Guyana vs Suriname
Guyana is 32% larger than Suriname.
GuyanaSurinameGuyana moved onto Suriname · Equal-area projection
1.32×
Guyana is 1.32× the area of Suriname.
 Guyana |  Suriname | |
|---|---|---|
| Size | ||
| AreaGuyana: 1.32× the area | 214,970 km²#83 of 194 | 163,270 km²#91 of 194 |
| Coastline | Has a coast | Has a coast |
| Land neighbours | 3 | 3 |
| People | ||
| PopulationGuyana: 1.31× the population | 835,986#161 of 194 · 2025 | 639,850#164 of 194 · 2025 |
| DensityAbout the same density | 3.9 / km²#190 of 194 | 3.9 / km²#189 of 194 |
| Urban populationSuriname: 2.48× the urban share | 27%#177 of 192 · 2025 | 66%#87 of 192 · 2025 |
| Fertility rateGuyana: 1.08× the births per woman | 2.40 per woman#77 of 192 · 2024 | 2.23 per woman#83 of 192 · 2024 |
| Population growthSuriname: 0.26 points higher | +0.59%#121 of 192 · 2025 | +0.85%#105 of 192 · 2025 |
| Birth rateGuyana: 1.16× the birth rate | 19.9 per 1,000#73 of 192 · 2024 | 17.2 per 1,000#85 of 192 · 2024 |
| Death rateGuyana: 1.1× the death rate | 7.5 per 1,000#86 of 192 · 2024 | 6.8 per 1,000#112 of 192 · 2024 |
| Children under 15Guyana: 3.6 points higher | 28.9%#74 of 192 · 2025 | 25.3%#89 of 192 · 2025 |
| People over 65Suriname: 1.2 points higher | 7.0%#101 of 192 · 2025 | 8.2%#93 of 192 · 2025 |
| Net migrationSuriname: 4.6 per 1,000 higher | −6.1 per 1,000#176 of 192 · 2025 | −1.5 per 1,000#128 of 192 · 2025 |
| Refugees abroadGuyana: 4.56× the refugees for its size | 0.41 per 1,000#79 of 190 · 2025 | 0.09 per 1,000#119 of 190 · 2025 |
| Health & education | ||
| Life expectancySuriname: 3.5 years longer | 70.3 years#129 of 192 · 2024 | 73.8 years#96 of 192 · 2024 |
| Infant mortalityGuyana: 1.57× the infant mortality | 23.2 per 1,000 births#62 of 191 · 2024 | 14.8 per 1,000 births#83 of 191 · 2024 |
| DoctorsAbout as many doctors per person | 1.39 per 1,000#96 of 178 · 2020 | 1.36 per 1,000#98 of 178 · 2023 |
| University enrolmentGuyana: 10.2× the university enrolment | 26.4%#104 of 145 · 2024 | 2.6%#145 of 145 · 2024 |
| Human Development IndexGuyana: 0.054 higher | 0.776#88 of 190 · 2023 | 0.722#113 of 190 · 2023 |
| Economy | ||
| GNI per capitaGuyana: 4.64× the income per person | $28,470#41 of 185 · 2025 | $6,140#104 of 185 · 2025 |
| GDPGuyana: 5.99× the economy | $27.1B2025 | $4.52B2025 |
| Income group | High income | Upper-middle income |
| GDP per capita (PPP)Guyana: 4.32× the output per person | $97,899#7 of 184 · 2025 | $22,652#85 of 184 · 2025 |
| GDP growthGuyana: 17.5 points higher | +19.3%#1 of 187 · 2025 | +1.8%#137 of 187 · 2025 |
| InflationSuriname: 5.9 points higher | +3.3%#81 of 176 · 2025 | +9.2%#22 of 176 · 2025 |
| UnemploymentGuyana: 1.54× the unemployment | 12.0%#25 of 178 · 2025 | 7.8%#52 of 178 · 2025 |
| Extreme poverty | — | 2.2%#71 of 149 · 2022 |
| Income inequality (Gini) | — | 39.2#44 of 149 · 2022 |
| Jobs in agricultureGuyana: 5.2 points higher | 12.2% of jobs#101 of 178 · 2025 | 7.0% of jobs#121 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in industryGuyana: 5.0 points higher | 31.1% of jobs#15 of 178 · 2025 | 26.1% of jobs#34 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in servicesSuriname: 10.2 points higher | 56.7% of jobs#94 of 178 · 2025 | 66.9% of jobs#65 of 178 · 2025 |
| Foreign investmentSuriname: 12.3 points higher | 33.1% of GDP#3 of 184 · 2025 | 45.4% of GDP#2 of 184 · 2025 |
| Military spending | 1.0% of GDP#115 of 155 · 2025 | — |
| Internet usersSuriname: 1.05× the share online | 83%#86 of 184 · 2024 | 87%#71 of 184 · 2023 |
| Mobile subscriptionsSuriname: 1.26× the mobile subscriptions | 113 per 100#102 of 191 · 2022 | 142 per 100#32 of 191 · 2024 |
