Suriname

total: 92,270 (2020) subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 15.73 (2020 est.)

2 state-owned TV stations; 1 state-owned radio station; multiple private radio and TV stations (2019)

.sr

total: 352,100 (2021 est.) percent of population: 48.95% (2019 est.)

general assessment: smallest nation in South America with low population and client base; state-owned fixed-line tele-density rates and broadband services below regional average for Latin America and Caribbean; operator building out fiber network; mobile penetration is above regional average; fixed-line effective along the coastline yet poor in the interior; competition in the mobile sector; launch of 5G in Paramaribo; importer of broadcasting equipment from USA (2020) domestic: fixed-line 16 per 100 and mobile-cellular teledensity 140 telephones per 100 persons; microwave radio relay network is in place (2019) 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) note: the COVID-19 pandemic continues to have a significant impact on production and supply chains globally; since 2020, some aspects of the telecom sector have experienced downturn, particularly in mobile device production; many network operators delayed upgrades to infrastructure; progress towards 5G implementation was postponed or slowed in some countries; consumer spending on telecom services and devices was affected by large-scale job losses and the consequent restriction on disposable incomes; the crucial nature of telecom services as a tool for work and school from home became evident, and received some support from governments

total subscriptions: 103,240 (2020) subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 17.6 (2020 est.)

total subscriptions: 899,339 (2020) subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 153.3 (2020 est.)

rice, sugar cane, bananas, oranges, vegetables, plantains, coconuts, poultry, cassava, eggs

revenues: 560.7 million (2017 est.) expenditures: 827.8 million (2017 est.)

-7.8% (of GDP) (2017 est.)

Fitch rating: C (2020) Moody's rating: Caa3 (2020) Standard & Poors rating: SD (2020)

-$2 million (2017 est.) -$169 million (2016 est.)

$1.7 billion (31 December 2017 est.) $1.436 billion (31 December 2016 est.)

Suriname’s economy is dominated by the mining industry, with exports of oil and gold accounting for approximately 85% of exports and 27% of government revenues. This makes the economy highly vulnerable to mineral price volatility. The worldwide drop in international commodity prices and the cessation of alumina mining in Suriname significantly reduced government revenue and national income during the past few years. In November 2015, a major US aluminum company discontinued its mining activities in Suriname after 99 years of operation. Public sector revenues fell, together with exports, international reserves, employment, and private sector investment. Economic growth declined annually from just under 5% in 2012 to -10.4% in 2016. In January 2011, the government devalued the currency by 20% and raised taxes to reduce the budget deficit. Suriname began instituting macro adjustments between September 2015 and 2016; these included another 20% currency devaluation in November 2015 and foreign currency interventions by the Central Bank until March 2016, after which time the Bank allowed the Surinamese dollar (SRD) to float. By December 2016, the SRD had lost 46% of its value against the dollar. Depreciation of the Surinamese dollar and increases in tariffs on electricity caused domestic prices in Suriname to rise 22.0% year-over-year by December 2017. Suriname's economic prospects for the medium-term will depend on its commitment to responsible monetary and fiscal policies and on the introduction of structural reforms to liberalize markets and promote competition. The government's over-reliance on revenue from the extractive sector colors Suriname's economic outlook. Following two years of recession, the Fitch Credit Bureau reported a positive growth of 1.2% in 2017 and the World Bank predicted 2.2% growth in 2018. Inflation declined to 9%, down from 55% in 2016 , and increased gold production helped lift exports. Yet continued budget imbalances and a heavy debt and interest burden resulted in a debt-to-GDP ratio of 83% in September 2017. Purchasing power has fallen rapidly due to the devalued local currency. The government has announced its intention to pass legislation to introduce a new value-added tax in 2018. Without this and other measures to strengthen the country’s fiscal position, the government may face liquidity pressures.

Surinamese dollars (SRD) per US dollar - 7.53 (2017 est.) 6.229 (2016 est.) 6.229 (2015 est.) 3.4167 (2014 est.) 3.3 (2013 est.)

$2.29 billion note: data are in current year dollars (2019 est.) $2.24 billion note: data are in current year dollars (2018 est.)

gold, lumber, refined petroleum, fish, cigarettes (2019)

Switzerland 39%, United Arab Emirates 31%, Belgium 10% (2019)

calendar year

$3.419 billion (2017 est.)

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.)

agriculture: 11.6% (2017 est.) industry: 31.1% (2017 est.) services: 57.4% (2017 est.)

lowest 10%: NA highest 10%: NA

$2.41 billion note: data are in current year dollars (2019 est.) $2.07 billion note: data are in current year dollars (2018 est.)

refined petroleum, delivery trucks, excavation machinery, cars, construction vehicles (2019)

United States 22%, Netherlands 14%, China 13%, Trinidad and Tobago 7%, Antigua and Barbuda 5% (2019)

1% (2017 est.)

gold mining, oil, lumber, food processing, fishing

22% (2017 est.) 55.5% (2016 est.)

144,000 (2014 est.)

agriculture: 11.2% industry: 19.5% services: 69.3% (2010)

70% (2002 est.)

69.3% of GDP (2017 est.) 75.8% of GDP (2016 est.)

