CapitalParamaribo
Population653,605
Area163,820 km²
GDP per capita$19,400
LanguagesDutch , English , Sranang Tongo , Caribbean Hindustani , Javanese
CurrencySurinamese dollars
Life Expectancy72.7 yr
Governmentpresidential republic
Introduction
Background
Initial exploration of Suriname by Spanish explorers occurred in the 16th century, followed by English settlement in the mid-17th century. In 1667, Suriname was established as a Dutch colony. Following the end of African slavery in 1863, laborers were recruited from India and Java. The Netherlands granted independence to the colony in 1975. However, five years later, a military regime took control, which subsequently proclaimed Suriname a socialist republic. This regime maintained authority through a series of ostensibly civilian administrations until 1987, when mounting international pressure compelled a democratic election. In 1990, the military ousted the civilian government, but a coalition formed by four parties regained power in 1991. By 2005, this coalition expanded to include eight parties and remained in power until 2010, when former military leader Desire BOUTERSE and his opposition coalition were re-elected. President BOUTERSE ran without opposition in 2015 and secured reelection. In the lead-up to the 2020 elections, opposition parties vigorously campaigned against BOUTERSE, resulting in the establishment of a multi-party coalition led by Chandrikapersad SANTOKHI’s VHP and Ronnie Brunswijk’s ABOP.
Geography
Area
land
156,000 sq km
water
7,820 sq km
total
163,820 sq km
Climate
tropical climate; influenced by trade winds
Terrain
predominantly rolling hills; narrow coastal area featuring swamps
Land use
other
7.9% (2023 est.)
forest
91.7% (2023 est.)
agricultural land
0.4% (2023 est.)
agricultural land: arable land
arable land: 0.3% (2023 est.)
agricultural land: permanent crops
permanent crops: 0% (2023 est.)
agricultural land: permanent pasture
permanent pasture: 0.1% (2023 est.)
Location
Located in Northern South America, adjacent to the North Atlantic Ocean, positioned between French Guiana and Guyana
Coastline
386 km
Elevation
lowest point
unnamed location in the coastal plain -2 m
highest point
Juliana Top 1,230 m
mean elevation
246 m
Irrigated land
600 sq km (2020)
Map references
South America
Land boundaries
total
1,907 km
border countries
Brazil 515 km; French Guiana 556 km; Guyana 836 km
Maritime claims
territorial sea
12 nm
exclusive economic zone
200 nm
Natural hazards
flooding
Geography - note
the smallest sovereign nation on the South American continent; primarily covered by tropical rainforest; exhibits significant biodiversity; has a relatively low population density, predominantly situated along the coastline
Natural resources
timber, hydropower, fish, kaolin, shrimp, bauxite, gold, and minor quantities of nickel, copper, platinum, and iron ore
Area - comparative
slightly greater in size than the state of Georgia
Geographic coordinates
4 00 N, 56 00 W
Population distribution
the population is primarily found along the northern coastal region; the rest of the country remains sparsely populated
Major watersheds (area sq km)
Atlantic Ocean drainage
Amazon (6,145,186 sq km)
People & Society
Languages
Languages
Dutch (official), English (widely used), Sranang Tongo (also referred to as Taki-Taki, the primary language of Creoles and a significant portion of the youth), Caribbean Hindustani (a variant 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)
Religions
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.)
Sex ratio
at birth
1.07 male(s)/female
0-14 years
1.03 male(s)/female
15-64 years
1 male(s)/female
total population
0.98 male(s)/female (2024 est.)
65 years and over
0.7 male(s)/female
Birth rate
14.63 births/1,000 population (2025 est.)
Death rate
6.74 deaths/1,000 population (2025 est.)
