Quality of life comparison

compared to

If you lived in Suriname instead of Republic of the Congo, you would:

Health

be 66.7% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS

In Republic of the Congo, 3.3% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2020. In Suriname, that number is 1.1% of people as of 2020.

live 10.3 years longer

In Republic of the Congo, the average life expectancy is 62 years (61 years for men, 64 years for women) as of 2022. In Suriname, that number is 72 years (69 years for men, 76 years for women) as of 2022.

be 2.8 times more likely to be obese

In Republic of the Congo, 9.6% of adults are obese as of 2016. In Suriname, that number is 26.4% of people as of 2016.

Economy

make 4.1 times more money

Republic of the Congo has a GDP per capita of $3,700 as of 2022, while in Suriname, the GDP per capita is $15,000 as of 2022.

be 59.8% less likely to be unemployed

In Republic of the Congo, 20.5% of adults are unemployed as of 2022. In Suriname, that number is 8.2% as of 2022.

be 71.1% more likely to live below the poverty line

In Republic of the Congo, 40.9% live below the poverty line as of 2011. In Suriname, however, that number is 70.0% as of 2002.

Life

be 66.0% less likely to die during childbirth

In Republic of the Congo, approximately 282.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2020. In Suriname, 96.0 women do as of 2020.

be 17.9% more likely to be literate

In Republic of the Congo, the literacy rate is 80.6% as of 2021. In Suriname, it is 95.0% as of 2021.

be 36.9% less likely to die during infancy

In Republic of the Congo, approximately 47.9 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.

have 48.1% fewer children

In Republic of the Congo, there are approximately 28.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Suriname, there are 14.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

Basic Needs

be 99.2% more likely to have access to electricity

In Republic of the Congo, approximately 50% of people have electricity access (67% in urban areas, and 12% in rural areas) as of 2021. In Suriname, that number is 99% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 97% in rural areas) as of 2021.

be 2.1 times more likely to have internet access

In Republic of the Congo, approximately 32.1% of the population has internet access as of 2021. In Suriname, about 66.0% do as of 2021.

be 17.7% more likely to have access to improved drinking water

In Republic of the Congo, approximately 84% of people have improved drinking water access (98% in urban areas, and 56% in rural areas) as of 2020. In Suriname, that number is 99% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 98% in rural areas) as of 2020.

Expenditures

spend 11.1% more on education

Republic of the Congo spends 4.5% of its total GDP on education as of 2020. Suriname spends 5.0% of total GDP on education as of 2020.

spend 51.1% more on healthcare

Republic of the Congo spends 4.5% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2020. In Suriname, that number is 6.8% of GDP as of 2020.

Geography

see 2.3 times more coastline

Republic of the Congo has a total of 169 km of coastline. In Suriname, that number is 386 km.

The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook.

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 Republic of the Congo? See an in-depth size comparison.

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