$9.46 billion note: data are in 2017 dollars (2020 est.) $11.07 billion note: data are in 2017 dollars (2019 est.) $10.95 billion note: data are in 2017 dollars (2018 est.) note: data are in 2017 dollars

1.9% (2017 est.) -5.1% (2016 est.) -2.6% (2015 est.)

$16,100 note: data are in 2017 dollars (2020 est.) $19,000 note: data are in 2017 dollars (2019 est.) $19,000 note: data are in 2017 dollars (2018 est.) note: data are in 2017 dollars

$424.4 million (31 December 2017 est.) $381.1 million (31 December 2016 est.)

16.4% (of GDP) (2017 est.)

8.9% (2017 est.) 9.7% (2016 est.)

total: 26.5% male: 18.7% female: 39.9% (2016 est.)

0 bbl/day (2015 est.)

820 bbl/day (2015 est.)

17,000 bbl/day (2018 est.)

84.2 million bbl (1 January 2018 est.)

1.75 billion kWh (2016 est.)

0 kWh (2016 est.)

61% of total installed capacity (2016 est.)

38% of total installed capacity (2017 est.)

0% of total installed capacity (2017 est.)

2% of total installed capacity (2017 est.)

0 kWh (2016 est.)

504,000 kW (2016 est.)

1.967 billion kWh (2016 est.)

electrification - total population: 97.4% (2018) electrification - urban areas: 99% (2018) electrification - rural areas: 94.3% (2018)

0 cu m (2017 est.)

0 cu m (2017 est.)

0 cu m (2017 est.)

0 cu m (2017 est.)

0 cu m (1 January 2011 est.)

13,000 bbl/day (2016 est.)

14,000 bbl/day (2015 est.)

10,700 bbl/day (2015 est.)

7,571 bbl/day (2015 est.)

particulate matter emissions: 23.6 micrograms per cubic meter (2016 est.) carbon dioxide emissions: 1.74 megatons (2016 est.) methane emissions: 2.28 megatons (2020 est.)

tropical; moderated by trade winds

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

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.)

degree of risk: very high (2020) food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever vectorborne diseases: dengue fever and malaria

Atlantic Ocean drainage: Amazon (6,145,186 sq km)

coal revenues: 0% of GDP (2018 est.)

forest revenues: 2.36% of GDP (2018 est.)

99 billion cubic meters (2017 est.)

municipal: 49.3 million cubic meters (2017 est.) industrial: 135.5 million cubic meters (2017 est.) agricultural: 431.1 million cubic meters (2017 est.)

urban population: 66.2% of total population (2021) rate of urbanization: 0.88% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

municipal solid waste generated annually: 78,620 tons (2010 est.)

total: 163,820 sq km land: 156,000 sq km water: 7,820 sq km

slightly larger than Georgia

tropical; moderated by trade winds

386 km

highest point: Juliana Top 1,230 m lowest point: unnamed location in the coastal plain -2 m mean elevation: 246 m

4 00 N, 56 00 W

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

570 sq km (2012)

total: 1,907 km border countries (3): Brazil 515 km, French Guiana 556 km, Guyana 836 km

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.)

Northern South America, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between French Guiana and Guyana

Atlantic Ocean drainage: Amazon (6,145,186 sq km)

South America

territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm

flooding

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

population concentrated along the nothern coastal strip; the remainder of the country is sparsely populated

mostly rolling hills; narrow coastal plain with swamps

10 districts (distrikten, singular - distrikt); Brokopondo, Commewijne, Coronie, Marowijne, Nickerie, Para, Paramaribo, Saramacca, Sipaliwini, Wanica

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

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

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

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

chief of mission: Ambassador Karen Lynn WILLIAMS (since 20 November 2018) embassy: 165 Kristalstraat, Paramaribo mailing address: 3390 Paramaribo Place, Washington DC 20521-3390 telephone: [597] 556-700 FAX: [597] 551-524 email address and website: caparamar@state.gov https://sr.usembassy.gov/

chief of mission: Ambassador Niermala Sakoentala BADRISING (since 21 July 2017) chancery: 4301 Connecticut Avenue NW, Suite 400, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 629-4302 FAX: [1] (202) 629-4769 email address and website: amb.vs@gov.sr https://www.surinameembassy.org/ consulate(s) general: Miami

chief of state: President Chandrikapersad SANTOKHI (since 16 July 2020); Vice President Ronnie BRUNSWIJK (since 16 July 2020); note - the president is both chief of state and head of government head of government: President Chandrikapersad SANTOKHI (since 16 July 2020); Vice President Ronnie BRUNSWIJK (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: Chandrikapersad SANTOKHI elected president unopposed; National Assembly vote - NA

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

presidential republic

25 November 1975 (from the Netherlands)

accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations; accepts ICCt jurisdiction

ACP, 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

highest courts: 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

civil law system influenced by Dutch civil law; note - a new criminal code was enacted in 2017

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 21, NDP 15, ABOP 9, NPS 4, other 2; composition - men 35, women 16, percent of women 31.4%

