Suriname

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 comes from the Guaran words para (water or river) and maribo (inhabitants)

chief of state: President Jennifer GEERLINGS-SIMONS (since 16 July 2025) head of government: President Jennifer GEERLINGS-SIMONS (since 16 July 2025) cabinet: Cabinet of Ministers appointed by the president election/appointment process: president and vice president indirectly elected by the National Assembly; president and vice president serve a 5-year term (no term limits) most recent election date: 6 July 2025 election results: 2025: Jennifer GEERLINGS-SIMONS elected president unopposed; National Assembly vote - NA 2020: Chandrikapersad "Chan" SANTOKHI elected president unopposed; National Assembly vote - NA 2015: Desire Delano BOUTERSE reelected president unopposed; National Assembly vote - NA expected date of next election: 2030 note: the president is both chief of state and head of government

legislature name: National Assembly (Nationale Assemblee) legislative structure: unicameral number of seats: 51 (all directly elected) electoral system: proportional representation scope of elections: full renewal term in office: 5 years most recent election date: 5/25/2025 parties elected and seats per party: National Democratic Party (NDP) (18); Progressive Reform Party (VHP) (17); National Party of Suriname (NPS) (6); General Liberation and Development Party (ABOP) (6); Other (4) percentage of women in chamber: 31.4% expected date of next election: May 2030

highest court(s): High Court of Justice of Suriname (consists of the court president, vice president, and 4 judges) 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 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

history: previous 1975; latest ratified 30 September 1987, effective 30 October 1987 amendment process: proposed by the National Assembly; passage requires at least two-thirds majority vote of the total membership

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

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.)

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) (2026)

18-28 years of age for voluntary military service for men and women; no conscription (2025)

the National Leger is responsible for defending the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Suriname against foreign aggression; other special tasks include border control and supporting domestic security as required; the military police, for example, have direct responsibility for immigration control at the country s ports of entry, and the military assists the police in combating crime, particularly narco-trafficking, including joint military and police patrols, as well as joint special security teams; in addition, the military provides aid and assistance during times of natural emergencies and participates in socio-economic development projects (2025)

$12.316 billion (2024 est.) $11.976 billion (2023 est.) $11.68 billion (2022 est.) note: data in 2021 dollars

$19,400 (2024 est.) $19,000 (2023 est.) $18,700 (2022 est.) note: data in 2021 dollars

2.8% (2024 est.) 2.5% (2023 est.) 2.4% (2022 est.) note: annual GDP % growth based on constant local currency

16.2% (2024 est.) 51.6% (2023 est.) 52.4% (2022 est.) note: annual % change based on consumer prices

75.8% of GDP (2016 est.)

$2.793 billion (2024 est.) $2.533 billion (2023 est.) $2.6 billion (2022 est.) note: balance of payments - exports of goods and services in current dollars

$2.571 billion (2024 est.) $2.203 billion (2023 est.) $2.342 billion (2022 est.) note: balance of payments - imports of goods and services in current dollars

7.4% (2024 est.) 7.7% (2023 est.) 8.2% (2022 est.) note: % of labor force seeking employment

revenues: $863 million (2019 est.) expenditures: $1.648 billion (2019 est.)

gold mining, oil, lumber, food processing, fishing

rice, sugarcane, oranges, vegetables, chicken, cassava, plantains, pineapples, eggs, citrus fruits (2023) note: top ten agricultural products based on tonnage

total: 653,605 (2025 est.) male: 323,747 female: 329,858

1.04% (2025 est.)

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)

14.63 births/1,000 population (2025 est.)

6.74 deaths/1,000 population (2025 est.)

2.46 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2025 est.)

total population: 72.7 years (2024 est.) male: 69 years female: 76.7 years

urban population: 66.4% of total population (2023) rate of urbanization: 0.88% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

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), 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.)

timber, hydropower, fish, kaolin, shrimp, bauxite, gold, and small amounts of nickel, copper, platinum, iron ore

refugees: 3,241 (2024 est.)

55 (2025)

total: 13 (2023) by type: general cargo 5, oil tanker 3, other 5

total subscriptions: 902,000 (2024 est.) subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 142 (2024 est.)

percent of population: 78% (2023 est.)