THE WORLD FACTBOOK — Reference Edition 2026

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.

Location: Northern South America, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between French Guiana and Guyana
Geographic coordinates: 4 00 N, 56 00 W
Map references: South America
Area: total: 163,820 sq km
land: 156,000 sq km
water: 7,820 sq km
Area - comparative: slightly larger than Georgia
Land boundaries: total: 1,907 km
border countries: Brazil 515 km; French Guiana 556 km; Guyana 836 km
Coastline: 386 km
Maritime claims: territorial sea: 12 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
Climate: tropical; moderated by trade winds
Terrain: mostly rolling hills; narrow coastal plain with swamps
Elevation: highest point: Juliana Top 1,230 m
lowest point: unnamed location in the coastal plain -2 m
mean elevation: 246 m
Natural resources: timber, hydropower, fish, kaolin, shrimp, bauxite, gold, and small amounts of nickel, copper, platinum, iron ore
Land use: 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.)
forest: 91.7% (2023 est.)
other: 7.9% (2023 est.)
Irrigated land: 600 sq km (2020)
Major watersheds (area sq km): Atlantic Ocean drainage: Amazon (6,145,186 sq km)
Population distribution: population is concentrated along the northern coastal strip; the remainder of the country is sparsely populated
Natural hazards: flooding
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

Population: total: 653,605 (2025 est.)
male: 323,747
female: 329,858
Nationality: noun: Surinamer(s)
adjective: Surinamese
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.)
Languages: 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)
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.)
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)
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.)
Median age: total: 32.3 years (2025 est.)
male: 31 years
female: 32.9 years
Population growth rate: 1.04% (2025 est.)
Birth rate: 14.63 births/1,000 population (2025 est.)
Death rate: 6.74 deaths/1,000 population (2025 est.)
Net migration rate: 2.46 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2025 est.)
Population distribution: population is concentrated along the northern coastal strip; the remainder of the country is sparsely populated
Urbanization: urban population: 66.4% of total population (2023)
rate of urbanization: 0.88% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)
Major urban areas - population: 239,000 PARAMARIBO (capital) (2018)
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.)
Maternal mortality ratio: 84 deaths/100,000 live births (2023 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
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 72.7 years (2024 est.)
male: 69 years
female: 76.7 years
Total fertility rate: 1.87 children born/woman (2025 est.)
Gross reproduction rate: 0.9 (2025 est.)
Drinking water source: improved: urban: urban: 98.7% of population (2022 est.)
improved: rural: rural: 96.6% of population (2022 est.)
improved: total: total: 98% of population (2022 est.)
unimproved: urban: urban: 1.3% of population (2022 est.)
unimproved: rural: rural: 3.4% of population (2022 est.)
unimproved: total: total: 2% of population (2022 est.)
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.)
Physician density: 1.36 physicians/1,000 population (2023)
Hospital bed density: 2.9 beds/1,000 population (2020 est.)
Sanitation facility access: improved: urban: urban: 98.5% of population (2022 est.)
improved: rural: rural: 91.2% of population (2022 est.)
improved: total: total: 96.1% of population (2022 est.)
unimproved: urban: urban: 1.5% of population (2022 est.)
unimproved: rural: rural: 8.8% of population (2022 est.)
unimproved: total: total: 3.9% of population (2022 est.)
Obesity - adult prevalence rate: 26.4% (2016)
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.)
Children under the age of 5 years underweight: 6.7% (2018 est.)
Currently married women (ages 15-49): 52.2% (2018 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)
Education expenditure: Education expenditure (% GDP): 2.9% of GDP (2023 est.)
Education expenditure (% national budget): 8.6% national budget (2024 est.)
School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education): total: 11 years (2021 est.)
male: 10 years (2021 est.)
female: 11 years (2021 est.)

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
Climate: tropical; moderated by trade winds
Land use: 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.)
forest: 91.7% (2023 est.)
other: 7.9% (2023 est.)
Urbanization: urban population: 66.4% of total population (2023)
rate of urbanization: 0.88% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)
Carbon dioxide emissions: total 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.)
Particulate matter emissions: 12.2 micrograms per cubic meter (2019 est.)
Waste and recycling: municipal solid waste generated annually: 78,600 tons (2024 est.)
percent of municipal solid waste recycled: 16.9% (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.)
Total renewable water resources: 99 billion cubic meters (2022 est.)

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
Government type: presidential republic
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 Guaraní words para (water or river) and maribo (inhabitants)
Administrative divisions: 10 districts (distrikten, singular - distrikt); Brokopondo, Commewijne, Coronie, Marowijne, Nickerie, Para, Paramaribo, Saramacca, Sipaliwini, Wanica
Legal system: civil law system influenced by Dutch civil law
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
International law organization participation: accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations; accepts ICCt jurisdiction
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
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
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 - NA2020: Chandrikapersad "Chan" SANTOKHI elected president unopposed; National Assembly vote - NA2015: Desire Delano BOUTERSE reelected president unopposed; National Assembly vote - NA
expected date of next election: 2030
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
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
Political parties: Brotherhood and Unity in Politics or BEPDemocratic Alternative '91 or DA91General Liberation and Development Party or ABOPNational Democratic Party or NDPNational Party of Suriname or NPSParty for Democracy and Development in Unity or DOEParty for National Unity and Solidarity or KTPIPeople's Alliance (Pertjajah Luhur) or PLProgressive Workers' and Farmers' Union or PALUProgressive Reform Party or VHPReform and Renewal Movement or HVBSurinamese Labor Party or SPA
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.srhttps://surinameembassy.org/index.html
consulate(s) general: Miami
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.govhttps://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
Independence: 25 November 1975 (from the Netherlands)
National holiday: Independence Day, 25 November (1975)
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 bandmeaning: 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
National symbol(s): royal palm, faya lobi (flower)
National color(s): green, white, red, yellow
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 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)

