Suriname

Broadcast media

2 state-owned TV stations; 1 state-owned radio station; multiple private radio and TV stations (2007)

Internet country code

.sr

Internet users

total: 265,964 | percent of population: 45.4% (July 2016 est.) | country comparison to the world: 154

Telephone system

general assessment: international facilities are good | domestic: combined fixed-line and mobile-cellular teledensity exceeds 150 telephones per 100 persons; microwave radio relay network is in place | international: country code - 597; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) (2017)

Telephones - fixed lines

total subscriptions: 89,030 | subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 15 (July 2016 est.) | country comparison to the world: 147

Telephones - mobile cellular

total: 806,881 | subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 138 (July 2016 est.) | country comparison to the world: 159

Agriculture - products

rice, bananas, palm kernels, coconuts, plantains, peanuts; beef, chickens; shrimp; forest products

Budget

revenues: $545.8 million | expenditures: $834.8 million (2016 est.)

Budget surplus (+) or deficit (-)

-8.1% of GDP (2016 est.) | country comparison to the world: 192

Central bank discount rate

10% (2013) | 9% (2012) | country comparison to the world: 22

Commercial bank prime lending rate

13.5% (31 December 2016 est.) | 12.62% (31 December 2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 56

Current account balance

$-102 million (2016 est.) | $-798.1 million (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 75

Debt - external

$1.625 billion (31 December 2016 est.) | $1.15 billion (31 December 2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 154

Economy - overview

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. After 99 years of operations, a major US aluminum company recently discontinued its activities in Suriname. 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. High import price pass-through from depreciation and electricity tariff increases caused inflation to increase 55.5% year-over-year in December 2016. | Suriname's economic prospects for the medium-term will depend on continued 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. One credit bureau forecasted that the economy would contract 2% in 2017. Rising international oil prices and higher production by Suriname’s oil company, Staatsolie’s, will lift oil exports. Two new offshore oil exploration wells will draw 100 million dollars in foreign direct investment inflows. Higher gold prices and increased production from the Merian gold mine also will lift exports. However, investment overall is slowing and unemployment is rising, reflecting government spending cuts, weak business confidence, and the completion of large mining infrastructure projects. Fiscal problems, such as a failure to secure sufficient external financing, could result in additional pressure on the exchange rate and inflation.

Exchange rates

Surinamese dollars (SRD) per US dollar - | 6.229 (2016 est.) | 6.229 (2015 est.) | 3.4167 (2014 est.) | 3.3 (2013 est.) | 3.3 (2012 est.)

Exports

$1.449 billion (2016 est.) | $1.666 billion (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 148

Exports - commodities

alumina, gold, crude oil, lumber, shrimp and fish, rice, bananas

Exports - partners

Switzerland 28.3%, UAE 27.1%, Belgium 9.1%, Guyana 9%, US 4.7%, Trinidad and Tobago 4.5% (2016)

Fiscal year

calendar year

GDP (official exchange rate)

$3.625 billion (2016 est.)

GDP (purchasing power parity)

$7.885 billion (2016 est.) | $8.699 billion (2015 est.) | $8.845 billion (2014 est.) | note: data are in 2016 dollars | country comparison to the world: 162

GDP - composition, by end use

household consumption: 32.7% | government consumption: 17% | investment in fixed capital: 64.3% | investment in inventories: 26.5% | exports of goods and services: 45.2% | imports of goods and services: -59.2% (2016 est.)

GDP - composition, by sector of origin

agriculture: 11.8% | industry: 30.7% | services: 57.5% (2016 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP)

$14,000 (2016 est.) | $15,800 (2015 est.) | $16,400 (2014 est.) | note: data are in 2016 dollars | country comparison to the world: 114

GDP - real growth rate

-10.5% (2016 est.) | -2.7% (2015 est.) | 0.4% (2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 221

Gross national saving

57.1% of GDP (2016 est.) | 51.6% of GDP (2015 est.) | 65.2% of GDP (2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 1

Household income or consumption by percentage share

lowest 10%: NA% | highest 10%: NA%

Imports

$1.197 billion (2016 est.) | $1.973 billion (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 176

Imports - commodities

capital equipment, petroleum, foodstuffs, cotton, consumer goods

Imports - partners

US 21.2%, Netherlands 10.9%, China 10.5%, Trinidad and Tobago 10.1%, St. Lucia 7% (2016)

Industrial production growth rate

-8.3% (2016 est.) | country comparison to the world: 195

Industries

bauxite and gold mining, alumina production; oil, lumbering, food processing, fishing

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

55.5% (2016 est.) | 6.9% (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 225

Labor force

144,000 (2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 177

Labor force - by occupation

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

Market value of publicly traded shares

$NA

Population below poverty line

70% (2002 est.)

