United States, that number is 4.2% as of 2025.
make 12.7 times more money
Suriname has a GDP per capita of $7,070 as of 2025, while in United States, the GDP per capita is $90,027 as of 2025.
Life
be 79.8% 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 United States, 17.0 women do as of 2023.
be 62.8% 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 United States, on the other hand, 5.5 children do as of 2024.
have 38.2% fewer children
In Suriname, there are approximately 17.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In United States, there are 10.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 88.9% more on education
Suriname spends 2.9% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. United States spends 5.4% of total GDP on education as of 2021.
spend 3.1 times more on healthcare
Suriname spends 5.4% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In United States, that number is 16.7% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 51.6 times more coastline
Suriname has a total of 386 km of coastline. In United States, that number is 19,924 km.
Safety
be 11.7% less likely to be murdered
Suriname has a homicide rate of 6.5 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In United States, that number is 5.8 per 100,000 as of 2023.
be 12.3% less likely to die in a road accident
In Suriname, road accidents kill 16.2 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In United States, they kill 14.2 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 2.1 times more home broadband
Suriname has 18.8 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. United States has 38.9 as of 2024.
use 4.4 times more electricity
Suriname uses 2,897 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. United States uses 12,839 kWh as of 2024.
live with 7.1 times more strain on fresh water
Suriname withdraws 4% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. United States withdraws 28% as of 2022.
Environment
be 64.1% less likely to die from air pollution
In Suriname, air pollution causes 39.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In United States, it causes 14.0 as of 2019.
emit 3.4 times more CO2
Suriname emits 4.1 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. United States emits 13.6 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. United States
United States: At a glance
How big is United States compared to Suriname? See an in-depth size comparison.