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
Real GDP (purchasing power parity): Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2024: $12.316 billion (2024 est.)
Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2023: $11.976 billion (2023 est.)
Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2022: $11.68 billion (2022 est.)
Real GDP growth rate: Real GDP growth rate 2024: 2.8% (2024 est.)
Real GDP growth rate 2023: 2.5% (2023 est.)
Real GDP growth rate 2022: 2.4% (2022 est.)
Real GDP per capita: Real GDP per capita 2024: $19,400 (2024 est.)
Real GDP per capita 2023: $19,000 (2023 est.)
Real GDP per capita 2022: $18,700 (2022 est.)
GDP (official exchange rate): $4.714 billion (2024 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2024: 16.2% (2024 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2023: 51.6% (2023 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2022: 52.4% (2022 est.)
GDP - composition, by sector of origin: agriculture: 7.5% (2023 est.)
industry: 39.9% (2023 est.)
services: 48.3% (2023 est.)
Agricultural products: rice, sugarcane, oranges, vegetables, chicken, cassava, plantains, pineapples, eggs, citrus fruits (2023)
Industries: gold mining, oil, lumber, food processing, fishing
Industrial production growth rate: 2.1% (2023 est.)
Labor force: 255,500 (2024 est.)
Unemployment rate: Unemployment rate 2024: 7.4% (2024 est.)
Unemployment rate 2023: 7.7% (2023 est.)
Unemployment rate 2022: 8.2% (2022 est.)
Youth unemployment rate (ages 15-24): total: 24.2% (2024 est.)
male: 16.9% (2024 est.)
female: 35.9% (2024 est.)
Gini Index coefficient - distribution of family income: Gini Index coefficient - distribution of family income 2022: 39.2 (2022 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: 2.2% (2022 est.)
highest 10%: 30.1% (2022 est.)
Remittances: Remittances 2024: 3.4% of GDP (2024 est.)
Remittances 2023: 4.3% of GDP (2023 est.)
Remittances 2022: 3.9% of GDP (2022 est.)
Budget: revenues: $863 million (2019 est.)
expenditures: $1.648 billion (2019 est.)
Public debt: Public debt 2016: 75.8% of GDP (2016 est.)
Current account balance: Current account balance 2024: $9.306 million (2024 est.)
Current account balance 2023: $148.118 million (2023 est.)
Current account balance 2022: $76.321 million (2022 est.)
Exports: Exports 2024: $2.793 billion (2024 est.)
Exports 2023: $2.533 billion (2023 est.)
Exports 2022: $2.6 billion (2022 est.)
Exports - partners: Switzerland 49%, UAE 28%, Guyana 5%, USA 4%, France 3% (2023)
Exports - commodities: gold, fish, refined petroleum, wood, tobacco (2023)
Imports: Imports 2024: $2.571 billion (2024 est.)
Imports 2023: $2.203 billion (2023 est.)
Imports 2022: $2.342 billion (2022 est.)
Imports - partners: USA 22%, China 12%, Netherlands 11%, Trinidad & Tobago 9%, Guyana 8% (2023)
Imports - commodities: refined petroleum, ships, excavation machinery, trucks, tobacco (2023)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: Reserves of foreign exchange and gold 2024: $1.632 billion (2024 est.)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold 2023: $1.346 billion (2023 est.)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold 2022: $1.195 billion (2022 est.)
Debt - external: Debt - external 2023: $2.645 billion (2023 est.)
Exchange rates: Currency: Surinamese dollars (SRD) per US dollar -
Exchange rates 2024: 33.181 (2024 est.)
Exchange rates 2023: 36.776 (2023 est.)
Exchange rates 2022: 24.709 (2022 est.)
Exchange rates 2021: 18.239 (2021 est.)
Exchange rates 2020: 9.31 (2020 est.)

Electricity access: electrification - total population: 99% (2022 est.)
electrification - urban areas: 100%
electrification - rural areas: 98%
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 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.)
Coal: imports: 2 metric tons (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.)
Natural gas: production: 7.173 million cubic meters (2023 est.)
consumption: 6.967 million cubic meters (2023 est.)
Energy consumption per capita: Total energy consumption per capita 2023: 60.896 million Btu/person (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.)
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.)
Broadband - fixed subscriptions: total: 125,000 (2022 est.)
subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 20 (2022 est.)

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix: PZ
Airports: 55 (2025)
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

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 expenditures: Military Expenditures 2019: 1.2% of GDP (2019 est.)
Military Expenditures 2018: 1.1% of GDP (2018 est.)
Military Expenditures 2017: 1.1% of GDP (2017 est.)
Military Expenditures 2016: 1.2% of GDP (2016 est.)
Military Expenditures 2015: 1.4% of GDP (2015 est.)
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 service age and obligation: 18-28 years of age for voluntary military service for men and women; no conscription (2025)
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)

Refugees and internally displaced persons: refugees: 3,241 (2024 est.)

Suriname