Public debt

64.6% of GDP (2016 est.) | 45.7% of GDP (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 62

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

$381.1 million (31 December 2016 est.) | $330.2 million (31 December 2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 150

Stock of broad money

$2.182 billion (31 December 2016 est.) | $2.66 billion (31 December 2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 151

Stock of domestic credit

$1.402 billion (31 December 2016 est.) | $2.224 billion (31 December 2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 160

Stock of narrow money

$921.8 million (31 December 2016 est.) | $1.231 billion (31 December 2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 156

Taxes and other revenues

15.3% of GDP (2016 est.) | country comparison to the world: 186

Unemployment rate

11% (2016 est.) | 8.5% (2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 115

Carbon dioxide emissions from consumption of energy

2.4 million Mt (2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 147

Crude oil - exports

0 bbl/day (2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 173

Crude oil - imports

0 bbl/day (2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 174

Crude oil - production

17,000 bbl/day (2016 est.) | country comparison to the world: 73

Crude oil - proved reserves

83.98 million bbl (1 January 2017 es) | country comparison to the world: 74

Electricity - consumption

1.948 billion kWh (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 145

Electricity - exports

0 kWh (2016 est.) | country comparison to the world: 180

Electricity - from fossil fuels

54.7% of total installed capacity (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 143

Electricity - from hydroelectric plants

43.4% of total installed capacity (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 47

Electricity - from nuclear fuels

0% of total installed capacity (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 158

Electricity - from other renewable sources

1.8% of total installed capacity (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 124

Electricity - imports

0 kWh (2016 est.) | country comparison to the world: 183

Electricity - installed generating capacity

435,000 kW (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 150

Electricity - production

2.19 billion kWh (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 137

Electricity access

electrification - total population: 100% (2016)

Natural gas - consumption

0 cu m (2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 119

Natural gas - exports

0 cu m (2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 161

Natural gas - imports

0 cu m (2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 169

Natural gas - production

0 cu m (2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 180

Natural gas - proved reserves

0 cu m (1 January 2011 es) | country comparison to the world: 182

Refined petroleum products - consumption

14,000 bbl/day (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 152

Refined petroleum products - exports

10,620 bbl/day (2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 83

Refined petroleum products - imports

9,938 bbl/day (2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 144

Refined petroleum products - production

7,632 bbl/day (2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 102

Area

total: 163,820 sq km | land: 156,000 sq km | water: 7,820 sq km | country comparison to the world: 93

Area - comparative

slightly larger than Georgia

Climate

tropical; moderated by trade winds

Coastline

386 km

Elevation

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

Environment - current issues

deforestation as timber is cut for export; pollution of inland waterways by small-scale mining activities

Environment - international agreements

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling | signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Geographic coordinates

4 00 N, 56 00 W

Geography - note

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

Irrigated land

570 sq km (2012)

Land boundaries

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

Land use

agricultural land: 0.5% | arable land 0.4%; permanent crops 0%; permanent pasture 0.1% | forest: 94.6% | other: 4.9% (2011 est.)

Location

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

Map references

South America

Maritime claims

territorial sea: 12 nm | exclusive economic zone: 200 nm

Natural hazards

flooding

Natural resources

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

Population - distribution

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

Terrain

mostly rolling hills; narrow coastal plain with swamps

Administrative divisions

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

Capital

name: Paramaribo | geographic coordinates: 5 50 N, 55 10 W | time difference: UTC-3 (2 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

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

previous 1975; latest ratified 30 September 1987, effective 30 October 1987; amended 1992 (2016)

Country name

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

Diplomatic representation from the US

chief of mission: Ambassador Edwin "Ned" Richard NOLAN, Jr.(since 11 January 2016) | embassy: 165 Kristalstraat, Paramaribo | mailing address: US Department of State, PO Box 1821, Paramaribo | telephone: [597] 472-900 | FAX: [597] 410-972

