Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Suriname instead of Uruguay, you would:
Health
be 11.9% less likely to be obese
In Uruguay, 35.0% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Suriname, that number is 30.8% of people as of 2024.
be 10.1% less likely to die by suicide
Uruguay has a suicide rate of 24.8 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Suriname, it is 22.3 per 100,000 as of 2021.
live 4.5 years less
In Uruguay, the average life expectancy is 78 years (74 years for men, 82 years for women) as of 2024. In Suriname, that number is 74 years (71 years for men, 77 years for women) as of 2024.
see 63.6% less spent on your healthcare
Uruguay spends $3,135 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Suriname spends $1,143 as of 2023.
have 71.0% fewer doctors per person
Uruguay has 46.7 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Suriname has 13.6 as of 2023.
have 23.2% less access to essential health services
Uruguay scores 82 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Suriname scores 63 as of 2021.
Economy
make 72.0% less money
Uruguay has a GDP per capita of $25,216 as of 2025, while in Suriname, the GDP per capita is $7,070 as of 2025.
Life
have 75.0% more children
In Uruguay, there are approximately 9.8 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Suriname, there are 17.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 5.6 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Uruguay, approximately 15.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Suriname, 84.0 women do as of 2023.
be 2.4 times more likely to die during infancy
In Uruguay, approximately 6.2 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.
Expenditures
spend 39.7% less on education
Uruguay spends 4.8% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Suriname spends 2.9% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 40.0% less on healthcare
Uruguay spends 9.0% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Suriname, that number is 5.4% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 41.5% less coastline
Uruguay has a total of 660 km of coastline. In Suriname, that number is 386 km.
Safety
be 42.0% less likely to be murdered
Uruguay has a homicide rate of 11.2 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Suriname, that number is 6.5 per 100,000 as of 2023.
be 24.6% more likely to die in a road accident
In Uruguay, road accidents kill 13.0 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Suriname, they kill 16.2 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 67.2% less strain on fresh water
Uruguay withdraws 12% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Suriname withdraws 4% as of 2022.
find 43.3% less home broadband
Uruguay has 33.0 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Suriname has 18.8 as of 2024.
use 23.6% less electricity
Uruguay uses 3,790 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Suriname uses 2,897 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
be 2.4 times more likely to die from air pollution
In Uruguay, air pollution causes 16.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Suriname, it causes 39.0 as of 2019.
emit 58.0% more CO2
Uruguay emits 2.6 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), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Uruguay vs. Suriname
Suriname: At a glance
How big is Suriname compared to Uruguay? See an in-depth size comparison.