Suriname

• 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

noun:

Surinamer(s)

adjective:

Surinamese

total:

32 years (2024 est.)

male:

31 years

female:

32.9 years

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:

29.6 deaths/1,000 live births (2024 est.)

male:

37.6 deaths/1,000 live births

female:

21 deaths/1,000 live births

total population:

72.7 years (2024 est.)

male:

69 years

female:

76.7 years

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.)

women married by age 15:

8.8%

women married by age 18:

36%

men married by age 18:

19.6% (2018 est.)

urban population:

66.4% of total population (2023)

rate of urbanization:

0.88% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

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.)

municipal:

50 million cubic meters (2020 est.)

industrial:

140 million cubic meters (2020 est.)

agricultural:

430 million cubic meters (2020 est.)

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

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

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

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

chief of state:

President Chandrikapersad "Chan" SANTOKHI (since 16 July 2020)

head of government:

President Chandrikapersad "Chan" SANTOKHI (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:

2020: Chandrikapersad "Chan" SANTOKHI elected president unopposed; National Assembly vote - NA; 2015: Desire Delano BOUTERSE reelected president unopposed; National Assembly vote - NA

note: the president is both chief of state and head of government

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 35, women 16, percentage women 31.4%

highest 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 serve for life

subordinate courts:

cantonal courts

• 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

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:

[email protected]; https://surinameembassy.org/index.html

consulate(s) general:

Miami

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:

[email protected]; https://sr.usembassy.gov/

• 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

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

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)

• 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

Fitch rating:

C (2020)

Moody's rating:

Caa3 (2020)

Standard & Poors rating: SD (2020)

note: The year refers to the year in which the current credit rating was first obtained.

total:

25.3% (2023 est.)

male:

17.8% (2023 est.)

female:

37.8% (2023 est.)

note: % of labor force ages 15-24 seeking employment

lowest 10%:

2.2% (2022 est.)

highest 10%:

30.1% (2022 est.)

total petroleum production:

14,000 bbl/day (2023 est.)

refined petroleum consumption:

15,000 bbl/day (2022 est.)

crude oil estimated reserves:

89 million barrels (2021 est.)

production:

7.109 million cubic meters (2022 est.)

consumption:

6.967 million cubic meters (2022 est.)

general assessment:

• Suriname is the smallest nation on the South American continent, with about 580,000 inhabitants;
• the only Dutch-speaking nation in South America, it has close affinities with the Caribbean, and is a member of the Caribbean Community and Common Market (CARICOM);
• the country’s fixed-line infrastructure is reasonably reliable in the more populated coastal region, though poor in the interior;
• fixed teledensity and broadband penetration are slightly lower than average for Latin America and the Caribbean, while mobile penetration is significantly above the regional average and much higher than would be expected given the country’s relatively low GDP per capita;
• many Surinamese have up to three mobile lines with different providers, which has pushed up penetration figures although the number of subscribers has fallen in recent years as consumers have responded to economic pressures (2021)

domestic:

fixed-line is 18 per 100 and mobile-cellular teledensity is 150 telephones per 100 persons (2022)

international:

• country code - 597;
• landing point for the SG-SCS submarine cable linking South America with the Caribbean;
• satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) (2019)

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

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

total:

4,304 km

paved:

1,119 km

unpaved:

3,185 km (2003)

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

• 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) (2024)

• the Suriname Army has a limited inventory comprised of a mix of older weapons and equipment, largely originating from such suppliers as Brazil, the Netherlands, and India;
• France also provides material assistance (2024)

• 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 (2024)

• 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