Suriname

Broadband - fixed subscriptions

total: 125,000 (2022 est.) subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 20 (2022 est.)

Broadcast media

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

Internet country code

.sr

Internet users

percent of population: 78% (2023 est.)

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.)

Agricultural products

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

Budget

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

Current account balance

$9.306 million (2024 est.) $148.118 million (2023 est.) $76.321 million (2022 est.) note: balance of payments - net trade and primary/secondary income in current dollars

Debt - external

$2.645 billion (2023 est.) note: present value of external debt in current US dollars

Economic overview

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

Exchange rates

Surinamese dollars (SRD) per US dollar - 33.181 (2024 est.) 36.776 (2023 est.) 24.709 (2022 est.) 18.239 (2021 est.) 9.31 (2020 est.)

Exports

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

Exports - commodities

gold, fish, refined petroleum, wood, tobacco (2023) note: top five export commodities based on value in dollars

Exports - partners

Switzerland 49%, UAE 28%, Guyana 5%, USA 4%, France 3% (2023) note: top five export partners based on percentage share of exports

GDP (official exchange rate)

$4.714 billion (2024 est.) note: data in current dollars at official exchange rate

GDP - composition, by sector of origin

agriculture: 7.5% (2023 est.) industry: 39.9% (2023 est.) services: 48.3% (2023 est.) note: figures may not total 100% due to non-allocated consumption not captured in sector-reported data

Gini Index coefficient - distribution of family income

39.2 (2022 est.) note: index (0-100) of income distribution; higher values represent greater inequality

Household income or consumption by percentage share

lowest 10%: 2.2% (2022 est.) highest 10%: 30.1% (2022 est.) note: % share of income accruing to lowest and highest 10% of population

Imports

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

Imports - commodities

refined petroleum, ships, excavation machinery, trucks, tobacco (2023) note: top five import commodities based on value in dollars

Imports - partners

USA 22%, China 12%, Netherlands 11%, Trinidad & Tobago 9%, Guyana 8% (2023) note: top five import partners based on percentage share of imports

Industrial production growth rate

2.1% (2023 est.) note: annual % change in industrial value added based on constant local currency

Industries

gold mining, oil, lumber, food processing, fishing

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

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

Labor force

255,500 (2024 est.) note: number of people ages 15 or older who are employed or seeking work

Public debt

75.8% of GDP (2016 est.)

Real GDP (purchasing power parity)

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

Real GDP growth rate

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

Real GDP per capita

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

Remittances

3.4% of GDP (2024 est.) 4.3% of GDP (2023 est.) 3.9% of GDP (2022 est.) note: personal transfers and compensation between resident and non-resident individuals/households/entities

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

$1.632 billion (2024 est.) $1.346 billion (2023 est.) $1.195 billion (2022 est.) note: holdings of gold (year-end prices)/foreign exchange/special drawing rights in current dollars

Unemployment rate

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

Youth unemployment rate (ages 15-24)

total: 24.2% (2024 est.) male: 16.9% (2024 est.) female: 35.9% (2024 est.) note: % of labor force ages 15-24 seeking employment

Coal

imports: 2 metric tons (2023 est.)

Electricity

installed generating capacity: 537,000 kW (2023 est.) consumption: 1.896 billion kWh (2023 est.) transmission/distribution losses: 245.206 million kWh (2023 est.)

Electricity access

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

Electricity generation sources

fossil fuels: 57.1% of total installed capacity (2023 est.) solar: 0.6% 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.)

Energy consumption per capita

60.896 million Btu/person (2023 est.)

Natural gas

production: 7.173 million cubic meters (2023 est.) consumption: 6.967 million cubic meters (2023 est.)

Petroleum

total petroleum production: 14,000 bbl/day (2023 est.) refined petroleum consumption: 17,000 bbl/day (2023 est.) crude oil estimated reserves: 89 million barrels (2021 est.)

Carbon dioxide emissions

2.521 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2023 est.) from petroleum and other liquids: 2.507 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2023 est.) from consumed natural gas: 14,000 metric tonnes of CO2 (2023 est.)

Climate

tropical; moderated by trade winds

Environmental issues

deforestation; pollution of inland waterways from small-scale mining activities

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

Land use

agricultural land: 0.4% (2023 est.) arable land: 0.3% (2023 est.) permanent crops: 0% (2023 est.) permanent pasture: 0.1% (2023 est.) forest: 91.7% (2023 est.) other: 7.9% (2023 est.)

Particulate matter emissions

12.2 micrograms per cubic meter (2019 est.)

Total renewable water resources

99 billion cubic meters (2022 est.)

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.)

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.)

Area

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

Area - comparative

slightly larger than Georgia

Climate

tropical; moderated by trade winds

Coastline

386 km

Elevation

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

Geographic coordinates

4 00 N, 56 00 W

Geography - note

smallest independent country on the South American continent; mostly tropical rainforest; great diversity of flora and fauna; relatively small population, mostly along the coast

Irrigated land

600 sq km (2020)

Land boundaries

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

Land use

agricultural land: 0.4% (2023 est.) arable land: 0.3% (2023 est.) permanent crops: 0% (2023 est.) permanent pasture: 0.1% (2023 est.) forest: 91.7% (2023 est.) other: 7.9% (2023 est.)

