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South America
Page last updated: July 24, 2024
The Spaniards first explored Suriname in the 16th century, and the English then settled it in the mid-17th century. Suriname became a Dutch colony in 1667. With the abolition of African slavery in 1863, workers were brought in from India and Java. The Netherlands granted the colony independence in 1975. Five years later, the civilian government was replaced by a military regime that soon declared Suriname a socialist republic. It continued to exert control through a succession of nominally civilian administrations until 1987, when international pressure finally forced a democratic election. In 1990, the military overthrew the civilian leadership, but a democratically elected government -- a four-party coalition -- returned to power in 1991. The coalition expanded to eight parties in 2005 and ruled until 2010, when voters returned former military leader Desire BOUTERSE and his opposition coalition to power. President BOUTERSE ran unopposed in 2015 and was reelected. Opposition parties campaigned hard against BOUTERSE in the run-up to the 2020 elections, and a multi-party coalition led by Chandrikapersad SANTOKHI’s VHP and Ronnie Brunswijk’s ABOP was installed.
Northern South America, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between French Guiana and Guyana
4 00 N, 56 00 W
South America
Total : 163,820 km²
Land: 156,000 km²
Water: 7,820 km²
Slightly larger than Georgia
Area comparison map:
Total: 1,907 km
Border countries (3): Brazil 515 km; French Guiana 556 km; Guyana 836 km
386 km
Territorial sea: 12 nm
Exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
Tropical; moderated by trade winds
Mostly rolling hills; narrow coastal plain with swamps
Highest point: Juliana Top 1,230 m
Lowest point: unnamed location in the coastal plain -2 m
Mean elevation: 246 m
Timber, hydropower, fish, kaolin, shrimp, bauxite, gold, and small amounts of nickel, copper, platinum, iron ore
Agricultural land: 0.5% (2018 est.)
Arable land: 0.4% (2018 est.)
Permanent crops: 0% (2018 est.)
Permanent pasture: 0.1% (2018 est.)
Forest: 94.6% (2018 est.)
Other: 4.9% (2018 est.)
600 km² (2020)
Atlantic Ocean drainage: Amazon (6,145,186 km²)
Population concentrated along the nothern coastal strip; the remainder of the country is sparsely populated
Flooding
Smallest independent country on South American continent; mostly tropical rain forest; great diversity of flora and fauna that, for the most part, is increasingly threatened by new development; relatively small population, mostly along the coast
Total: 646,758
Male: 320,352
Female: 326,406 (2024 est.)
Comparison rankings: female 170; male 169; total 169
Noun: Surinamer(s)
Adjective: Surinamese
Hindustani (also known locally as "East Indians"; their ancestors emigrated from northern India in the latter part of the 19th century) 27.4%, Maroon (their African ancestors were brought to the country in the 17th and 18th centuries as slaves and escaped to the interior) 21.7%, Creole (mixed White and Black) 15.7%, Javanese 13.7%, mixed 13.4%, other 7.6%, unspecified 0.6% (2012 est.)
Dutch (official), English (widely spoken), Sranang Tongo (Surinamese, sometimes called Taki-Taki, is the native language of Creoles and much of the younger population and is lingua franca among others), Caribbean Hindustani (a dialect of Hindi), Javanese
Major-language sample(s):
Het Wereld Feitenboek, een omnisbare bron van informatie. (Dutch)
The World Factbook, the indispensable source for basic information. (English)
Protestant 23.6% (includes Evangelical 11.2%, Moravian 11.2%, Reformed 0.7%, Lutheran 0.5%), Hindu 22.3%, Roman Catholic 21.6%, Muslim 13.8%, other Christian 3.2%, Winti 1.8%, Jehovah's Witness 1.2%, other 1.7%, none 7.5%, unspecified 3.2% (2012 est.)
Suriname is a pluralistic society consisting primarily of Creoles (persons of mixed African and European heritage), the descendants of escaped African slaves known as Maroons, and the descendants of Indian and Javanese (Indonesian) contract workers. The country overall is in full, post-industrial demographic transition, with a low fertility rate, a moderate mortality rate, and a rising life expectancy. However, the Maroon population of the rural interior lags behind because of lower educational attainment and contraceptive use, higher malnutrition, and significantly less access to electricity, potable water, sanitation, infrastructure, and health care.
