World median is the middle country on each statistic: half of all countries with data are above it, half below. It is not an average, so it is never pulled up or down by giants or microstates.
Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Suriname is 47% bigger than the median country.
Suriname: 163,820 km² (2023) · World median: 111,370 km² (2023)
How much coast is there?
The median country’s coastline is 14% longer than Suriname’s.
Suriname: 386 km (2026 edition) · World median: 440 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
The median country’s highest peak towers 1,105 m above Suriname’s.
Suriname: 1,230 m (2026 edition) · World median: 2,335 m (2026 edition)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
The median country has 12 times as many people as Suriname.
Suriname: 639,850 (2025) · World median: 7.4 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
The median country is 25 times as densely populated as Suriname.
Suriname: 4 per km² (2025) · World median: 98 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in Suriname are 1.0 cm taller than in the median country.
Suriname: 174.5 cm (2019) · World median: 173.5 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in Suriname are 1.7 cm taller than in the median country.
Suriname: 162.3 cm (2019) · World median: 160.6 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in the median country is 3 years older than in Suriname.
Suriname: 28.1 years (2023) · World median: 31.1 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Suriname have 0.3 more children on average than in the median country.
Suriname: 2.23 children per woman (2024) · World median: 1.9 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
The median country and Suriname are practically level.
Suriname: 8.2% (2025) · World median: 8.6% (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
Suriname: no data · World median: 0 (2025)
How many official languages?
Suriname and the median country are practically level.
Suriname: 1 (2026) · World median: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
The median country’s economy is 10 times the size of Suriname’s.
Suriname: $4.52 billion (2025) · World median: $45.5 billion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
Suriname produces 8% more per person than the median country.
Suriname: Int$22,652 (2025) · World median: Int$21,072 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in Suriname than in the median country (Gini 4.8 points higher).
Suriname: 39.2 (2022) · World median: 34.4 (2023)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 7.8% in Suriname, versus 5.1% in the median country.
Suriname: 7.8% (2025) · World median: 5.1% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
Suriname: no data · World median: 1.7% (2024)
How expensive is it?
The median country’s price level (US = 100) is 1.5× Suriname’s.
Suriname: 31% (2025) · World median: 45% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
The median country spends 58% more on health per person than Suriname.
Suriname: $297 (2023) · World median: $470 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in the median country live 0.86 years longer than in Suriname.
Suriname: 73.8 years (2024) · World median: 74.6 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Suriname is 17% more likely to die before turning one than in the median country.
Suriname: 14.8 per 1,000 (2024) · World median: 12.7 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
The median country has 24% more doctors per person than Suriname.
Suriname: 1.4 per 1,000 (2023) · World median: 1.7 per 1,000 (2022)
How common is obesity?
31% of adults in Suriname are obese, versus 24% in the median country.
Suriname: 30.8% (2024) · World median: 24% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
Suriname: no data · World median: 19% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in Suriname rate their lives 0.44 points higher than in the median country.
Suriname: 6.27 (2015) · World median: 5.83 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in Suriname drink 39% more alcohol than in the median country.
Suriname: 6 litres (2023) · World median: 4.3 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
The median country has 16% more meat per person than Suriname.
Suriname: 48.5 kg (2023) · World median: 56.2 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
The median country has 399 kcal more food per person per day than Suriname.
Suriname: 2,539 kcal (2023) · World median: 2,938 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Suriname: no data · World median: 1,974 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in the median country went to school 1.5 years longer than in Suriname.
Suriname: 8.4 years (2023) · World median: 9.9 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Suriname welcomed 36% more tourists per resident than the median country (2019).
Suriname: 0.47 (2017) · World median: 0.34 (2024)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
87% of people in Suriname are online, versus 82% in the median country.
Suriname: 87% (2023) · World median: 82% (2024)
Who has electricity at home?
100% of people in the median country have electricity, versus 99% in Suriname.
Suriname: 99% (2024) · World median: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
66% of people in Suriname live in cities, versus 64% in the median country.
Suriname: 66% (2025) · World median: 64% (2025)
How many phones per person?
Suriname has 142 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, the median country 115.
Suriname: 142 (2024) · World median: 115 (2024)
How much railway is there?
Suriname: no data · World median: 2,141 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from the median country fly 2% more passengers per resident than those from Suriname.
Suriname: 0.23 (2023) · World median: 0.24 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 94% of Suriname, but only 31% of the median country.
Suriname: 94.4% (2023) · World median: 31.2% (2023)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in Suriname emits 58% more CO₂ than someone in the median country.
Suriname: 4.7 t (2024) · World median: 3 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
53% of Suriname’s electricity is renewable, versus 31% in the median country.
Suriname: 52.9% (2024) · World median: 30.8% (2024)
How clean is the air?
The air in the median country carries 23% more fine dust than in Suriname.
Suriname: 13.5 µg/m³ (2024) · World median: 16.6 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 2.9 times as likely to be murdered in Suriname as in the median country.
Suriname: 6.5 per 100k (2023) · World median: 2.3 per 100k (2023)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Suriname are 32% deadlier than in the median country.
Suriname: 16.2 per 100k (2021) · World median: 12.3 per 100k (2021)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Suriname is on average 3.3 °C warmer than the median country.
Suriname: 26.2°C (2016–2025 avg) · World median: 23°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Suriname gets 2.3 times as much rain as the median country.
Suriname: 2,282 mm (2016–2025 avg) · World median: 1,014 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is Suriname bigger than the median country?
Suriname is larger. Suriname is 47% bigger than the median country.
Which has more people, Suriname or the median country?
The median country has 12 times as many people as Suriname (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Suriname or the median country?
People in the median country live 0.86 years longer than in Suriname. Life expectancy at birth is 73.8 years in Suriname and 74.6 in the median country.
Are people taller in Suriname or the median country?
Men in Suriname are 1.0 cm taller than in the median country (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