Location

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

Major watersheds (area sq km)

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

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 is 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) etymology: the name comes from the Guaran words para (water or river) and maribo (inhabitants)

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

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 Surinen people who inhabited the area at the time of European contact

Diplomatic representation from the US

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/

Diplomatic representation in the US

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

Executive branch

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

Flag

description: five horizontal bands of green (top, double-width), white, red (quadruple-width), white, and green (double-width); a five-pointed yellow star is centered on the red band meaning: red stands for progress and love, green for hope and fertility, and white for peace, justice, and freedom; the star represents the unity of ethnic groups

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, 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

Judicial branch

highest court(s): High Court of Justice of Suriname (consists of the court president, vice president, and 4 judges) judge selection and term of office: court judges appointed by the national president in consultation with the National Assembly, the State Advisory Council, and the Order of Private Attorneys; judges serve for life subordinate courts: cantonal courts note: appeals beyond the High Court are referred to the Caribbean Court of Justice; human rights violations can be appealed to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights with judgments issued by the Inter-American Court on Human Rights

Legal system

civil law system influenced by Dutch civil law

Legislative branch

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

National anthem(s)

title: "God zij met ons Suriname!" (God Be With Our Suriname) lyrics/music: Cornelis Atses HOEKSTRA and Henry DE ZIEL/Johannes Corstianus DE PUY history: adopted 1959; originally adapted from a Sunday-school song written in 1893; contains lyrics in both Dutch and Sranang Tongo

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)

National holiday

Independence Day, 25 November (1975)

National symbol(s)

royal palm, faya lobi (flower)

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

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

Background

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.

Military - note

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

Military and security forces

Suriname National Army (Nationaal Leger or NL); Army (Landmacht), Navy (Marine); Air Force (Luchtmacht), Military Police (Korps Militaire Politie) Ministry of Justice and Police: Suriname Police Force (Korps Politie Suriname or KPS) (2026)

Military and security service personnel strengths

approximately 2,000 National Army (2025)

Military equipment inventories and acquisitions

the Suriname Army has a limited inventory of older or secondhand armaments originating from such suppliers as Brazil, France, the Netherlands, and India (2025)

Military expenditures

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.)

Military service age and obligation

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

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)

Alcohol consumption per capita

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.)

Birth rate

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

Child marriage

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

Children under the age of 5 years underweight

6.7% (2018 est.)

Currently married women (ages 15-49)

52.2% (2018 est.)

Death rate

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

Dependency ratios

total dependency ratio: 43 (2025 est.) youth dependency ratio: 31.8 (2025 est.) elderly dependency ratio: 11.2 (2025 est.) potential support ratio: 8.9 (2025 est.)

Drinking water source

urban: 98.7% of population (2022 est.) rural: 96.6% of population (2022 est.) total: 98% of population (2022 est.) urban: 1.3% of population (2022 est.) rural: 3.4% of population (2022 est.) total: 2% of population (2022 est.)

Education expenditure

2.9% of GDP (2023 est.) 8.6% national budget (2024 est.)

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.)

Gross reproduction rate

0.9 (2025 est.)

Health expenditure

5.7% of GDP (2021) 13.1% of national budget (2022 est.)

Hospital bed density

2.9 beds/1,000 population (2020 est.)

Infant mortality rate

total: 29.3 deaths/1,000 live births (2025 est.) male: 37.6 deaths/1,000 live births female: 21 deaths/1,000 live births

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), 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)

Life expectancy at birth

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

Major urban areas - population

239,000 PARAMARIBO (capital) (2018)

Maternal mortality ratio

84 deaths/100,000 live births (2023 est.)

Median age

total: 32.3 years (2025 est.) male: 31 years female: 32.9 years

Nationality

noun: Surinamer(s) adjective: Surinamese

Net migration rate

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

Obesity - adult prevalence rate

26.4% (2016)

Physician density

1.36 physicians/1,000 population (2023)

Population

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

Population distribution

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

Population growth rate

1.04% (2025 est.)

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.)

Sanitation facility access

urban: 98.5% of population (2022 est.) rural: 91.2% of population (2022 est.) total: 96.1% of population (2022 est.) urban: 1.5% of population (2022 est.) rural: 8.8% of population (2022 est.) total: 3.9% of population (2022 est.)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education)

total: 11 years (2021 est.) male: 10 years (2021 est.) female: 11 years (2021 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 65 years and over: 0.7 male(s)/female total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2024 est.)

Total fertility rate

1.87 children born/woman (2025 est.)

Urbanization

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

Refugees and internally displaced persons

refugees: 3,241 (2024 est.)

Airports

55 (2025)

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix

PZ

Heliports

1 (2025)

Merchant marine

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

Ports

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