Some 350,000 people of Surinamese descent live in the Netherlands, Suriname's former colonial ruler. In the 19th century, better-educated, largely Dutch-speaking Surinamese began emigrating to the Netherlands. World War II interrupted the outflow, but it resumed after the war when Dutch labor demands grew - emigrants included all segments of the Creole population. Suriname still is strongly influenced by the Netherlands because most Surinamese have relatives living there and it is the largest supplier of development aid. Other emigration destinations include French Guiana and the United States. Suriname's immigration rules are flexible, and the country is easy to enter illegally because rainforests obscure its borders. Since the mid-1980s, Brazilians have settled in Suriname's capital, Paramaribo, or eastern Suriname, where they mine gold. This immigration is likely to slowly re-orient Suriname toward its Latin American roots.
0-14 years: 22.5% (male 73,864/female 71,573)
15-64 years: 70% (male 226,417/female 226,235)
65 years and over: 7.5% (2024 est.) (male 20,071/female 28,598)
2023 population pyramid:
Total dependency ratio: 50.9
Youth dependency ratio: 40
Elderly dependency ratio: 11
Potential support ratio: 9.1 (2021 est.)
Total: 32 years (2024 est.)
Male: 31 years
Female: 32.9 years
1.07% (2024 est.)
14.9 births/1,000 population (2024 est.)
6.7 deaths/1,000 population (2024 est.)
2.5 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2024 est.)
Population concentrated along the nothern coastal strip; the remainder of the country is sparsely populated
Urban population: 66.4% of total population (2023)
Rate of urbanization: 0.88% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)
Total population growth rate v. urban population growth rate, 2000-2030
239,000 PARAMARIBO (capital) (2018)
At birth: 1.07 male(s)/female
0-14 years: 1.03 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.7 male(s)/female
Total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2024 est.)
96 deaths/100,000 live births (2020 est.)
Total: 29.6 deaths/1,000 live births (2024 est.)
Male: 37.6 deaths/1,000 live births
Female: 21 deaths/1,000 live births
Total population: 72.7 years (2024 est.)
Male: 69 years
Female: 76.7 years
1.89 children born/woman (2024 est.)
0.91 (2024 est.)
39.1% (2018)
Improved: urban: 99.5% of population
Rural: 98.2% of population
Total: 99.1% of population
Unimproved: urban: 0.5% of population
Rural: 1.8% of population
Total: 0.9% of population (2020 est.)
6.8% of GDP (2020)
0.82 physicians/1,000 population (2018)
3 beds/1,000 population (2017)
Improved: urban: 98.5% of population
Rural: 91.2% of population
Total: 96% of population
Unimproved: urban: 1.5% of population
Rural: 8.8% of population
Total: 4% of population (2020 est.)
Degree of risk: very high (2023)
Food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever
Vectorborne diseases: malaria
26.4% (2016)
Total: 6.6 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Beer: 3.4 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Wine: 0.14 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Spirits: 2.87 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Other alcohols: 0.18 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
6.7% (2018)
52.1% (2023 est.)
Women married by age 15: 8.8%
Women married by age 18: 36%
Men married by age 18: 19.6% (2018 est.)
5% of GDP (2020 est.)
Definition: age 15 and over can read and write
Total population: 95%
Male: 96.5%
Female: 93.4% (2021)
Deforestation as timber is cut for export; pollution of inland waterways by small-scale mining activities
Party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Climate Change-Paris Agreement, Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping-London Convention, Marine Dumping-London Protocol, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 2006, Wetlands, Whaling
Signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Tropical; moderated by trade winds
Agricultural land: 0.5% (2018 est.)
Arable land: 0.4% (2018 est.)
Permanent crops: 0% (2018 est.)
Permanent pasture: 0.1% (2018 est.)
Forest: 94.6% (2018 est.)
Other: 4.9% (2018 est.)
Urban population: 66.4% of total population (2023)
Rate of urbanization: 0.88% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)
Total population growth rate v. urban population growth rate, 2000-2030
2.36% of GDP (2018 est.)
0% of GDP (2018 est.)
Particulate matter emissions: 12.17 micrograms per cubic meter (2019 est.)
Carbon dioxide emissions: 1.74 megatons (2016 est.)
Methane emissions: 2.28 megatons (2020 est.)
Municipal solid waste generated annually: 78,620 tons (2010 est.)
Atlantic Ocean drainage: Amazon (6,145,186 km²)
Municipal: 50 million cubic meters (2020 est.)
Industrial: 140 million cubic meters (2020 est.)
Agricultural: 430 million cubic meters (2020 est.)
99 billion cubic meters (2020 est.)
