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. Opposition parties campaigned hard against BOUTERSE in the lead up to the May 2020 elections and, in July 2020, a multi-party coalition led by Chandrikapersad SANTOKHI’s VHP and Ronnie Brunswijk’s ABOP was installed. The SANTOKHI government promised to tackle COVID-19, the economic crisis it inherited, and corruption.

Geographic coordinates: 4 00 N, 56 00 W

Map reference: South America

Area
Total: 163,820 km²
Land: 156,000 km²
Water: 7,820 km²
Comparative: slightly larger than Georgia

Land boundaries
Total: 1,907 km
Border countries: (3) 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: 0.5% (2018 est.)
Agricultural land arable land: 0.4% (2018 est.)
Agricultural land permanent crops: 0% (2018 est.)
Agricultural land permanent pasture: 0.1% (2018 est.)
Forest: 94.6% (2018 est.)
Other: 4.9% (2018 est.)

Irrigated land: 600 km² (2020)

Major watersheds area km²: Atlantic Ocean drainage: Amazon (6,145,186 km²)

Total water withdrawal
Municipal: 50 million cubic meters (2020 est.)
Industrial: 140 million cubic meters (2020 est.)
Agricultural: 430 million cubic meters (2020 est.)

Total renewable water resources: 99 billion cubic meters (2020 est.)

Natural hazards: flooding

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

Population
Distribution: population concentrated along the nothern coastal strip; the remainder of the country is sparsely populated: 639,759 (2023 est.)
Growth rate: 1.11% (2023 est.)
Below poverty line: 70% (2002 est.)

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: 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
Major-language samples:

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.)

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 (Indonesian) contract workers. The country overall is in full, post-industrial demographic transition, with a low fertility rate, a moderate mortality rate, and a rising life expectancy. However, the Maroon population of the rural interior lags behind because of lower educational attainment and contraceptive use, higher malnutrition, and significantly less access to electricity, potable water, sanitation, infrastructure, and health care.

Age structure
0-14 years: 22.77% (male 73,914/female 71,762)
15-64 years: 69.96% (male 223,807/female 223,762)
65 years and over: 7.27% (2023 est.) (male 19,152/female 27,362)

Dependency ratios
Total dependency ratio: 50.9
Youth dependency ratio: 40
Elderly dependency ratio: 11
Potential support ratio: 9.1 (2021 est.)

Median age
Total: 31.6 years (2023 est.)
Male: 30.7 years
Female: 32.6 years

Population growth rate: 1.11% (2023 est.)

Birth rate: 15.2 births/1,000 population (2023 est.)

Death rate: 6.6 deaths/1,000 population (2023 est.)

Net migration rate: 2.5 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2023 est.)

Population distribution: population concentrated along the nothern 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)

Environment
Current issues: deforestation as timber is cut for export; pollution of inland waterways by small-scale mining activities
International 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
International agreements signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Air pollutants
Particulate matter emissions: 12.17 micrograms per cubic meter (2019 est.)
Carbon dioxide emissions: 1.74 megatons (2016 est.)
Methane emissions: 2.28 megatons (2020 est.)

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 (2023 est.)

Maternal mortality ratio: 96 deaths/100,000 live births (2020 est.)

Infant mortality rate
Total: 29.9 deaths/1,000 live births (2023 est.)
Male: 38 deaths/1,000 live births
Female: 21.3 deaths/1,000 live births

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 72.6 years (2023 est.)
Male: 68.9 years
Female: 76.5 years

Total fertility rate: 1.91 children born/woman (2023 est.)

Contraceptive prevalence rate: 39.1% (2018)

Drinking water source
Improved urban: 99.5% of population
Improved rural: 98.2% of population
Improved total: 99.1% of population
Unimproved urban: 0.5% of population
Unimproved rural: 1.8% of population
Unimproved total: 0.9% of population (2020 est.)

Current health expenditure: 6.8% of GDP (2020)

Physicians density: 0.82 physicians/1,000 population (2018)

Hospital bed density: 3 beds/1,000 population (2017)

Major infectious diseases
Degree of risk: very high (2023)
Food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever
Vectorborne diseases: malaria

Obesity adult prevalence rate: 26.4% (2016)

Alcohol consumption
Per capita total: 6.6 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Per capita beer: 3.4 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Per capita wine: 0.14 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Per capita spirits: 2.87 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Per capita other alcohols: 0.18 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

Children under the age of 5 years underweight: 6.7% (2018)

Education expenditures: 5% of GDP (2020 est.)