Diplomatic representation in the US

chief of mission: Ambassador Niermala Sakoentala BADRISING (since 21 July 2017) | chancery: Suite 460, 4301 Connecticut Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 | telephone: [1] (202) 244-7488 | FAX: [1] (202) 244-5878 | consulate(s) general: Miami

Executive branch

chief of state: President Desire Delano BOUTERSE (since 12 August 2010); Vice President Ashwin ADHIN (since 12 August 2015); note - the president is both chief of state and head of government | head of government: President Desire Delano BOUTERSE (since 12 August 2010); Vice President Ashwin ADHIN (since 12 August 2015) | 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 25 May 2015 (next to be held in May 2020) | election results: Desire Delano BOUTERSE reelected president; National Assembly vote - NA

Flag description

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

Government type

presidential republic

Independence

25 November 1975 (from the Netherlands)

International law organization participation

accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations; accepts ICCt jurisdiction

International organization participation

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

Judicial branch

highest resident 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 appointed for life | subordinate courts: cantonal courts

Legal system

civil law system influenced by Dutch civil law; note - the Commissie Nieuw Surinaamse Burgerlijk Wetboek completed drafting a new civil code in February 2009

Legislative branch

description: unicameral National Assembly or Nationale Assemblee (51 seats; members directly elected in multi-seat constituencies by proportional representation vote to serve 5-year terms) | elections: last held on 25 May 2015 (next to be held in May 2020) | election results: percent of vote by party - NDP 45.5%, V7 37.2%, A-Com 10.5%, DOE 4.3%, PALU .7%, other 1.7%; seats by party - NDP 26, V7 18, A-Com 5, DOE 1, PALU 1 | note: seats by party as of April 2017 - seats by party - NDP 26, VHP 9, ABOP 5, PL 3, NPS 2, BEP 2, DOE 1, PALU 1, independent 2

National anthem

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

National holiday

Independence Day, 25 November (1975)

National symbol(s)

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

Political parties and leaders

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 Worker and Farmer's Union or PALU [Jim HOK] | Surinamese Labor Party or SPA [Guno CASTELEN] | Progressive Reform Party or VHP [Chandrikapersad SANTOKHI] | Victory 7 or V7 [Chandrikapresad SANTOKHI] (formerly the New Front for Democracy and Development or NF; an electoral coalition of NPS, VHP, DA91, PL, SPA formed only for the May 2015 election)

Political pressure groups and leaders

Association of Indigenous Village Chiefs [Lesley ARTIST] | Association of Saramaccan Authorities or Maroons [Stiefen PETRUSI] | Women's Parliament Forum or WPF (Vrouwen Parlement Forum or VPF) [Iris GILLIAD]

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

Background

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.

Military branches

Suriname Army (National Leger, NL): Army, Coast Guard, Air Force (2017)

Military service age and obligation

18 is the legal minimum age for voluntary military service; no conscription; personnel drawn almost exclusively from the Creole community (2012)

Age structure

0-14 years: 24.62% (male 74,247/female 71,456) | 15-24 years: 17.44% (male 52,599/female 50,618) | 25-54 years: 44.4% (male 133,835/female 128,980) | 55-64 years: 7.54% (male 21,940/female 22,697) | 65 years and over: 6.01% (male 15,394/female 20,153) (2017 est.)

Birth rate

15.8 births/1,000 population (2017 est.) | country comparison to the world: 117

Children under the age of 5 years underweight

5.8% (2010) | country comparison to the world: 83

Contraceptive prevalence rate

47.6% (2010)

Death rate

6.1 deaths/1,000 population (2017 est.) | country comparison to the world: 158

Demographic profile

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 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.

Dependency ratios

total dependency ratio: 50.7 | youth dependency ratio: 40.6 | elderly dependency ratio: 10.1 | potential support ratio: 9.9 (2015 est.)

Drinking water source

urban: 98.1% of population | rural: 88.4% of population | total: 94.8% of population | urban: 1.9% of population | rural: 11.6% of population | total: 5.2% of population (2015 est.)