Conventional long form: Republic of Suriname
Conventional short form: Suriname
Local long form: Republiek Suriname
Local short form: Suriname
Former: Netherlands Guiana, Dutch Guiana
Etymology: name may derive from the indigenous "Surinen" people who inhabited the area at the time of European contact
Presidential republic
Name: Paramaribo
Geographic coordinates: 5 50 N, 55 10 W
Time difference: UTC-3 (2 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)
Etymology: the name may be the corruption of a Carib (Kalina) village or tribe named Parmirbo
10 districts (distrikten, singular - distrikt); Brokopondo, Commewijne, Coronie, Marowijne, Nickerie, Para, Paramaribo, Saramacca, Sipaliwini, Wanica
25 November 1975 (from the Netherlands)
Independence Day, 25 November (1975)
History: previous 1975; latest ratified 30 September 1987, effective 30 October 1987
Amendments: proposed by the National Assembly; passage requires at least two-thirds majority vote of the total membership; amended 1992
Civil law system influenced by Dutch civil law; note - a new criminal code was enacted in 2017
Accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations; accepts ICCt jurisdiction
Citizenship by birth: no
Citizenship by descent only: at least one parent must be a citizen of Suriname
Dual citizenship recognized: no
Residency requirement for naturalization: 5 years
18 years of age; universal
Chief of state: President Chandrikapersad SANTOKHI (since 16 July 2020)
Head of government: President Chandrikapersad SANTOKHI (since 16 July 2020)
Cabinet: Cabinet of Ministers appointed by the president
Elections/appointments: president and vice president indirectly elected by the National Assembly; president and vice president serve a 5-year term (no term limits); election last held on 13 July 2020 (next to be held in May 2025)
Election results:
2020: Chandrikapersad SANTOKHI elected president unopposed; National Assembly vote - NA
2015: Desire Delano BOUTERSE reelected president unopposed; National Assembly vote - NA
Note: the president is both chief of state and head of government
Description: unicameral National Assembly or Nationale Assemblee (51 seats; members directly elected in 10 multi-seat constituencies by party-list proportional representation vote, using the D'Hondt method, to serve 5-year terms)
Elections: last held on 25 May 2020 (next to be held in May 2025)
Election results: percent of vote by party - VHP 41.1%, NDP 29.4%, ABOP 17.6%, NPS 7.8%, other 3.9%; seats by party - VHP 20, NDP 16, ABOP 9, NPS 3, BEP 2, PL 2; composition - men 35, women 16, percentage women 31.4%
Highest court(s): High Court of Justice of Suriname (consists of the court president, vice president, and 4 judges); note - appeals beyond the High Court are referred to the Caribbean Court of Justice; human rights violations can be appealed to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights with judgments issued by the Inter-American Court on Human Rights
Judge selection and term of office: court judges appointed by the national president in consultation with the National Assembly, the State Advisory Council, and the Order of Private Attorneys; judges serve for life
Subordinate courts: cantonal courts
Brotherhood and Unity in Politics or BEP [Ronnie ASABINA]
Democratic Alternative '91 or DA91 [Angelique DEL CASTILHO]
General Liberation and Development Party or ABOP [Ronnie BRUNSWIJK}
National Democratic Party or NDP [Desire Delano BOUTERSE]
National Party of Suriname or NPS [Gregory RUSLAND]
Party for Democracy and Development in Unity or DOE [Steven ALFAISI]
Party for National Unity and Solidarity or KTPI [Iwan GANGA]
People's Alliance (Pertjajah Luhur) or PL [Paul SOMOHARDJO]
Progressive Workers' and Farmers' Union or PALU [Jim HOK]
Progressive Reform Party or VHP [Chandrikapersad SANTOKHI]
Reform and Renewal Movement or HVB [Mike NOERSALIM]
Surinamese Labor Party or SPA [Guno CASTELEN]
ACP, ACS, AOSIS, Caricom, CD, CDB, CELAC, FAO, G-77, IADB, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO (correspondent), ITU, ITUC (NGOs), LAES, MIGA, NAM, OAS, OIC, OPANAL, OPCW, PCA, Petrocaribe, UN, UNASUR, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
Five horizontal bands of green (top, double width), white, red (quadruple width), white, and green (double width); a large, yellow, five-pointed star is centered in the red band; red stands for progress and love, green symbolizes hope and fertility, white signifies peace, justice, and freedom; the star represents the unity of all ethnic groups; from its yellow light the nation draws strength to bear sacrifices patiently while working toward a golden future
Royal palm, faya lobi (flower); national colors: green, white, red, yellow
Name: "God zij met ons Suriname!" (God Be With Our Suriname)
Lyrics/music: Cornelis Atses HOEKSTRA and Henry DE ZIEL/Johannes Corstianus DE PUY
Note: adopted 1959; originally adapted from a Sunday school song written in 1893 and contains lyrics in both Dutch and Sranang Tongo
Total World Heritage Sites: 3 (2 cultural, 1 natural)
Selected World Heritage Site locales: Central Suriname Nature Reserve (n); Historic Inner City of Paramaribo (c); Jodensavanne Archaeological Site: Jodensavanne Settlement and Cassipora Creek Cemetery (c)
Upper middle-income South American economy; new floating currency regime; key aluminum goods, gold, and hydrocarbon exporter; new IMF plan for economic recovery and fiscal sustainability; controversial hardwood industry
$11.824 billion (2023 est.)
