World Factbook
Suriname
Republiek Suriname
Last updated: 2026-03-28 (today)
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.)
Sex ratio
at birth
1.07 male(s)/female
0-14 years
1.03 male(s)/female
15-64 years
1 male(s)/female
total population
0.98 male(s)/female (2024 est.)
65 years and over
0.7 male(s)/female
Birth rate
14.63 births/1,000 population (2025 est.)
Death rate
6.74 deaths/1,000 population (2025 est.)
Median age
male
31 years
total
32.3 years (2025 est.)
female
32.9 years
Population
male
323,747
total
653,605 (2025 est.)
female
329,858
Nationality
noun
Surinamer(s)
adjective
Surinamese
Urbanization
urban population
66.4% of total population (2023)
rate of urbanization
0.88% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)
Age structure
0-14 years
22.5% (male 73,864/female 71,573)
15-64 years
70% (male 226,417/female 226,235)
65 years and over
7.5% (2024 est.) (male 20,071/female 28,598)
Ethnic groups
Hindustani (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.)
Child marriage
men married by age 18
19.6% (2018)
women married by age 15
8.8% (2018)
women married by age 18
36% (2018)
Dependency ratios
total dependency ratio
43 (2025 est.)
youth dependency ratio
31.8 (2025 est.)
potential support ratio
8.9 (2025 est.)
elderly dependency ratio
11.2 (2025 est.)
Physician density
1.36 physicians/1,000 population (2023)
Health expenditure
Health expenditure (as % of GDP)
5.7% of GDP (2021)
Health expenditure (as % of national budget)
13.1% of national budget (2022 est.)
Net migration rate
2.46 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2025 est.)
Hospital bed density
2.9 beds/1,000 population (2020 est.)
Total fertility rate
1.87 children born/woman (2025 est.)
Drinking water source
improved: rural
rural: 96.6% of population (2022 est.)
improved: total
total: 98% of population (2022 est.)
improved: urban
urban: 98.7% of population (2022 est.)
unimproved: rural
rural: 3.4% of population (2022 est.)
unimproved: total
total: 2% of population (2022 est.)
unimproved: urban
urban: 1.3% of population (2022 est.)
Education expenditure
Education expenditure (% GDP)
2.9% of GDP (2023 est.)
Education expenditure (% national budget)
8.6% national budget (2024 est.)
Infant mortality rate
male
37.6 deaths/1,000 live births
total
29.3 deaths/1,000 live births (2025 est.)
female
21 deaths/1,000 live births
Population growth rate
1.04% (2025 est.)
Gross reproduction rate
0.9 (2025 est.)
Population distribution
population is concentrated along the northern coastal strip; the remainder of the country is sparsely populated
Life expectancy at birth
male
69 years
female
76.7 years
total population
72.7 years (2024 est.)
Maternal mortality ratio
84 deaths/100,000 live births (2023 est.)
Sanitation facility access
improved: rural
rural: 91.2% of population (2022 est.)
improved: total
total: 96.1% of population (2022 est.)
improved: urban
urban: 98.5% of population (2022 est.)
unimproved: rural
rural: 8.8% of population (2022 est.)
unimproved: total
total: 3.9% of population (2022 est.)
unimproved: urban
urban: 1.5% of population (2022 est.)
Alcohol consumption per capita
beer
3.4 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
wine
0.14 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
total
6.6 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
spirits
2.87 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
other alcohols
0.18 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Major urban areas - population
239,000 PARAMARIBO (capital) (2018)
Obesity - adult prevalence rate
26.4% (2016)
Currently married women (ages 15-49)
52.2% (2018 est.)
Children under the age of 5 years underweight
6.7% (2018 est.)
School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education)
male
10 years (2021 est.)
total
11 years (2021 est.)
female
11 years (2021 est.)