GeoRealityMatch
Exterior view of St. Peter and Paul Cathedral showcasing its gothic architecture and twin towers in Suriname.Empty urban square in São Gabriel da Cachoeira, Brazil, with trees and huts.

Suriname

South America

Affordable cost of livingHigh development
Safety
Homicides
6.5per 100,000 people a yearHighUNODC / World Bank · 2023
Money

Incomes below the median country

GNI per person
$6,140national income per person, US dollarsModerate
World Bank · 2025
Rent index
10.7New York = 100AffordableNumbeo · 2026

Income and inflation over time

Income per person rose 41% in current dollars from 2006 to 2025, and fell 4% after inflation.

GDP per person, current US$At purchasing power parityInflation

$0$13K$25K$22,652 PPP$7,070Inflation, % a year60%0200620102015202020252006, $5,003 a person, $10,803 at PPP, inflation 11.3%2007, $5,530 a person, $11,530 at PPP, inflation 6.4%2008, $6,576 a person, $12,097 at PPP, inflation 14.7%2009, $7,130 a person, $12,393 at PPP, inflation -0.1%2010, $7,944 a person, $13,039 at PPP, inflation 6.9%2011, $7,950 a person, $13,926 at PPP, inflation 17.7%2012, $8,851 a person, $15,185 at PPP, inflation 5%2013, $9,043 a person, $16,173 at PPP, inflation 1.9%2014, $9,108 a person, $16,598 at PPP, inflation 3.4%2015, $8,814 a person, $16,544 at PPP, inflation 6.9%2016, $5,644 a person, $14,475 at PPP, inflation 55.4%2017, $6,050 a person, $17,568 at PPP, inflation 22%2018, $6,666 a person, $17,855 at PPP2019, $6,630 a person, $19,772 at PPP2020, $4,755 a person, $16,947 at PPP, inflation 34.9%2021, $5,030 a person, $18,458 at PPP, inflation 59.1%2022, $6,084 a person, $20,076 at PPP, inflation 52.4%2023, $5,522 a person, $21,128 at PPP, inflation 51.6%2024, $6,962 a person, $21,832 at PPP, inflation 16.2%2025, $7,070 a person, $22,652 at PPP, inflation 9.2%$0$13K$25KInflation, % a year60%0200620102015202020252006, $5,003 a person, $10,803 at PPP, inflation 11.3%2007, $5,530 a person, $11,530 at PPP, inflation 6.4%2008, $6,576 a person, $12,097 at PPP, inflation 14.7%2009, $7,130 a person, $12,393 at PPP, inflation -0.1%2010, $7,944 a person, $13,039 at PPP, inflation 6.9%2011, $7,950 a person, $13,926 at PPP, inflation 17.7%2012, $8,851 a person, $15,185 at PPP, inflation 5%2013, $9,043 a person, $16,173 at PPP, inflation 1.9%2014, $9,108 a person, $16,598 at PPP, inflation 3.4%2015, $8,814 a person, $16,544 at PPP, inflation 6.9%2016, $5,644 a person, $14,475 at PPP, inflation 55.4%2017, $6,050 a person, $17,568 at PPP, inflation 22%2018, $6,666 a person, $17,855 at PPP2019, $6,630 a person, $19,772 at PPP2020, $4,755 a person, $16,947 at PPP, inflation 34.9%2021, $5,030 a person, $18,458 at PPP, inflation 59.1%2022, $6,084 a person, $20,076 at PPP, inflation 52.4%2023, $5,522 a person, $21,128 at PPP, inflation 51.6%2024, $6,962 a person, $21,832 at PPP, inflation 16.2%2025, $7,070 a person, $22,652 at PPP, inflation 9.2%

World Bank: GDP per person in current US dollars and at PPP, real GDP per person, consumer price inflation. Observed years only.

