Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Suriname instead of Vietnam, you would:
Health
see 65.7% more spent on your healthcare
Vietnam spends $690 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Suriname spends $1,143 as of 2023.
have 22.4% more doctors per person
Vietnam has 11.1 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2021. Suriname has 13.6 as of 2023.
be 4.0 times more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Vietnam, 0.4% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Suriname, that number is 1.6% of people as of 2024.
live 1.0 years less
In Vietnam, the average life expectancy is 75 years (70 years for men, 79 years for women) as of 2024. In Suriname, that number is 74 years (71 years for men, 77 years for women) as of 2024.
be 12.8 times more likely to be obese
In Vietnam, 2.4% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Suriname, that number is 30.8% of people as of 2024.
be 3.0 times more likely to die by suicide
Vietnam has a suicide rate of 7.3 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Suriname, it is 22.3 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
make 39.6% more money
Vietnam has a GDP per capita of $5,066 as of 2025, while in Suriname, the GDP per capita is $7,070 as of 2025.
be 5.2 times more likely to be unemployed
In Vietnam, 1.5% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Suriname, that number is 7.8% as of 2025.
be 4.2 times more likely to live below the poverty line
In Vietnam, 4.2% live below the poverty line as of 2022. In Suriname, however, that number is 17.6% as of 2022.
Life
have 27.8% more children
In Vietnam, there are approximately 13.4 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Suriname, there are 17.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 75.0% more likely to die during childbirth
In Vietnam, approximately 48.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Suriname, 84.0 women do as of 2023.
be 23.3% more likely to die during infancy
In Vietnam, approximately 12.0 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.
Expenditures
spend 18.6% more on healthcare
Vietnam spends 4.6% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Suriname, that number is 5.4% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 88.8% less coastline
Vietnam has a total of 3,444 km of coastline. In Suriname, that number is 386 km.
Infrastructure
live with 78.2% less strain on fresh water
Vietnam withdraws 18% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Suriname withdraws 4% as of 2022.
use 12.1% more electricity
Vietnam uses 2,585 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Suriname uses 2,897 kWh as of 2023.
find 20.9% less home broadband
Vietnam has 23.7 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Suriname has 18.8 as of 2024.
Environment
be 25.0% less likely to die from air pollution
In Vietnam, air pollution causes 52.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Suriname, it causes 39.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook, United Nations SDG Indicators (2019). How we calculate this
Compare further: Vietnam vs. Suriname
Suriname: At a glance
How big is Suriname compared to Vietnam? See an in-depth size comparison.