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

Health

be 54.3% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS

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

View global rankings →

live 6.6 years longer

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

View global rankings →

see 9.6 times more spent on your healthcare

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

View global rankings →

have 10.1 times more doctors per person

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

View global rankings →

have 46.5% more access to essential health services

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

View global rankings →

be 2.7 times more likely to be obese

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

View global rankings →

be 4.4 times more likely to die by suicide

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

View global rankings →

Economy

make 5.4 times more money

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

View global rankings →

be 5.0 times more likely to be unemployed

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

View global rankings →

Life

be 69.6% less likely to die during childbirth

In Tanzania, approximately 276.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Suriname, 84.0 women do as of 2023.

View global rankings →

be 21.5% more likely to be literate

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

View global rankings →

be 48.4% less likely to die during infancy

In Tanzania, approximately 28.7 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2024. In Suriname, on the other hand, 14.8 children do as of 2024.

View global rankings →

have 50.7% fewer children

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

View global rankings →

Basic Needs

be 2.1 times more likely to have access to electricity

In Tanzania, approximately 48% of people have electricity access (82% in urban areas, and 28% in rural areas) as of 2023. In Suriname, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 99% in rural areas) as of 2023.

View global rankings →

be 2.8 times more likely to have internet access

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

View global rankings →

be 51.7% more likely to have access to drinking water

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

View global rankings →

Expenditures

spend 77.4% more on healthcare

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

View global rankings →

Geography

see 72.9% less coastline

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

View global rankings →

Safety

be 73.9% more likely to be murdered

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

View global rankings →

Infrastructure

find 75.0 times more home broadband

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

View global rankings →

live with 69.5% less strain on fresh water

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

View global rankings →

use 21.5 times more electricity

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

View global rankings →

Environment

emit 13.1 times more CO2

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

View global rankings →


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

Suriname: At a glance

Suriname is a sovereign country in South America, with a total land area of approximately 156,000 sq km. First explored by the Spaniards in the 16th century and then settled by the English in the mid-17th century, Suriname became a Dutch colony in 1667. With the abolition of African slavery in 1863, workers were brought in from India and Java. Independence from the Netherlands was granted in 1975. Five years later the civilian government was replaced by a military regime that soon declared a socialist republic. It continued to exert control through a succession of nominally civilian administrations until 1987, when international pressure finally forced a democratic election. In 1990, the military overthrew the civilian leadership, but a democratically elected government - a four-party coalition - returned to power in 1991. The coalition expanded to eight parties in 2005 and ruled until August 2010, when voters returned former military leader Desire BOUTERSE and his opposition coalition to power.
Read more

How big is Suriname compared to Tanzania? See an in-depth size comparison.

Share this

Ask the Elsewhere Community

Join the Elsewhere community and ask a question about Suriname or Tanzania. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.