Quality of life comparison

compared to

If you lived in Suriname instead of United Kingdom, you would:

Health

live 9.5 years less

In United Kingdom, the average life expectancy is 82 years (80 years for men, 84 years for women) as of 2022. In Suriname, that number is 72 years (69 years for men, 76 years for women) as of 2022.

Economy

pay a 15.6% lower top tax rate

United Kingdom has a top tax rate of 45.0% as of 2016. In Suriname, the top tax rate is 38.0% as of 2016.

make 61.3% less money

United Kingdom has a GDP per capita of $41,600 as of 2020, while in Suriname, the GDP per capita is $16,100 as of 2020.

be 2.8 times more likely to be unemployed

In United Kingdom, 3.2% of adults are unemployed as of 2019. In Suriname, that number is 8.9% as of 2017.

be 3.8 times more likely to live below the poverty line

In United Kingdom, 18.6% live below the poverty line as of 2017. In Suriname, however, that number is 70.0% as of 2002.

Life

have 42.5% more children

In United Kingdom, there are approximately 10.8 babies per 1,000 people as of 2022. In Suriname, there are 15.4 babies per 1,000 people as of 2022.

be 17.1 times more likely to die during childbirth

In United Kingdom, approximately 7.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2017. In Suriname, 120.0 women do as of 2017.

be 7.9 times more likely to die during infancy

In United Kingdom, approximately 3.8 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2022. In Suriname, on the other hand, 30.2 children do as of 2022.

Basic Needs

be 26.3% less likely to have internet access

In United Kingdom, approximately 95.0% of the population has internet access as of 2020. In Suriname, about 70.0% do as of 2020.

Expenditures

spend 38.5% more on education

United Kingdom spends 5.2% of its total GDP on education as of 2018. Suriname spends 7.2% of total GDP on education as of 2019.

Geography

see 96.9% less coastline

United Kingdom has a total of 12,429 km of coastline. In Suriname, that number is 386 km.

The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook, Ministry of Finance, HM Revenue & Customs.

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 United Kingdom? See an in-depth size comparison.

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