Median age
male
31 years
total
32.3 years (2025 est.)
female
32.9 years
Population
male
323,747
total
653,605 (2025 est.)
female
329,858
Nationality
noun
Surinamer(s)
adjective
Surinamese
Urbanization
urban population
66.4% of total population (2023)
rate of urbanization
0.88% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)
Age structure
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)
Ethnic groups
Hindustani (locally referred to as "East Indians"; their forebears migrated from northern India during the latter half of the 19th century) 27.4%, Maroon (descendants of enslaved Africans brought to the nation in the 17th and 18th centuries who escaped to the hinterlands) 21.7%, Creole (of mixed White and Black heritage) 15.7%, Javanese 13.7%, mixed 13.4%, other 7.6%, unspecified 0.6% (2012 estimate)
Child marriage
men married by age 18
19.6% (2018)
women married by age 15
8.8% (2018)
women married by age 18
36% (2018)
Dependency ratios
total dependency ratio
43 (2025 est.)
youth dependency ratio
31.8 (2025 est.)
potential support ratio
8.9 (2025 est.)
elderly dependency ratio
11.2 (2025 est.)
Physician density
1.36 physicians/1,000 population (2023)
Health expenditure
Health expenditure (as % of GDP)
5.7% of GDP (2021)
Health expenditure (as % of national budget)
13.1% of national budget (2022 est.)
Net migration rate
2.46 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2025 est.)
Hospital bed density
2.9 beds/1,000 population (2020 est.)
Total fertility rate
1.87 children born/woman (2025 est.)
Drinking water source
improved: rural
rural: 96.6% of population (2022 est.)
improved: total
total: 98% of population (2022 est.)
improved: urban
urban: 98.7% of population (2022 est.)
unimproved: rural
rural: 3.4% of population (2022 est.)
unimproved: total
total: 2% of population (2022 est.)
unimproved: urban
urban: 1.3% of population (2022 est.)
Education expenditure
Education expenditure (% GDP)
2.9% of GDP (2023 est.)
Education expenditure (% national budget)
8.6% national budget (2024 est.)
Infant mortality rate
male
37.6 deaths/1,000 live births
total
29.3 deaths/1,000 live births (2025 est.)
female
21 deaths/1,000 live births
Population growth rate
1.04% (2025 est.)
Gross reproduction rate
0.9 (2025 est.)
Population distribution
the population is primarily situated along the northern coastal region; the rest of the territory is sparsely inhabited
Life expectancy at birth
male
69 years
female
76.7 years
total population
72.7 years (2024 est.)
Maternal mortality ratio
84 deaths/100,000 live births (2023 est.)
Sanitation facility access
improved: rural
rural: 91.2% of population (2022 est.)
improved: total
total: 96.1% of population (2022 est.)
improved: urban
urban: 98.5% of population (2022 est.)
unimproved: rural
rural: 8.8% of population (2022 est.)
unimproved: total
total: 3.9% of population (2022 est.)
unimproved: urban
urban: 1.5% of population (2022 est.)
Alcohol consumption per capita
beer
3.4 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
wine
0.14 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
total
6.6 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.)
Major urban areas - population
239,000 PARAMARIBO (capital) (2018)
Obesity - adult prevalence rate
26.4% (2016)
Currently married women (ages 15-49)
52.2% (2018 est.)
Children under the age of 5 years underweight
6.7% (2018 est.)
School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education)
male
10 years (2021 est.)
total
11 years (2021 est.)
female
11 years (2021 est.)
Environment
Climate
tropical; influenced by trade winds
Land use
other
7.9% (2023 est.)
forest
91.7% (2023 est.)
agricultural land
0.4% (2023 est.)
agricultural land: arable land
arable land: 0.3% (2023 est.)
agricultural land: permanent crops
permanent crops: 0% (2023 est.)
agricultural land: permanent pasture
permanent pasture: 0.1% (2023 est.)
Urbanization
urban population
66.4% of total population (2023)
rate of urbanization
0.88% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)
Waste and recycling
municipal solid waste generated annually
78,600 tons (2024 est.)
percent of municipal solid waste recycled
16.9% (2022 est.)
Environmental issues
deforestation; contamination of inland waterways due to small-scale mining operations
Total water withdrawal
municipal
49.3 million cubic meters (2022 est.)
industrial
135.5 million cubic meters (2022 est.)
agricultural
431.1 million cubic meters (2022 est.)