$11.583 billion (2022 est.)
$11.308 billion (2021 est.)
Note: data in 2021 dollars
2.08% (2023 est.)
2.43% (2022 est.)
-2.44% (2021 est.)
Note: annual GDP % growth based on constant local currency
$19,000 (2023 est.)
$18,700 (2022 est.)
$18,400 (2021 est.)
Note: data in 2021 dollars
$3.782 billion (2023 est.)
Note: data in current dollars at official exchange rate
52.45% (2022 est.)
59.12% (2021 est.)
34.89% (2020 est.)
Note: annual % change based on consumer prices
Fitch rating: C (2020)
Moody's rating: Caa3 (2020)
Standard & Poors rating: SD (2020)
Note: The year refers to the year in which the current credit rating was first obtained.
Agriculture: 11.6% (2017 est.)
Industry: 31.1% (2017 est.)
Services: 57.4% (2017 est.)
Comparison rankings: services 140; industry 71; agriculture 84
Household consumption: 27.6% (2017 est.)
Government consumption: 11.7% (2017 est.)
Investment in fixed capital: 52.5% (2017 est.)
Investment in inventories: 26.5% (2017 est.)
Exports of goods and services: 68.9% (2017 est.)
Imports of goods and services: -60.6% (2017 est.)
Rice, sugarcane, oranges, chicken, plantains, vegetables, bananas, coconuts, cassava, eggs (2022)
Note: top ten agricultural products based on tonnage
Gold mining, oil, lumber, food processing, fishing
3.05% (2022 est.)
Note: annual % change in industrial value added based on constant local currency
250,000 (2023 est.)
Note: number of people ages 15 or older who are employed or seeking work
7.7% (2023 est.)
8.23% (2022 est.)
8.46% (2021 est.)
Note: % of labor force seeking employment
Total: 30.5% (2021 est.)
Male: 22.1%
Female: 46.1%
70% (2002 est.)
39.2 (2022 est.)
Lowest 10%: 2.2% (2022 est.)
Highest 10%: 30.1% (2022 est.)
3.88% of GDP (2023 est.)
4.09% of GDP (2022 est.)
4.79% of GDP (2021 est.)
Note: personal transfers and compensation between resident and non-resident individuals/households/entities
Revenues: $863 million (2019 est.)
Expenditures: $1.648 billion (2019 est.)
-7.8% (of GDP) (2017 est.)
69.3% of GDP (2017 est.)
75.8% of GDP (2016 est.)
16.4% (of GDP) (2017 est.)
$146.749 million (2023 est.)
$76.321 million (2022 est.)
$176.058 million (2021 est.)
Note: balance of payments - net trade and primary/secondary income in current dollars
$2.534 billion (2023 est.)
$2.6 billion (2022 est.)
$2.299 billion (2021 est.)
Note: balance of payments - exports of goods and services in current dollars
Switzerland 39%, UAE 21%, Belgium 10%, Guyana 5%, Trinidad and Tobago 4% (2022)
Note: top five export partners based on percentage share of exports
Gold, refined petroleum, excavation machinery, wood, fish (2022)
Note: top five export commodities based on value in dollars
$2.218 billion (2023 est.)
$2.342 billion (2022 est.)
$1.876 billion (2021 est.)
Note: balance of payments - imports of goods and services in current dollars
US 25%, China 15%, Netherlands 13%, Trinidad and Tobago 6%, Japan 3% (2022)
Note: top five import partners based on percentage share of imports
Refined petroleum, excavation machinery, cars, plastic products, tobacco (2022)
Note: top five import commodities based on value in dollars
$1.346 billion (2023 est.)
$1.195 billion (2022 est.)
$992.257 million (2021 est.)
Note: holdings of gold (year-end prices)/foreign exchange/special drawing rights in current dollars
$1.7 billion (31 December 2017 est.)
$1.436 billion (31 December 2016 est.)
Surinamese dollars (SRD) per US dollar -
Exchange rates:
36.776 (2023 est.)