Education expenditures

NA

Ethnic groups

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.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate

1.4% (2016 est.) | country comparison to the world: 35

HIV/AIDS - deaths

<200 (2016 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS

4,900 (2016 est.) | country comparison to the world: 106

Health expenditures

5.7% of GDP (2014) | country comparison to the world: 116

Hospital bed density

3.1 beds/1,000 population (2010)

Infant mortality rate

total: 24.5 deaths/1,000 live births | male: 28.5 deaths/1,000 live births | female: 20.2 deaths/1,000 live births (2017 est.) | country comparison to the world: 69

Languages

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

Life expectancy at birth

total population: 72.5 years | male: 70.1 years | female: 75.1 years (2017 est.) | country comparison to the world: 148

Literacy

definition: age 15 and over can read and write | total population: 95.6% | male: 96.1% | female: 95% (2015 est.)

Major infectious diseases

degree of risk: very high | food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever | vectorborne disease: dengue fever and malaria | note: active local transmission of Zika virus by Aedes species mosquitoes has been identified in this country (as of August 2016); it poses an important risk (a large number of cases possible) among US citizens if bitten by an infective mosquito; other less common ways to get Zika are through sex, via blood transfusion, or during pregnancy, in which the pregnant woman passes Zika virus to her fetus (2016)

Major urban areas - population

PARAMARIBO (capital) 234,000 (2014)

Maternal mortality rate

155 deaths/100,000 live births (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 59

Median age

total: 29.8 years | male: 29.4 years | female: 30.2 years (2017 est.) | country comparison to the world: 120

Nationality

noun: Surinamer(s) | adjective: Surinamese

Net migration rate

0.6 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2017 est.) | country comparison to the world: 63

Obesity - adult prevalence rate

26.4% (2016) | country comparison to the world: 41

Population

591,919 (July 2017 est.) | country comparison to the world: 172

Population distribution

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

Population growth rate

1.02% (2017 est.) | country comparison to the world: 113

Religions

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.)

Sanitation facility access

urban: 88.4% of population | rural: 61.4% of population | total: 79.2% of population | urban: 11.6% of population | rural: 38.6% of population | total: 20.8% of population (2015 est.)

Sex ratio

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: 0.96 male(s)/female | 65 years and over: 0.76 male(s)/female | total population: 1.01 male(s)/female (2016 est.)

Total fertility rate

1.93 children born/woman (2017 est.) | country comparison to the world: 131

Unemployment, youth ages 15-24

total: 16.4% | male: 7.8% | female: 30.7% (2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 51

Urbanization

urban population: 66% of total population (2017) | rate of urbanization: 0.75% annual rate of change (2015-20 est.)

Disputes - international

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

Illicit drugs

growing transshipment point for South American drugs destined for Europe via the Netherlands and Brazil; transshipment point for arms-for-drugs dealing

Trafficking in persons

current situation: Suriname is a source, transit, and destination country for women and children subjected to sex trafficking and men, women, and children subjected to forced labor; women and girls from Suriname, Guyana, Brazil, and the Dominican Republic are subjected to sex trafficking in the country, sometimes in interior mining camps; migrant workers in agriculture and on fishing boats and children working in informal urban sectors and gold mines are vulnerable to forced labor; traffickers from Suriname exploit victims in the Netherlands | tier rating: Tier 2 Watch List – Suriname does not fully comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking; however, it is making significant efforts to do so; in 2014, Suriname was granted a waiver from an otherwise required downgrade to Tier 3 because its government has a written plan that, if implemented, would constitute making significant efforts to bring itself into compliance with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking; authorities increased the number of trafficking investigations, prosecutions, and convictions as compared to 2013, but resources were insufficient to conduct investigations in the country’s interior; more trafficking victims were identified in 2014 than in 2013, but protective services for adults and children were inadequate, with a proposed government shelter for women and child trafficking victims remaining unopened (2015)

Airports

55 (2013) | country comparison to the world: 85

Airports - with paved runways

total: 6 | over 3,047 m: 1 | under 914 m: 5 (2013)

Airports - with unpaved runways

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

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix

PZ (2016)

National air transport system

number of registered air carriers: 2 | inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers: 5 | annual passenger traffic on registered air carriers: 259,682 | annual freight traffic on registered air carriers: 29,324,319 mt-km (2015)

Pipelines

oil 50 km (2013)

Ports and terminals

major seaport(s): Paramaribo, Wageningen

Roadways

total: 4,304 km | paved: 1,130 km | unpaved: 3,174 km (2003) | country comparison to the world: 154

Waterways

1,200 km (most navigable by ships with drafts up to 7 m) (2011) | country comparison to the world: 58