Carbon dioxide emissions
total emissions
2.521 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2023 est.)
from consumed natural gas
14,000 metric tonnes of CO2 (2023 est.)
from petroleum and other liquids
2.507 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2023 est.)
Particulate matter emissions
12.2 micrograms per cubic meter (2019 est.)
Total renewable water resources
99 billion cubic meters (2022 est.)
International environmental agreements
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
Government
Flag
description: features five horizontal stripes in green (top, double-width), white, red (quadruple-width), white, and green (double-width); centered on the red stripe is a five-pointed yellow star
meaning: red symbolizes progress and love, green embodies hope and fertility, while white signifies peace, justice, and freedom; the star denotes the unity among various ethnic groups
Capital
name
Paramaribo
etymology
the name comes from the Guaraní words para (water or river) and maribo (inhabitants)
time difference
UTC-3 (2 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)
geographic coordinates
5 50 N, 55 10 W
Suffrage
18 years of age; universal
Citizenship
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
Constitution
history
previously established in 1975; most recent ratification occurred on 30 September 1987, taking effect on 30 October 1987
amendment process
proposed by the National Assembly; requires a minimum two-thirds majority vote from the entire membership for passage
Country name
former
Netherlands Guiana, Dutch Guiana
etymology
name may derive from the Surinen people who inhabited the area at the time of European contact
local long form
Republiek Suriname
local short form
Suriname
conventional long form
Republic of Suriname
conventional short form
Suriname
Independence
25 November 1975 (from the Netherlands)
Legal system
civil law system influenced by Dutch legal principles
Government type
presidential republic
Judicial branch
highest court(s)
High Court of Justice of Suriname (comprised of the court president, vice president, and four judges)
subordinate courts
cantonal courts
judge selection and term of office
judges are appointed by the national president in consultation with the National Assembly, the State Advisory Council, and the Order of Private Attorneys; they hold their positions for life
Executive branch
cabinet
Cabinet of Ministers appointed by the president
chief of state
President Jennifer GEERLINGS-SIMONS (since 16 July 2025)
election results
2025: Jennifer GEERLINGS-SIMONS elected president without opposition; National Assembly vote - NA
2020: Chandrikapersad "Chan" SANTOKHI elected president without opposition; National Assembly vote - NA
2015: Desire Delano BOUTERSE reelected president unopposed; National Assembly vote - NA
head of government
President Jennifer GEERLINGS-SIMONS (since 16 July 2025)
most recent election date
6 July 2025
election/appointment process
the president and vice president are indirectly elected by the National Assembly; both serve a term of five years with no limits on re-election
expected date of next election
2030
National holiday
Independence Day, 25 November (1975)
National color(s)
green, white, red, yellow
National heritage
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)
Political parties
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
Legislative branch
term in office
5 years
number of seats
51 (all directly elected)
electoral system
proportional representation
legislature name
National Assembly (Nationale Assemblee)
scope of elections
full renewal
legislative structure
unicameral
most recent election date
5/25/2025
expected date of next election
May 2030
percentage of women in chamber
31.4%
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)
National anthem(s)
title
"God zij met ons Suriname!" (God Be With Our Suriname)
history
adopted in 1959; initially derived from a Sunday-school song composed in 1893; includes lyrics in both Dutch and Sranang Tongo
lyrics/music
Cornelis Atses HOEKSTRA and Henry DE ZIEL/Johannes Corstianus DE PUY
National symbol(s)
royal palm, faya lobi (flower)
Administrative divisions
10 districts (distrikten, singular - distrikt); Brokopondo, Commewijne, Coronie, Marowijne, Nickerie, Para, Paramaribo, Saramacca, Sipaliwini, Wanica
Diplomatic representation in the US
FAX
[1] (202) 629-4769
chancery
4301 Connecticut Avenue NW, Suite 400, Washington, DC 20008
telephone
[1] (202) 629-4302
chief of mission
Ambassador Jan Marten Willem SCHALKWIJK (since 19 April 2022)
consulate(s) general
Miami
email address and website
[email protected]
https://surinameembassy.org/index.html
Diplomatic representation from the US
FAX
[597] 551-524
embassy
165 Kristalstraat, Paramaribo
telephone
[597] 556-700
mailing address
3390 Paramaribo Place, Washington DC 20521-3390
chief of mission
Ambassador Robert J. FAUCHER (since 31 January 2023)
email address and website
[email protected]
https://sr.usembassy.gov/
International organization participation
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
International law organization participation
accepts the compulsory jurisdiction of the ICJ with reservations; accepts the jurisdiction of the ICCt
Economy
Budget
revenues
$863 million (2019 est.)