Literacy
Definition: age 15 and over can read and write
Total population: 95%
Male: 96.5%
Female: 93.4% (2021)

Youth unemployment
Rate ages 15 24 total: 30.5% (2021 est.)
Rate ages 15 24 male: 22.1%
Rate ages 15 24 female: 46.1%

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

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 may be the corruption of a Carib (Kalina) village or tribe named Parmirbo

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

Independence: 25 November 1975 (from the Netherlands)

National holiday: Independence Day, 25 November (1975)

Constitution
History: previous 1975; latest ratified 30 September 1987, effective 30 October 1987
Amendments: proposed by the National Assembly; passage requires at least two-thirds majority vote of the total membership; amended 1992

Legal system: civil law system influenced by Dutch civil law; note - a new criminal code was enacted in 2017

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 Chandrikapersad SANTOKHI (since 16 July 2020); Vice President Ronnie BRUNSWIJK (since 16 July 2020); note - the president is both chief of state and head of government
Head of government: President Chandrikapersad SANTOKHI (since 16 July 2020); Vice President Ronnie BRUNSWIJK (since 16 July 2020)
Cabinet: Cabinet of Ministers appointed by the president
Elections/appointments: president and vice president indirectly elected by the National Assembly; president and vice president serve a 5-year term (no term limits); election last held on 13 July 2020 (next to be held in May 2025)
Election results: Chandrikapersad SANTOKHI elected president unopposed; National Assembly vote - NA

Legislative branch
Description: unicameral National Assembly or Nationale Assemblee (51 seats; members directly elected in 10 multi-seat constituencies by party-list proportional representation vote, using the D'Hondt method, to serve 5-year terms)
Elections: last held on 25 May 2020 (next to be held in May 2025)
Election results: percent of vote by party - VHP 41.1%, NDP 29.4%, ABOP 17.6%, NPS 7.8%, other 3.9%; seats by party - VHP 20, NDP 16, ABOP 9, NPS 3, BEP 2, PL 2; composition - men 36, women 15, percent of women 29.4%

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

Political parties and leaders:

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

Diplomatic representation
In the us chief of mission: Ambassador Niermala Sakoentala BADRISING (since 21 July 2017)
In the us chancery: 4,301 Connecticut Avenue NW, Suite 400, Washington, DC 20,008
In the us telephone: [1] (202) 629-4,302
In the us FAX: [1] (202) 629-4,769
In the us email address and website:
From the us chief of mission: Ambassador Robert J. FAUCHER (since 31 January 2023)
From the us embassy: 165 Kristalstraat, Paramaribo
From the us mailing address: 3,390 Paramaribo Place, Washington DC 20,521-3,390
From the us telephone: [597] 556-700
From the us FAX: [597] 551-524
From the us email address and website:

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

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

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 heritage
Total World Heritage Sites: 2 (1 cultural, 1 natural)
Selected World Heritage Site locales:

Economy 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:
Note: data are in 2017 dollars

Real gdp growth rate:

Real gdp per capita:
Note: data are in 2017 dollars

Gdp composition by end use
Household consumption: 27.6% (2017 est.)
Government consumption: 11.7% (2017 est.)
Investment in fixed capital: 52.5% (2017 est.)
Investment in inventories: 26.5% (2017 est.)
Exports of goods and services: 68.9% (2017 est.)
Imports of goods and services: -60.6% (2017 est.)

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 11.6% (2017 est.)
Industry: 31.1% (2017 est.)
Services: 57.4% (2017 est.)

Agriculture products: rice, sugar cane, bananas, oranges, vegetables, plantains, coconuts, poultry, cassava, eggs

Industries: gold mining, oil, lumber, food processing, fishing

Industrial production growth rate: -10.92% (2021 est.)

Labor force: 244,200 (2021 est.)

Unemployment rate:

Youth unemployment
Rate ages 15 24 total: 30.5% (2021 est.)
Rate ages 15 24 male: 22.1%
Rate ages 15 24 female: 46.1%

Population below poverty line: 70% (2002 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share
Lowest 10%: NA
Highest 10%: NA

Budget
Revenues: $863 million (2019 est.)
Expenditures: $1.648 billion (2019 est.)
Surplus  or deficit: -7.8% (of GDP) (2017 est.)

Taxes and other revenues: 16.4% (of GDP) (2017 est.)

Public debt:

Revenue
From forest resources: 2.36% of GDP (2018 est.)
From coal: 0% of GDP (2018 est.)

