If you lived in Suriname instead of Yemen, you would:

Health

live 4.3 years longer

In Yemen, the average life expectancy is 69 years (67 years for men, 72 years for women) as of 2024. In Suriname, that number is 74 years (71 years for men, 77 years for women) as of 2024.

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see 6.8 times more spent on your healthcare

Yemen spends $169 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Suriname spends $1,143 as of 2023.

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have 13.8 times more doctors per person

Yemen has 1.0 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Suriname has 13.6 as of 2023.

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have 50.0% more access to essential health services

Yemen scores 42 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Suriname scores 63 as of 2021.

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be 16.0 times more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS

In Yemen, 0.1% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Suriname, that number is 1.6% of people as of 2024.

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be 2.3 times more likely to be obese

In Yemen, 13.3% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Suriname, that number is 30.8% of people as of 2024.

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be 5.3 times more likely to die by suicide

Yemen has a suicide rate of 4.2 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 54.8% less likely to be unemployed

In Yemen, 17.3% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Suriname, that number is 7.8% as of 2025.

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Life

be 28.8% less likely to die during childbirth

In Yemen, approximately 118.0 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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be 56.2% less likely to die during infancy

In Yemen, approximately 33.8 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.

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have 50.1% fewer children

In Yemen, there are approximately 34.4 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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Basic Needs

be 19.1% more likely to have access to electricity

In Yemen, approximately 84% of people have electricity access (96% in urban areas, and 75% in rural areas) as of 2023. In Suriname, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 99% in rural areas) as of 2023.

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be 4.9 times more likely to have internet access

In Yemen, approximately 17.7% of the population has internet access as of 2022. In Suriname, about 87.4% do as of 2023.

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be 30.6% more likely to have access to drinking water

In Yemen, approximately 75% of people have access to drinking water (89% in urban areas, and 66% in rural areas) as of 2024. In Suriname, that number is 98% of people on average (99% in urban areas, and 97% in rural areas) as of 2024.

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Expenditures

spend 44.2% less on healthcare

Yemen spends 9.7% 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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Geography

see 79.7% less coastline

Yemen has a total of 1,906 km of coastline. In Suriname, that number is 386 km.

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Safety

be 45.6% less likely to die in a road accident

In Yemen, road accidents kill 29.8 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Suriname, they kill 16.2 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Infrastructure

find 14.8 times more home broadband

Yemen has 1.3 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2022. Suriname has 18.8 as of 2024.

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live with 97.7% less strain on fresh water

Yemen withdraws 170% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Suriname withdraws 4% as of 2022.

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use 32.3 times more electricity

Yemen uses 90 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Suriname uses 2,897 kWh as of 2023.

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Environment

be 64.2% less likely to die from air pollution

In Yemen, air pollution causes 109.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Suriname, it causes 39.0 as of 2019.

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emit 15.6 times more CO2

Yemen emits 0.3 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Suriname emits 4.1 tonnes as of 2024.

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Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2022), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. 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 Yemen? See an in-depth size comparison.

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