expenditures
$1.648 billion (2019 est.)
Exports
Exports 2022
$2.6 billion (2022 est.)
Exports 2023
$2.533 billion (2023 est.)
Exports 2024
$2.793 billion (2024 est.)
Imports
Imports 2022
$2.342 billion (2022 est.)
Imports 2023
$2.203 billion (2023 est.)
Imports 2024
$2.571 billion (2024 est.)
Industries
gold mining, oil extraction, timber, food processing, fisheries
Labor force
255,500 (2024 est.)
Public debt
Public debt 2016
75.8% of GDP (2016 est.)
Remittances
Remittances 2022
3.9% of GDP (2022 est.)
Remittances 2023
4.3% of GDP (2023 est.)
Remittances 2024
3.4% of GDP (2024 est.)
Exchange rates
Currency
Surinamese dollars (SRD) per US dollar -
Exchange rates 2020
9.31 (2020 est.)
Exchange rates 2021
18.239 (2021 est.)
Exchange rates 2022
24.709 (2022 est.)
Exchange rates 2023
36.776 (2023 est.)
Exchange rates 2024
33.181 (2024 est.)
Debt - external
Debt - external 2023
$2.645 billion (2023 est.)
Economic overview
upper middle-income economy in South America; recently established floating currency system; significant exporter of aluminum products, gold, and hydrocarbons; new IMF initiative aimed at economic recovery and fiscal stability; contentious hardwood sector
Unemployment rate
Unemployment rate 2022
8.2% (2022 est.)
Unemployment rate 2023
7.7% (2023 est.)
Unemployment rate 2024
7.4% (2024 est.)
Exports - partners
Switzerland 49%, UAE 28%, Guyana 5%, USA 4%, France 3% (2023)
Imports - partners
USA 22%, China 12%, Netherlands 11%, Trinidad & Tobago 9%, Guyana 8% (2023)
Real GDP per capita
Real GDP per capita 2022
$18,700 (2022 est.)
Real GDP per capita 2023
$19,000 (2023 est.)
Real GDP per capita 2024
$19,400 (2024 est.)
Real GDP growth rate
Real GDP growth rate 2022
2.4% (2022 est.)
Real GDP growth rate 2023
2.5% (2023 est.)
Real GDP growth rate 2024
2.8% (2024 est.)
Agricultural products
rice, sugarcane, oranges, vegetables, chicken, cassava, plantains, pineapples, eggs, citrus fruits (2023)
Exports - commodities
gold, fish, refined petroleum, timber, tobacco (2023)
Imports - commodities
refined petroleum, ships, excavation equipment, trucks, tobacco (2023)
Current account balance
Current account balance 2022
$76.321 million (2022 est.)
Current account balance 2023
$148.118 million (2023 est.)
Current account balance 2024
$9.306 million (2024 est.)
GDP (official exchange rate)
$4.714 billion (2024 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices)
Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2022
52.4% (2022 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2023
51.6% (2023 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2024
16.2% (2024 est.)
Industrial production growth rate
2.1% (2023 est.)
Real GDP (purchasing power parity)
Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2022
$11.68 billion (2022 est.)
Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2023
$11.976 billion (2023 est.)
Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2024
$12.316 billion (2024 est.)
Youth unemployment rate (ages 15-24)
male
16.9% (2024 est.)
total
24.2% (2024 est.)
female
35.9% (2024 est.)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold 2022
$1.195 billion (2022 est.)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold 2023
$1.346 billion (2023 est.)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold 2024
$1.632 billion (2024 est.)
