If you lived in Suriname instead of Trinidad and Tobago, you would:

Health

see 49.1% less spent on your healthcare

Trinidad and Tobago spends $2,244 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Suriname spends $1,143 as of 2023.

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have 67.4% fewer doctors per person

Trinidad and Tobago has 41.6 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2021. Suriname has 13.6 as of 2023.

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have 16.0% less access to essential health services

Trinidad and Tobago scores 75 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Suriname scores 63 as of 2021.

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be 66.9% more likely to die by suicide

Trinidad and Tobago has a suicide rate of 13.3 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Suriname, it is 22.3 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Economy

be 2.4 times more likely to be unemployed

In Trinidad and Tobago, 3.3% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Suriname, that number is 7.8% as of 2025.

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make 62.7% less money

Trinidad and Tobago has a GDP per capita of $18,967 as of 2025, while in Suriname, the GDP per capita is $7,070 as of 2025.

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Life

be 12.9% less likely to die during infancy

In Trinidad and Tobago, approximately 17.0 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.

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have 62.7% more children

In Trinidad and Tobago, there are approximately 10.5 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Suriname, there are 17.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

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be 55.6% more likely to die during childbirth

In Trinidad and Tobago, approximately 54.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Suriname, 84.0 women do as of 2023.

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Expenditures

spend 11.1% less on education

Trinidad and Tobago spends 3.2% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Suriname spends 2.9% of total GDP on education as of 2023.

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spend 28.2% less on healthcare

Trinidad and Tobago spends 7.5% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Suriname, that number is 5.4% of GDP as of 2023.

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Safety

be 83.9% less likely to be murdered

Trinidad and Tobago has a homicide rate of 40.4 per 100,000 people as of 2022. In Suriname, that number is 6.5 per 100,000 as of 2023.

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be 3.2 times more likely to die in a road accident

In Trinidad and Tobago, road accidents kill 5.0 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Suriname, they kill 16.2 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Infrastructure

live with 80.6% less strain on fresh water

Trinidad and Tobago withdraws 20% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Suriname withdraws 4% as of 2022.

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find 30.6% less home broadband

Trinidad and Tobago has 27.0 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Suriname has 18.8 as of 2024.

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use 56.5% less electricity

Trinidad and Tobago uses 6,664 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Suriname uses 2,897 kWh as of 2023.

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Environment

emit 79.3% less CO2

Trinidad and Tobago emits 19.6 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Suriname emits 4.1 tonnes as of 2024.

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be 95.0% more likely to die from air pollution

In Trinidad and Tobago, air pollution causes 20.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Suriname, it causes 39.0 as of 2019.

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Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021). 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.
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How big is Suriname compared to Trinidad and Tobago? See an in-depth size comparison.

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