| Energy & environment | ||
| Forest areaSuriname: 1.05× the forest share | 87% of land#6 of 192 · 2024 | 92% of land#2 of 192 · 2024 |
| CO₂ per personGuyana: 1.12× the CO₂ per person | 4.56 t a year#51 of 185 · 2024 | 4.06 t a year#59 of 185 · 2024 |
| Renewable energySuriname: 2.4 points higher | 12.1%#133 of 190 · 2022 | 14.5%#125 of 190 · 2021 |
| Access to electricitySuriname: 6.0 points higher | 93.0%#134 of 192 · 2024 | 99.0%#112 of 192 · 2024 |
| Air pollution (PM2.5)Guyana: 1.08× the air pollution | 16.9 µg/m³#100 of 191 · 2023 | 15.7 µg/m³#112 of 191 · 2023 |
| Protected landSuriname: 6.4 points higher | 8.4% of land#150 of 191 · 2025 | 14.8% of land#119 of 191 · 2025 |
| Arable landGuyana: 0.1 points higher | 0.4% of land#183 of 190 · 2024 | 0.3% of land#186 of 190 · 2024 |
| Water stressSuriname: 1.21× the water stress | 3.3%#139 of 176 · 2022 | 4.0%#130 of 176 · 2022 |
| PrecipitationAbout the same rain and snow | 2,387 mm#16 of 180 · 2022 | 2,331 mm#19 of 180 · 2022 |
| Governance & safety | ||
| Political stabilitySuriname: 0.40 higher | +0.20#87 of 193 · 2025 | +0.60#62 of 193 · 2025 |
| Control of corruptionThe same | −0.38#109 of 193 · 2025 | −0.38#109 of 193 · 2025 |
| Homicide rateGuyana: 2.94× the homicide rate | 19.1 per 100,000#18 of 146 · 2023 | 6.5 per 100,000#42 of 146 · 2023 |
| State | ||
| Status | Independent state | Independent state |
| Government | Parliamentary republic | Presidential republic |
| Capital | Georgetown | Paramaribo |
| Currency | Guyanese dollar (GYD) | Surinamese dollar (SRD) |
| Official languages | English | Dutch |
| Traffic drives | On the left | On the left |
| Time zone | UTC−4 | UTC−3 |
| Calling code | +592 | +597 |
| Region | South America | South America |
Area: Wikidata. Population, income, health, economy, environment and governance: World Bank. Human Development Index: UNDP. Government: CIA World Factbook. Ranks among the 194 independent states. All sources
Why the map you grew up with disagrees
On a Mercator map, area grows with distance from the equator. Guyana sits at about 5° N and is stretched to 1.01× its true area; Suriname at 4° N is stretched to 1.01×. Here the two are distorted about the same amount, so Mercator gets this pair roughly right. The figure above uses the Equal Earth projection, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.
Questions about this pair
- Is Guyana bigger than Suriname?
- Yes. Guyana is 32% larger than Suriname. Guyana covers 214,970 km² and Suriname covers 163,270 km².
- How many times does Suriname fit into Guyana?
- About 1.3 times: Guyana has 1.32× the area of Suriname.
- Why do Guyana and Suriname look different on Google Maps?
- Web maps use the Mercator projection, which stretches area with distance from the equator. Guyana is drawn about 1.01× its true area there and Suriname about 1.01×. For this pair the distortion is similar, so Mercator gets the comparison roughly right. Kartavera uses Equal Earth, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.
- Which has more people, Guyana or Suriname?
- Guyana: 835,986 people against 639,850. Density: Guyana 3.9 per km², Suriname 3.9 per km².
- Which is richer, Guyana or Suriname?
- By gross national income per person, Guyana: $28,470 against $6,140 (World Bank, Atlas method, 2025) — 4.64× as much.
- Where do people live longer, Guyana or Suriname?
- In Suriname: life expectancy at birth is 73.8 years, against 70.3 — 3.5 years longer (World Bank, 2024).
- What kind of government do Guyana and Suriname have?
- By constitution, as the CIA World Factbook describes them — Guyana: parliamentary republic; Suriname: presidential republic.