Nepal vs Suriname
Suriname is 11% larger than Nepal.
NepalSurinameNepal moved onto Suriname · Equal-area projection
0.9×
Nepal is 0.9× the area of Suriname. Put the other way, Suriname is 1.11× the size of Nepal.
 Nepal |  Suriname | |
|---|---|---|
| Size | ||
| AreaSuriname: 1.11× the area | 147,181 km²#93 of 194 | 163,270 km²#91 of 194 |
| Coastline | Landlocked | Has a coast |
| Land neighbours | 2 | 3 |
| People | ||
| PopulationNepal: 46.3× the population | 29,618,118#52 of 194 · 2025 | 639,850#164 of 194 · 2025 |
| DensityNepal: 51.3× the density | 201 / km²#49 of 194 | 3.9 / km²#189 of 194 |
| Urban populationAbout the same urban share | 67%#82 of 192 · 2025 | 66%#87 of 192 · 2025 |
| Fertility rateSuriname: 1.14× the births per woman | 1.96 per woman#97 of 192 · 2024 | 2.23 per woman#83 of 192 · 2024 |
| Population growthSuriname: 0.96 points higher | −0.11%#163 of 192 · 2025 | +0.85%#105 of 192 · 2025 |
| Birth rateNepal: 1.1× the birth rate | 19.0 per 1,000#78 of 192 · 2024 | 17.2 per 1,000#85 of 192 · 2024 |
| Death rateAbout the same death rate | 7.0 per 1,000#102 of 192 · 2024 | 6.8 per 1,000#112 of 192 · 2024 |
| Children under 15Nepal: 2.8 points higher | 28.1%#79 of 192 · 2025 | 25.3%#89 of 192 · 2025 |
| People over 65Suriname: 1.6 points higher | 6.6%#107 of 192 · 2025 | 8.2%#93 of 192 · 2025 |
| Net migrationSuriname: 10.8 per 1,000 higher | −12.3 per 1,000#186 of 192 · 2025 | −1.5 per 1,000#128 of 192 · 2025 |
| Refugees abroadNepal: 3.0× the refugees for its size | 0.27 per 1,000#90 of 190 · 2025 | 0.09 per 1,000#119 of 190 · 2025 |
| Health & education | ||
| Life expectancySuriname: 3.2 years longer | 70.6 years#128 of 192 · 2024 | 73.8 years#96 of 192 · 2024 |
| Infant mortalityNepal: 1.5× the infant mortality | 22.2 per 1,000 births#64 of 191 · 2024 | 14.8 per 1,000 births#83 of 191 · 2024 |
| DoctorsSuriname: 1.35× the doctors per person | 1.01 per 1,000#108 of 178 · 2023 | 1.36 per 1,000#98 of 178 · 2023 |
| University enrolmentNepal: 8.19× the university enrolment | 21.3%#114 of 145 · 2024 | 2.6%#145 of 145 · 2024 |
| Human Development IndexSuriname: 0.100 higher | 0.622#142 of 190 · 2023 | 0.722#113 of 190 · 2023 |
| Economy | ||
| GNI per capitaSuriname: 3.91× the income per person | $1,570#156 of 185 · 2025 | $6,140#104 of 185 · 2025 |
| GDPNepal: 10.1× the economy | $45.49B2025 | $4.52B2025 |
| Income group | Lower-middle income | Upper-middle income |
| GDP per capita (PPP)Suriname: 3.67× the output per person | $6,175#145 of 184 · 2025 | $22,652#85 of 184 · 2025 |
| GDP growthNepal: 2.6 points higher | +4.4%#58 of 187 · 2025 | +1.8%#137 of 187 · 2025 |
| InflationSuriname: 6.5 points higher | +2.7%#96 of 176 · 2025 | +9.2%#22 of 176 · 2025 |
| UnemploymentNepal: 1.35× the unemployment | 10.5%#32 of 178 · 2025 | 7.8%#52 of 178 · 2025 |
| Extreme povertyNepal: 1.09× the share in extreme poverty | 2.4%#69 of 149 · 2022 | 2.2%#71 of 149 · 2022 |
| Income inequality (Gini)Suriname: 9.2 higher | 30.0#119 of 149 · 2022 | 39.2#44 of 149 · 2022 |
| Jobs in agricultureNepal: 15.9 points higher | 22.9% of jobs#77 of 178 · 2025 | 7.0% of jobs#121 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in industryNepal: 5.2 points higher | 31.3% of jobs#14 of 178 · 2025 | 26.1% of jobs#34 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in servicesSuriname: 21.1 points higher | 45.8% of jobs#135 of 178 · 2025 | 66.9% of jobs#65 of 178 · 2025 |