Fiscal year: calendar year

Inflation rate consumer prices:

Current account balance:

Exports:
Partners: Switzerland 51%, United Arab Emirates 22%, Belgium 6%, Trinidad and Tobago 2%, Guyana 2% (2021)
Commodities: gold, lumber, refined petroleum, excavation machinery, rice (2021)

Imports:
Partners: United States 19%, China 16%, Netherlands 15%, Trinidad and Tobago 8%, Japan 3% (2021)
Commodities: refined petroleum, excavation machinery, delivery trucks, cars, cigarettes (2021)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:

Debt external:

Exchange rates:

Electricity
Access electrification-total population: 98.8% (2021)
Access electrification-urban areas: 99.5% (2021)
Access electrification-rural areas: 97.4% (2021)
Installed generating capacity: 542,000 kW (2020 est.)
Consumption: 2,938,391,000 kWh (2019 est.)
Exports: 0 kWh (2019 est.)
Imports: 808 million kWh (2019 est.)
Transmission/distribution losses: 234 million kWh (2019 est.)
Generation sources fossil fuels: 40.5% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
Generation sources nuclear: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
Generation sources solar: 0.4% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
Generation sources wind: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
Generation sources hydroelectricity: 58.8% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
Generation sources tide and wave: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
Generation sources geothermal: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
Generation sources biomass and waste: 0.3% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)

Coal
Production: 0 metric tons (2020 est.)
Consumption: 0 metric tons (2020 est.)
Exports: 0 metric tons (2020 est.)
Imports: 0 metric tons (2020 est.)
Proven reserves: 0 metric tons (2019 est.)

Petroleum
Total petroleum production: 14,800 bbl/day (2021 est.)
Refined petroleum consumption: 15,800 bbl/day (2019 est.)
Crude oil and lease condensate exports: 0 bbl/day (2018 est.)
Crude oil and lease condensate imports: 200 bbl/day (2018 est.)
Crude oil estimated reserves: 89 million barrels (2021 est.)

Refined petroleum
Products production: 7,571 bbl/day (2015 est.)
Products exports: 14,000 bbl/day (2015 est.)
Products imports: 10,700 bbl/day (2015 est.)

Natural gas
Production: 0 cubic meters (2020 est.)
Consumption: 0 cubic meters (2020 est.)
Exports: 0 cubic meters (2021 est.)
Imports: 0 cubic meters (2021 est.)
Proven reserves: 0 cubic meters (2021 est.)

Carbon dioxide emissions: 2.372 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)
From coal and metallurgical coke: 0 metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)
From petroleum and other liquids: 2.361 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)
From consumed natural gas: 11,000 metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)

Energy consumption per capita: 82.356 million Btu/person (2019 est.)

Telephones
Fixed lines total subscriptions: 108,250 (2022 est.)
Fixed lines subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 18 (2022 est.)
Mobile cellular total subscriptions: 928,840 (2022 est.)
Mobile cellular subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 150 (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
Users total: 402,600 (2021 est.)
Users percent of population: 66% (2021 est.)

Broadband fixed subscriptions
Total: 92,270 (2020 est.)
Subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 16 (2020 est.)

Military expenditures:

Military and security forces:

Military service age and obligation: 18 is the legal minimum age for voluntary military service for men and women; no conscription (2022)

National air transport system
Number of registered air carriers: 4 (2020)
Inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers: 20
Annual passenger traffic on registered air carriers: 272,347 (2018)
Annual freight traffic on registered air carriers: 33.2 million (2018) mt-km

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix: PZ

Airports: 55 (2021)
With paved runways: 6
With paved runways note: paved runways have a concrete or asphalt surface but not all have facilities for refueling, maintenance, or air traffic control; the length of a runway required for aircraft to safely operate depends on a number of factors including the type of aircraft, the takeoff weight (including passengers, cargo, and fuel), engine types, flap settings, landing speed, elevation of the airport, and average maximum daily air temperature; paved runways can reach a length of 5,000 m (16,000 ft.), but the “typical” length of a commercial airline runway is between 2,500-4,000 m (8,000-13,000 ft.)
With unpaved runways: 49
With unpaved runways note: unpaved runways have a surface composition such as grass or packed earth and are most suited to the operation of light aircraft; unpaved runways are usually short, often less than 1,000 m (3,280 ft.) in length; airports with unpaved runways often lack facilities for refueling, maintenance, or air traffic control

Pipelines: 50 km oil (2013)

Roadways
Total: 4,304 km (2003)
Paved: 1,119 km (2003)
Unpaved: 3,185 km (2003)

Waterways: 1,200 km (2011) (most navigable by ships with drafts up to 7 m)

Merchant marine
Total: 10 (2022)
By type: general cargo 5, oil tanker 3, other 2

Ports and terminals
Major seaports: Paramaribo, Wageningen

Disputes international: Suriname-Brazil: none identified

Illicit drugs: a transit country for South American cocaine en route to Europe; illicit drugs are smuggled in cargo containers, commercial and private air transport and human couriers