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

Independence Day, 25 November (1975)

royal palm, faya lobi (flower); national colors: green, white, red, yellow

Alternative Combination or A-Com (coalition includes ABOP, KTPI, Party for Democracy and Development) Brotherhood and Unity in Politics or BEP [Celsius WATERBERG] Democratic Alternative '91 or DA91 [Angelique DEL CASTILLO] 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 [Carl BREEVELD] Party for National Unity and Solidarity or KTPI [Willy SOEMITA] People's Alliance (Pertjaja 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 Surinamese Labor Party or SPA [Guno CASTELEN]

18 years of age; universal

First explored by the Spaniards in the 16th century and then settled by the English 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 August 2010, when voters returned former military leader Desire BOUTERSE and his opposition coalition to power. President BOUTERSE was reelected unopposed in 2015.

as of 2021, a key mission of the National Leger was assisting the Suriname police as part of the government s overall efforts to secure the country s borders and combat crime, particularly narco-trafficking, including joint military and police patrols, as well as joint special security teams

Suriname Army (National Leger, NL): Army, Navy, Air Force, Military Police (2021)

the Suriname Army is comprised of approximately 1,800 active personnel (ground, air, naval, and military police) (2021)

the Suriname Army has a limited inventory comprised of a mix of older, foreign-supplied equipment; since 2010, Suriname has received small quantities of military hardware from several countries, including the US (2021)

1.1% of GDP (2017 est.) 1.2% of GDP (2016 est.) 1.4% of GDP (2015 est.) 1.3% of GDP (2014 est.) 1.3% of GDP (2013 est.) no figures available after 2017

18 is the legal minimum age for voluntary military service; no conscription (2021)

0-14 years: 23.38% (male 72,642/female 69,899) 15-24 years: 17.2% (male 53,427/female 51,438) 25-54 years: 44.09% (male 136,889/female 131,868) 55-64 years: 8.78% (male 26,435/female 27,066) 65 years and over: 6.55% (male 17,437/female 22,468) (2020 est.)

14.7 births/1,000 population (2021 est.)

6.7% (2018)

39.1% (2018)

8% (2018)

6.1 deaths/1,000 population (2021 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.

total dependency ratio: 51.1 youth dependency ratio: 40.3 elderly dependency ratio: 10.8 potential support ratio: 9.3 (2020 est.)

improved: urban: 98.2% of population rural: 92% of population total: 96.6% of population unimproved: urban: 1.8% of population rural: 8% of population total: 3.4% of population (2017 est.)

7.2% of GDP (2019)

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.)

1.1% (2020 est.)

<200 (2020 est.)

5,200 (2020 est.)

3 beds/1,000 population (2017)

total: 26.6 deaths/1,000 live births male: 31.72 deaths/1,000 live births female: 21.23 deaths/1,000 live births (2021 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)

total population: 73.57 years male: 71.09 years female: 76.16 years (2021 est.)

definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 94.4% male: 96.1% female: 92.7% (2018)

degree of risk: very high (2020) food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever vectorborne diseases: dengue fever and malaria

239,000 PARAMARIBO (capital) (2018)

120 deaths/100,000 live births (2017 est.)

total: 31 years male: 30.6 years female: 31.4 years (2020 est.)

noun: Surinamer(s) adjective: Surinamese

0.53 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2021 est.)

26.4% (2016)

1.21 physicians/1,000 population (2018)

614,749 (July 2021 est.)

population concentrated along the nothern coastal strip; the remainder of the country is sparsely populated

0.91% (2021 est.)

Protestant 23.6% (includes Evangelical 11.2%, Moravian 11.2%, Reformed .7%, Lutheran .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.)

improved: urban: 98.5% of population rural: 88.2% of population total: 95% of population unimproved: urban: 1.5% of population rural: 11.8% of population total: 5% of population (2017 est.)

at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female 0-14 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-24 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 25-54 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 55-64 years: 0.98 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.78 male(s)/female total population: 1.01 male(s)/female (2020 est.)

1.85 children born/woman (2021 est.)

total: 26.5% male: 18.7% female: 39.9% (2016 est.)

urban population: 66.2% of total population (2021) rate of urbanization: 0.88% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

area claimed by French Guiana between Riviere Litani and Riviere Marouini (both headwaters of the Lawa); Suriname claims a triangle of land between the New and Kutari/Koetari rivers in a historic dispute over the headwaters of the Courantyne; Guyana seeks UN Convention on the Law of the Sea arbitration to resolve the longstanding dispute with Suriname over the axis of the territorial sea boundary in potentially oil-rich waters

a transit country for South American cocaine en route to Europe, the United States and Africa; marijuana is the primary drug consumed locally

total: 55 (2013)

total: 6 over 3,047 m: 1 under 914 m: 5 (2019)

total: 49 914 to 1,523 m: 4 under 914 m: 45 (2013)

PZ

total: 10 by type: general cargo 5, oil tanker 3, other 2 (2021)

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 mt-km (2018)

50 km oil (2013)

major seaport(s): Paramaribo, Wageningen

total: 4,304 km (2003) paved: 1,119 km (2003) unpaved: 3,185 km (2003)

1,200 km (most navigable by ships with drafts up to 7 m) (2011)