| Foreign investmentSuriname: 45.3 points higher | 0.1% of GDP#158 of 184 · 2025 | 45.4% of GDP#2 of 184 · 2025 |
| Exports | 8.8% of GDP#164 of 168 · 2025 | — |
| Military spending | 1.0% of GDP#116 of 155 · 2025 | — |
| Internet usersSuriname: 1.89× the share online | 46%#147 of 184 · 2024 | 87%#71 of 184 · 2023 |
| Mobile subscriptionsSuriname: 1.42× the mobile subscriptions | 100 per 100#127 of 191 · 2024 | 142 per 100#32 of 191 · 2024 |
| Energy & environment | ||
| Forest areaSuriname: 2.1× the forest share | 44% of land#59 of 192 · 2024 | 92% of land#2 of 192 · 2024 |
| CO₂ per personSuriname: 7.52× the CO₂ per person | 0.54 t a year#147 of 185 · 2024 | 4.06 t a year#59 of 185 · 2024 |
| Renewable energyNepal: 59.2 points higher | 73.7%#24 of 190 · 2021 | 14.5%#125 of 190 · 2021 |
| Access to electricitySuriname: 1.1 points higher | 97.9%#119 of 192 · 2024 | 99.0%#112 of 192 · 2024 |
| Air pollution (PM2.5)Nepal: 3.39× the air pollution | 53.2 µg/m³#12 of 191 · 2023 | 15.7 µg/m³#112 of 191 · 2023 |
| Protected landNepal: 8.8 points higher | 23.6% of land#54 of 191 · 2025 | 14.8% of land#119 of 191 · 2025 |
| Arable landNepal: 12.3 points higher | 12.6% of land#81 of 190 · 2024 | 0.3% of land#186 of 190 · 2024 |
| Water stressNepal: 2.08× the water stress | 8.3%#96 of 176 · 2022 | 4.0%#130 of 176 · 2022 |
| PrecipitationSuriname: 1.55× the rain and snow | 1,500 mm#58 of 180 · 2022 | 2,331 mm#19 of 180 · 2022 |
| Governance & safety | ||
| Political stabilitySuriname: 1.04 higher | −0.44#134 of 193 · 2025 | +0.60#62 of 193 · 2025 |
| Control of corruptionSuriname: 0.39 higher | −0.77#139 of 193 · 2025 | −0.38#109 of 193 · 2025 |
| Homicide rateSuriname: 3.1× the homicide rate | 2.1 per 100,000#78 of 146 · 2020 | 6.5 per 100,000#42 of 146 · 2023 |
| State | ||
| Status | Independent state | Independent state |
| Government | Parliamentary republicfederal parliamentary republic | Presidential republic |
| Capital | Kathmandu | Paramaribo |
| Currency | Nepalese rupee (NPR) | Surinamese dollar (SRD) |
| Official languages | Nepali | Dutch |
| Traffic drives | On the left | On the left |
| Time zone | UTC+5:45 | UTC−3 |
| Calling code | +977 | +597 |
| Region | Southern Asia, Asia | 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. Nepal sits at about 28° N and is stretched to 1.29× 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 Nepal bigger than Suriname?
- No. Nepal is 10% smaller than Suriname. Nepal covers 147,181 km² and Suriname covers 163,270 km².
- How many times does Nepal fit into Suriname?
- About 1.1 times: Suriname has 1.11× the area of Nepal.
- Why do Nepal and Suriname look different on Google Maps?
- Web maps use the Mercator projection, which stretches area with distance from the equator. Nepal is drawn about 1.29× 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, Nepal or Suriname?
- Nepal: 29,618,118 people against 639,850. Density: Nepal 201 per km², Suriname 3.9 per km².
- Which is richer, Nepal or Suriname?
- By gross national income per person, Suriname: $6,140 against $1,570 (World Bank, Atlas method, 2025) — 3.91× as much.
- Where do people live longer, Nepal or Suriname?
- In Suriname: life expectancy at birth is 73.8 years, against 70.6 — 3.2 years longer (World Bank, 2024).
- What kind of government do Nepal and Suriname have?
- By constitution, as the CIA World Factbook describes them — Nepal: parliamentary republic; Suriname: presidential republic.