Health

Around the middle for life expectancy

Life expectancy
73.8years, at birthModerate
#99 of 195
World Bank · 2024
Health coverage
74WHO universal health coverage index, 0 to 100ModerateWHO · 2023
Air pollution
9.5PM2.5, micrograms per cubic metre, national averageLowWHO · 2023
Work and internet

Moderate home internet speeds

Unemployment rate
7.8%share of the labour force without a jobWorld Bank · 2025
Home internet
49 Mbpsmedian download speedModerateOokla Speedtest · 2025

Internet speeds

Home internet49 MbpsModerate
Mobile58 MbpsSlow

Ookla Speedtest Global Index, median download speed, ranked among the countries Ookla lists.

Empty urban square in São Gabriel da Cachoeira, Brazil, with trees and huts.
How it changed

Suriname's Human Development Index

0.722High human development

114th of 193 in UNDP's 2023 ranking, 11th of 12 in South America.

UNDP builds the index from three dimensions: a long and healthy life, being knowledgeable, and a decent standard of living. They are measured by life expectancy at birth, mean and expected years of schooling, and gross national income per capita. UNDP Human Development Report 2025.

Nearest countries by HDI

  1. #111Fiji0.731
  2. #113Indonesia0.728
  3. #114Suriname0.722
  4. #115Belize0.721
  5. #115Libya0.721
Full HDI ranking, all 193 countries

HDI since 2004

Year by year

Human development rose from 0.679 in 2004 to 0.722 in 2023.

0.650.700.750.7222004201020232004: 0.6792005: 0.6852006: 0.6902007: 0.6972008: 0.7012009: 0.7042010: 0.7072011: 0.7082012: 0.7112013: 0.7142014: 0.7152015: 0.7182016: 0.7162017: 0.7152018: 0.7192019: 0.7202020: 0.7142021: 0.6972022: 0.7192023: 0.7220.650.700.752004201020232004: 0.6792005: 0.6852006: 0.6902007: 0.6972008: 0.7012009: 0.7042010: 0.7072011: 0.7082012: 0.7112013: 0.7142014: 0.7152015: 0.7182016: 0.7162017: 0.7152018: 0.7192019: 0.7202020: 0.7142021: 0.6972022: 0.7192023: 0.722

UNDP Human Development Report, 2025 edition. 20 annual values, none interpolated.

Twenty years here

Year by yearThe world report
Life expectancy at birth
73.8 years2024at birthUp 6.8 years from 67 years in 2005
Internet users
87%2023of people onlineUp 78 points from 10% in 2006
Urban population
66%2025of people in towns and citiesDown 1 point from 67% in 2006
Births per woman
2.232024births per womanDown 0.48 from 2.71 in 2005
Renewable share of energy
15%2021of energy usedDown 8 points from 23% in 2004
Access to electricity
99%2024of people with electricityUp 4 points from 95% in 2005
Infant mortality
152024deaths before age one, per 1,000 birthsDown 9 from 24 in 2005
CO2 emissions per person
4.1 t2024of CO2 per person a yearUp 0.8 t from 3.3 t in 2005
Forest area
94%2023of land under forestDown 1 point from 95% in 2004

World Bank, from the first to the last observed year of each indicator; each has its own window.

Our take

Dutch-speaking corner of South America: vast rainforest, multicultural Paramaribo.

About Suriname

Suriname is a small South American country on the Atlantic coast with the largest share of Amazonian rainforest per capita of any nation, a capital in Paramaribo with a UNESCO World Heritage wooden colonial architecture, and a cultural mix of Creole, Hindustani, Javanese, Maroon, and Amerindian communities that is unlike anywhere else in the Americas. The interior jungle is accessible by river and genuinely wild. Those drawn to biodiversity, unusual history, and true cultural plurality will find it fascinating.

Practical facts

  • CapitalParamaribo
  • LanguagesDutch
  • CurrencySurinamese dollar (SRD)
  • Area160,508 km²
  • Plug typeType A/B
  • Drives on theleft
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Quick answers

What is Suriname's Human Development Index?

Suriname's Human Development Index is 0.722 for 2023 (UNDP Human Development Report 2025), ranked #114 of 193 by UNDP.

How expensive is Suriname?

Numbeo's cost-of-living index puts Suriname at 42.3 (New York = 100); that is #75 cheapest of 143 countries with data.

What is life expectancy in Suriname?

Life expectancy at birth in Suriname is 73.8 yrs (World Bank), ranked #99 of 195 countries.