Suriname

total: 92,270 (2020 est.) subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 16 (2020 est.)

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.)

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)

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.)

rice, sugarcane, oranges, chicken, plantains, vegetables, bananas, coconuts, cassava, eggs (2022) note: top ten agricultural products based on tonnage

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

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.

$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

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

Surinamese dollars (SRD) per US dollar - 36.776 (2023 est.) 24.709 (2022 est.) 18.239 (2021 est.) 9.31 (2020 est.) 7.458 (2019 est.)

$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

gold, refined petroleum, excavation machinery, wood, fish (2022) note: top five export commodities based on value in 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

$3.782 billion (2023 est.) note: data in current dollars at official exchange rate

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: 8.1% (2022 est.) industry: 44.8% (2022 est.) services: 44.7% (2022 est.) note: figures may not total 100% due to non-allocated consumption not captured in sector-reported data

39.2 (2022 est.)

lowest 10%: 2.2% (2022 est.) highest 10%: 30.1% (2022 est.)

$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

refined petroleum, excavation machinery, cars, plastic products, tobacco (2022) note: top five import commodities based on value in 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

3.05% (2022 est.) note: annual % change in industrial value added based on constant local currency

gold mining, oil, lumber, food processing, fishing

52.45% (2022 est.) 59.12% (2021 est.) 34.89% (2020 est.) note: annual % change based on consumer prices

250,000 (2023 est.) note: number of people ages 15 or older who are employed or seeking work

69.3% of GDP (2017 est.)

$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

3.88% 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

$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

16.4% (of GDP) (2017 est.)

7.7% (2023 est.) 8.23% (2022 est.) 8.46% (2021 est.) note: % of labor force seeking employment

total: 25.3% (2023 est.) male: 17.8% (2023 est.) female: 37.8% (2023 est.) note: % of labor force ages 15-24 seeking employment

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.)

installed generating capacity: 537,000 kW (2022 est.) consumption: 1.853 billion kWh (2022 est.) transmission/distribution losses: 245.841 million kWh (2022 est.)

electrification - total population: 99% (2022 est.) electrification - urban areas: 100% electrification - rural areas: 98%

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.)

55.101 million Btu/person (2022 est.)

production: 7.109 million cubic meters (2022 est.) consumption: 6.967 million cubic meters (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.)

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.)

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.)

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

0% of GDP (2018 est.)

2.36% of GDP (2018 est.)

99 billion cubic meters (2020 est.)

municipal: 50 million cubic meters (2020 est.) industrial: 140 million cubic meters (2020 est.) agricultural: 430 million cubic meters (2020 est.)

urban population: 66.4% of total population (2023) 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

600 sq km (2020)

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 Robert J. FAUCHER (since 31 January 2023) 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 Jan Marten Willem SCHALKWIJK (since 19 April 2022) 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://surinameembassy.org/index.html consulate(s) general: Miami

chief of state: President Chandrikapersad "Chan" SANTOKHI (since 16 July 2020) head of government: President Chandrikapersad "Chan" 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 "Chan" 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

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, 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

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

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 20, NDP 16, ABOP 9, NPS 3, BEP 2, PL 2; composition - men 35, women 16, percentage 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

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)

Independence Day, 25 November (1975)

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

Brotherhood and Unity in Politics or BEP Democratic Alternative '91 or DA91 General Liberation and Development Party or ABOP National Democratic Party or NDP National Party of Suriname or NPS Party for Democracy and Development in Unity or DOE Party for National Unity and Solidarity or KTPI People's Alliance (Pertjajah Luhur) or PL Progressive Workers' and Farmers' Union or PALU Progressive Reform Party or VHP Reform and Renewal Movement or HVB Surinamese Labor Party or SPA

18 years of age; universal

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.

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 (2024)

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)

approximately 2,000 total personnel (2023)

the Suriname Army has a limited inventory comprised of a mix of older weapons and equipment, largely originating from such suppliers as Brazil, the Netherlands, and India; France also provides material assistance (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.)

18 is the legal minimum age for voluntary military service for men and women; no conscription (2024)

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)

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.)

14.9 births/1,000 population (2024 est.)

women married by age 15: 8.8% women married by age 18: 36% men married by age 18: 19.6% (2018 est.)

6.7% (2018)

39.1% (2018)

6.8% of GDP (2020)

52.1% (2023 est.)

6.7 deaths/1,000 population (2024 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: 50.9 youth dependency ratio: 40 elderly dependency ratio: 11 potential support ratio: 9.1 (2021 est.)

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.)

5% of GDP (2020 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.)

0.91 (2024 est.)

3 beds/1,000 population (2017)

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

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)

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

definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 95% male: 96.5% female: 93.4% (2021)

239,000 PARAMARIBO (capital) (2018)

96 deaths/100,000 live births (2020 est.)

total: 32 years (2024 est.) male: 31 years female: 32.9 years

noun: Surinamer(s) adjective: Surinamese

2.5 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2024 est.)

26.4% (2016)

0.82 physicians/1,000 population (2018)

total: 646,758 male: 320,352 female: 326,406 (2024 est.)

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

1.07% (2024 est.)

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.)

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.)

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.)

1.89 children born/woman (2024 est.)

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

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

55 (2024)

PZ

1 (2024)

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

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

50 km oil (2013)

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

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)