Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Zimbabwe instead of Suriname, you would:
Health
be 52.2% less likely to be obese
In Suriname, 30.8% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Zimbabwe, that number is 14.7% of people as of 2024.
be 22.1% less likely to die by suicide
Suriname has a suicide rate of 22.3 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Zimbabwe, it is 17.3 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 6.1 times more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Suriname, 1.6% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Zimbabwe, that number is 9.8% of people as of 2024.
live 10.7 years less
In Suriname, the average life expectancy is 74 years (71 years for men, 77 years for women) as of 2024. In Zimbabwe, that number is 63 years (60 years for men, 65 years for women) as of 2024.
see 91.0% less spent on your healthcare
Suriname spends $1,143 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Zimbabwe spends $103 as of 2023.
have 90.0% fewer doctors per person
Suriname has 13.6 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Zimbabwe has 1.4 as of 2023.
have 12.7% less access to essential health services
Suriname scores 63 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Zimbabwe scores 55 as of 2021.
Economy
be 18.6% more likely to be unemployed
In Suriname, 7.8% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Zimbabwe, that number is 9.3% 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 Zimbabwe, however, that number is 38.3% as of 2019.
make 57.3% less money
Suriname has a GDP per capita of $7,070 as of 2025, while in Zimbabwe, the GDP per capita is $3,021 as of 2025.
Life
have 74.3% more children
In Suriname, there are approximately 17.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Zimbabwe, there are 29.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 4.3 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 Zimbabwe, 358.0 women do as of 2023.
be 4.2 times 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 Zimbabwe, on the other hand, 62.4 children do as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 37.8% 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 Zimbabwe, that number is 62% of people on average (84% in urban areas, and 51% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 52.4% less likely to have internet access
In Suriname, approximately 87.4% of the population has internet access as of 2023. In Zimbabwe, about 41.6% do as of 2024.
be 31.4% 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 Zimbabwe, that number is 67% of people on average (94% in urban areas, and 54% in rural areas) as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 86.8% less on education
Suriname spends 2.9% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Zimbabwe spends 0.4% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 45.8% less on healthcare
Suriname spends 5.4% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Zimbabwe, that number is 2.9% of GDP as of 2023.
Safety
be 84.6% more likely to die in a road accident
In Suriname, road accidents kill 16.2 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Zimbabwe, they kill 29.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 89.7% less home broadband
Suriname has 18.8 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Zimbabwe has 1.9 as of 2024.
live with 11.7 times more strain on fresh water
Suriname withdraws 4% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Zimbabwe withdraws 46% as of 2022.
use 82.6% less electricity
Suriname uses 2,897 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Zimbabwe uses 504 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
emit 81.0% less CO2
Suriname emits 4.1 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Zimbabwe emits 0.8 tonnes as of 2024.
be 43.6% more likely to die from air pollution
In Suriname, air pollution causes 39.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Zimbabwe, it causes 56.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2019–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Suriname vs. Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe: At a glance
How big is Zimbabwe compared to Suriname? See an in-depth size comparison.