Suriname: health and care

What is the life expectancy in Suriname?

Life expectancy at birth in Suriname was 70.43 years for men and 75.67 years for women in 2024, according to the life tables in the General Bureau of Statistics gender publication 2025. For both sexes together it was 73.8 years in 2024, according to World Bank data.

Infant mortality was 14.8 deaths per 1,000 live births in 2024, according to the World Bank. The ABS recorded 8,273 births and 4,322 deaths in 2024. Life expectancy for men was almost unchanged from 70.51 years in 2020.

Official sources: ABS: gender publication 2025 (PDF) · World Bank: life expectancy, Suriname · World Bank: infant mortality, Suriname

How many new HIV cases are there in Suriname?

705 people were newly registered with HIV in Suriname in 2025, up from 665 in 2024 and 659 in 2023, according to National AIDS Programme figures in the General Bureau of Statistics gender publication 2025. Of the 2025 cases, 349 were men and 344 women.

New registrations fell to 458 in 2020 and 459 in 2021, and the publication marks those years as revised. The figures come from the National AIDS Programme and count people newly registered, not estimated new infections.

Official sources: ABS: gender publication 2025 (PDF)

How many hospitals are there in Suriname?

Suriname had 7 hospitals in 2021, with 1,756 beds in hospitals and other health care institutions, according to the Statistical Yearbook 2020-2022 of the General Bureau of Statistics. That is the latest year for which the yearbook gives a hospital count.

There were 1.355 physicians per 1,000 people in 2023, according to World Bank data, and current health spending was 5.4% of GDP in 2023, according to the same source. The yearbook did not have figures for the number of general practitioners or medical specialists.

Official sources: ABS: Statistical Yearbook 2020-2022 (PDF) · World Bank: physicians, Suriname · World Bank: health expenditure, Suriname

What is the average life expectancy in Suriname?

The UN Population Division puts life expectancy at birth in Suriname at 73.8 years in 2024. It is the top of the series, which starts in 2005. Across Latin America & Caribbean the middle value was 74.0 years, and Suriname placed 19th highest of 33. World rank, highest first: 97th of 193.

What is Suriname's infant mortality rate?

14.8 per 1,000: that is the infant mortality rate in Suriname for 2024, according to the UN Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation. That is the lowest since at least 2005. It is 11th highest of 33 in Latin America & Caribbean, where the median is 12.1 per 1,000. Of 192 countries with 2024 data, 84th highest.

How many women die in childbirth in Suriname?

In 2023, the maternal mortality ratio in Suriname was 84.0 per 100,000, according to the WHO. That is the lowest since at least 2005. It is 7th highest of 33 in Latin America & Caribbean, where the median is 55.0 per 100,000. Worldwide: 71st of 192.

What is Suriname's health spending?

The latest figure from the WHO, for 2023, is 5.4% of GDP. The peak was 8.4% of GDP in 2019 and the low 4.3% of GDP in 2012. It is 22nd highest of 33 in Latin America & Caribbean, where the median is 6.8% of GDP. Worldwide: 118th of 191.

How much of health care in Suriname do patients pay for?

The WHO puts out-of-pocket health spending in Suriname at 19.7% in 2023. Its high point since 2005 was 2014, at 29.0%; its low point was 2019, at 15.5%. It is 30th highest of 33 in Latin America & Caribbean, where the median is 29.3%. Worldwide: 128th of 191.

What is the doctor to patient ratio in Suriname?

1.4 per 1,000: that is the number of doctors per 1,000 people in Suriname for 2023, according to the WHO. Its high point since 2009 was 2021, at 1.5 per 1,000; its low point was 2009, at 0.68 per 1,000. It is 8th highest of 9 in Latin America & Caribbean, where the median is 2.4 per 1,000. World rank, highest first: 33rd of 58.

How many hospital beds does Suriname have?

2.9 per 1,000: that is hospital beds per 1,000 people in Suriname for 2022, according to the WHO. Its high point since 2010 was 2011, at 3.0 per 1,000; its low point was 2019, at 2.7 per 1,000. Latin America & Caribbean median: 2.0 per 1,000; Suriname is 10th highest of 30. Of 110 countries with 2022 data, 56th highest.

How many children in Suriname are vaccinated against measles?

In 2024, measles vaccination among children aged 12 to 23 months in Suriname was 73.0%, according to WHO and UNICEF. The peak was 91.0% in 2005 and the low 45.0% in 2020. It is 30th highest of 32 in Latin America & Caribbean, where the median is 89.5%. Of 191 countries with 2024 data, 157th highest.