24.709 (2022 est.)
18.239 (2021 est.)
9.31 (2020 est.)
7.458 (2019 est.)
Electrification - total population: 99% (2022 est.)
Electrification - urban areas: 100%
Electrification - rural areas: 98%
Installed generating capacity: 537,000 kW (2022 est.)
Consumption: 1.853 billion kWh (2022 est.)
Transmission/distribution losses: 245.841 million kWh (2022 est.)
Comparison rankings: transmission/distribution losses 69; consumption 150; installed generating capacity 150
Fossil fuels: 51.8% of total installed capacity (2022 est.)
Solar: 0.6% of total installed capacity (2022 est.)
Hydroelectricity: 47.3% of total installed capacity (2022 est.)
Biomass and waste: 0.3% of total installed capacity (2022 est.)
Total petroleum production: 14,000 bbl/day (2023 est.)
Refined petroleum consumption: 15,000 bbl/day (2022 est.)
Crude oil estimated reserves: 89 million barrels (2021 est.)
Production: 7.109 million cubic meters (2022 est.)
Consumption: 6.967 million cubic meters (2022 est.)
2.19 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2022 est.)
From petroleum and other liquids: 2.176 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2022 est.)
From consumed natural gas: 14,000 metric tonnes of CO2 (2022 est.)
55.101 million Btu/person (2022 est.)
Total subscriptions: 108,000 (2022 est.)
Subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 18 (2022 est.)
Total subscriptions: 929,000 (2022 est.)
Subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 150 (2022 est.)
General assessment:
Suriname is the smallest nation on the South American continent, with about 580,000 inhabitants; the only Dutch-speaking nation in South America, it has close affinities with the Caribbean, and is a member of the Caribbean Community and Common Market (CARICOM); the country’s fixed-line infrastructure is reasonably reliable in the more populated coastal region, though poor in the interior; fixed teledensity and broadband penetration are slightly lower than average for Latin America and the Caribbean, while mobile penetration is significantly above the regional average and much higher than would be expected given the country’s relatively low GDP per capita; many Surinamese have up to three mobile lines with different providers, which has pushed up penetration figures although the number of subscribers has fallen in recent years as consumers have responded to economic pressures
(2021)
Domestic: fixed-line is 18 per 100 and mobile-cellular teledensity is 150 telephones per 100 persons (2022)
International: country code - 597; landing point for the SG-SCS submarine cable linking South America with the Caribbean; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) (2019)
2 state-owned TV stations; 1 state-owned radio station; multiple private radio and TV stations (2019)
.sr
Total: 402,600 (2021 est.)
Percent of population: 66% (2021 est.)
Total: 92,270 (2020 est.)
Subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 16 (2020 est.)
Number of registered air carriers: 4 (2020)
Inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers: 20
Annual passenger traffic on registered air carriers: 272,347 (2018)
Annual freight traffic on registered air carriers: 33.2 million (2018) mt-km
PZ
55 (2024)
1 (2024)
50 km oil (2013)
Total: 4,304 km
Paved: 1,119 km
Unpaved: 3,185 km (2003)
1,200 km (2011) (most navigable by ships with drafts up to 7 m)
Total: 13 (2023)
By type: general cargo 5, oil tanker 3, other 5
Total ports: 4 (2024)
Large: 0
Medium: 0
Small: 1
Very small: 3
Ports with oil terminals: 3
Key ports: Moengo, Nieuw Nickerie, Paramaribo, Paranam
Suriname National Army (Nationaal Leger or NL); Army (Landmacht), Navy (Marine); Air Force (Luchtmacht), Military Police (Korps Militaire Politie)
Ministry of Justice and Police: Suriname Police Force (Korps Politie Suriname or KPS) (2024)
1.2% of GDP (2019 est.)
1.1% of GDP (2018 est.)
1.1% of GDP (2017 est.)
1.2% of GDP (2016 est.)
1.4% of GDP (2015 est.)
Approximately 2,000 total personnel (2023)
The Suriname Army has a limited inventory comprised of a mix of older, foreign-supplied equipment; in recent years, Suriname has received small quantities of military hardware from India (2023)
18 is the legal minimum age for voluntary military service for men and women; no conscription (2024)
Key missions for the National Leger include border control and supporting domestic security; the military police has direct responsibility for immigration control at the country’s ports of entry; in addition, the military assists the police in combating crime, particularly narco-trafficking, including joint military and police patrols, as well as joint special security teams (2023)
A transit country for South American cocaine en route to Europe; illicit drugs are smuggled in cargo containers, commercial and private air transport and human couriers