Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Suriname instead of Tonga, you would:
Health
be 58.3% less likely to be obese
In Tonga, 73.8% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Suriname, that number is 30.8% of people as of 2024.
see 2.2 times more spent on your healthcare
Tonga spends $512 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Suriname spends $1,143 as of 2023.
have 33.6% more doctors per person
Tonga has 10.1 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2021. Suriname has 13.6 as of 2023.
have 10.5% more access to essential health services
Tonga scores 57 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Suriname scores 63 as of 2021.
be 4.7 times more likely to die by suicide
Tonga has a suicide rate of 4.7 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Suriname, it is 22.3 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 14.6% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Tonga, 20.6% live below the poverty line as of 2021. In Suriname, however, that number is 17.6% as of 2022.
be 3.9 times more likely to be unemployed
In Tonga, 2.0% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Suriname, that number is 7.8% as of 2025.
Life
be 25.4% more likely to die during childbirth
In Tonga, approximately 67.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Suriname, 84.0 women do as of 2023.
be 89.7% more likely to die during infancy
In Tonga, approximately 7.8 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.
have 25.6% fewer children
In Tonga, there are approximately 23.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Suriname, there are 17.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 29.6% more likely to have internet access
In Tonga, approximately 67.4% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Suriname, about 87.4% do as of 2023.
Expenditures
spend 46.0% less on education
Tonga spends 5.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Suriname spends 2.9% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 26.5% less on healthcare
Tonga spends 7.4% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Suriname, that number is 5.4% of GDP as of 2023.
Safety
be 90.6% more likely to die in a road accident
In Tonga, road accidents kill 8.5 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Suriname, they kill 16.2 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 2.3 times more home broadband
Tonga has 8.2 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2022. Suriname has 18.8 as of 2024.
Environment
be 62.5% more likely to die from air pollution
In Tonga, air pollution causes 24.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Suriname, it causes 39.0 as of 2019.
emit 2.5 times more CO2
Tonga emits 1.6 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Suriname emits 4.1 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Tonga vs. Suriname
Suriname: At a glance
How big is Suriname compared to Tonga? See an in-depth size comparison.