GDP - composition, by sector of origin
industry
39.9% (2023 est.)
services
48.3% (2023 est.)
agriculture
7.5% (2023 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share
lowest 10%
2.2% (2022 est.)
highest 10%
30.1% (2022 est.)
Gini Index coefficient - distribution of family income
Gini Index coefficient - distribution of family income 2022
39.2 (2022 est.)
Energy
Coal
imports
2 metric tons (2023 est.)
Petroleum
total petroleum production
14,000 bbl/day (2023 est.)
crude oil estimated reserves
89 million barrels (2021 est.)
refined petroleum consumption
17,000 bbl/day (2023 est.)
Electricity
consumption
1.896 billion kWh (2023 est.)
installed generating capacity
537,000 kW (2023 est.)
transmission/distribution losses
245.206 million kWh (2023 est.)
Natural gas
production
7.173 million cubic meters (2023 est.)
consumption
6.967 million cubic meters (2023 est.)
Electricity access
electrification - rural areas
98%
electrification - urban areas
100%
electrification - total population
99% (2022 est.)
Energy consumption per capita
Total energy consumption per capita 2023
60.896 million Btu/person (2023 est.)
Electricity generation sources
solar
0.6% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)
fossil fuels
57.1% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)
hydroelectricity
42% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)
biomass and waste
0.3% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)
Communications
Internet users
percent of population
78% (2023 est.)
Broadcast media
Two television stations owned by the state; one radio station owned by the state; numerous private radio and television stations (2019)
Internet country code
.sr
Telephones - fixed lines
total subscriptions
129,000 (2023 est.)
subscriptions per 100 inhabitants
20 (2023 est.)
Telephones - mobile cellular
total subscriptions
902,000 (2024 est.)
subscriptions per 100 inhabitants
142 (2024 est.)
Broadband - fixed subscriptions
total
125,000 (2022 est.)
subscriptions per 100 inhabitants
20 (2022 est.)
Transportation
Ports
large
0
small
1
medium
0
key ports
Moengo, Nieuw Nickerie, Paramaribo, Paranam
very small
3
total ports
4 (2024)
ports with oil terminals
3
Airports
55 (2025)
Heliports
1 (2025)
Merchant marine
total
13 (2023)
by type
general cargo 5, oil tanker 3, other 5
Civil aircraft registration country code prefix
PZ
Military & Security
Military - note
The National Leger is tasked with safeguarding the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Suriname from external threats; its additional responsibilities encompass border security and providing support for domestic safety as necessary. For instance, the military police hold direct authority over immigration enforcement at the nation’s entry points, while the military collaborates with law enforcement to address criminal activities, notably drug trafficking, through coordinated military and police patrols, as well as combined special security units. Furthermore, the military offers assistance during natural disasters and engages in socio-economic development initiatives (2025)
Military expenditures
Military Expenditures 2015
1.4% of GDP (2015 est.)
Military Expenditures 2016
1.2% of GDP (2016 est.)
Military Expenditures 2017
1.1% of GDP (2017 est.)
Military Expenditures 2018
1.1% of GDP (2018 est.)
Military Expenditures 2019
1.2% of GDP (2019 est.)
Military and security forces
Suriname National Army (Nationaal Leger or NL); Land Forces (Landmacht), Naval Forces (Marine); Air Forces (Luchtmacht), Military Police (Korps Militaire Politie)
Ministry of Justice and Police: Suriname Police Force (Korps Politie Suriname or KPS) (2026)
Military service age and obligation
Voluntary military service is available to individuals aged 18 to 28 for both men and women; there is no conscription (2025)
Military equipment inventories and acquisitions
The Suriname Army possesses a limited array of older or second-hand weapons sourced from suppliers including Brazil, France, the Netherlands, and India (2025)
Military and security service personnel strengths
approximately 2,000 National Army (2025)
Transnational Issues
Refugees and internally displaced persons
refugees
3,241 (2024 est.)
