Demographics of Suriname

This article is about the demographic features of the population of Suriname, including population density, ethnicity, education level, health of the populace, economic status, religious affiliations, and other aspects of the population.

Suriname population pyramid in 2020

Historical population
Year	Pop.	±% p.a.
1921	107,723	—
1950	198,668	+2.13%
1964	324,211	+3.56%
1972	379,607	+1.99%
1980	354,860	−0.84%
2004	492,464	+1.37%
2012	541,638	+1.20%
2016	558,368	+0.76%
Source: [1] 2016 daat[2][3]

Most Surinamese people live in the narrow, northern coastal plain. The population is one of the most ethnically varied in the world. Each ethnic group preserves its own culture, and many institutions, including political parties, tend to follow ethnic lines. Informal relationships vary: the upper classes of all ethnic backgrounds mix freely; outside of the elite, social relations tend to remain within ethnic groupings. All groups may be found in the schools and workplace.

Population

Demographics of Suriname, Data of FAO, year 2005 ; Number of inhabitants in thousands.

According to the 2019 revision of the World Population Prospects[2][3] the total population was 575,990 in 2018, compared to only 215,000 in 1950. The proportion of children below the age of 15 in 2010 was 28.6%, 65% was between 15 and 65 years of age, while 6.5% was 65 years or older .[4] According to 2012 census, there were 270,629 males and 271,009 females in Suriname.[5]

Year	Total population (x 1000)	Proportion (%) aged
Year	Total population (x 1000)	0–14	15–64	65+
1950	215	40.0	54.0	6.0
1955	250	43.2	52.0	4.8
1960	290	47.6	48.3	4.1
1965	332	48.2	47.8	4.0
1970	372	48.3	47.8	3.9
1975	364	47.6	48.5	3.9
1980	366	39.9	55.7	4.4
1985	376	35.8	59.8	4.5
1990	407	33.3	62.0	4.7
1995	436	32.2	62.6	5.2
2000	467	30.6	63.7	5.7
2005	500	29.8	64.1	6.1
2010	525	28.6	65.0	6.5

Total and Percent Distribution of Population by Age (Censuses 2004 & 2012)

[6]

Age group	2004		2012
Age group	Number	Percent	Number	Percent
0-14	146.389	29,81	148.767	27.47
15-59	299.547	60.78	334.949	61.84
60+	42.189	8.56	54.527	10.07
Total	492.829	100	541.638	100

Structure of the population [7]

Structure of the population (02.08.2004) (Census) :

Age Group	Male	Female	Total	%
Total	248 046	244 783	492 829	100
0-4	26 252	25 585	51 837	10,52
5-9	25 200	24 209	49 409	10,03
10-14	22 889	22 254	45 143	9,16
15-19	23 465	23 043	46 508	9,44
20-24	22 437	21 406	43 843	8,90
25-29	19 006	18 895	37 901	7,69
30-34	19 828	19 166	38 994	7,91
35-39	19 179	18 100	37 279	7,56
40-44	17 657	16 328	33 985	6,90
45-49	12 643	12 992	25 635	5,20
50-54	9 933	10 487	20 420	4,14
55-59	6 955	8 027	14 982	3,04
60-64	6 200	7 059	13 259	2,69
65-69	5 148	5 454	10 602	2,15
70-74	4 103	4 556	8 659	1,76
75-79	2 419	2 733	5 152	1,05
80-84	1 235	1 618	2 853	0,58
85-89	392	677	1 075	0,22
90-94	196	294	490	0,10
95+	34	95	129	0,03
unknown	2 885	1 819	4 704	0,95

Age group	Male	Female	Total	Percent
0-14	74 341	72 048	146 389	29,70
15-64	157 293	155 489	312 782	63,47
65+	13 527	15 427	28 954	5,88

Structure of the population (01.07.2011) (Estimates) :

Age Group	Male	Female	Total	%
Total	272 690	267 220	539 910	100
0-4	24 910	24 150	49 060	9,09
5-9	26 400	25 160	51 560	9,55
10-14	25 950	24 850	50 800	9,41
15-19	24 510	23 670	48 180	8,92
20-24	23 270	22 500	45 770	8,48
25-29	22 310	21 360	43 670	8,09
30-34	21 180	20 150	41 330	7,65
35-39	20 130	19 110	39 240	7,27
40-44	18 570	17 720	36 290	6,72
45-49	16 370	15 830	32 200	5,96
50-54	13 940	13 730	27 670	5,12
55-59	10 970	11 200	22 170	4,11
60-64	8 340	8 890	17 230	3,19
65-69	6 200	6 870	13 070	2,42
70-74	4 360	5 060	9 420	1,74
75-79	2 860	3 500	6 360	1,18
80+	2 420	3 470	5 890	1,09

Age group	Male	Female	Total	Percent
0-14	77 260	72 048	149 308	27,65
15-64	179 590	176 272	355 862	65,91
65+	15 840	18 900	34 740	6,43

Vital statistics

The Population Departement of the United Nations prepared the following estimates for Suriname. [4]

Period	Live births per year	Deaths per year	Natural change per year	CBR*	CDR*	NC*	TFR*	IMR*	Life expectancy total	Life expectancy males	Life expectancy females
1950-1955	10 000	3 000	7 000	48.0	14.9	33.1	6.56	89	56.0	54.4	57.7
1955-1960	12 000	3 000	9 000	46.0	12.4	33.6	6.56	76	58.7	57.0	60.5
1960-1965	14 000	3 000	11 000	44.8	10.6	34.2	6.56	64	60.5	58.7	62.5
1965-1970	14 000	3 000	11 000	39.7	9.0	30.6	5.95	55	62.4	60.5	64.5
1970-1975	13 000	3 000	10 000	34.9	8.3	26.6	5.29	49	64.0	61.7	66.5
1975-1980	11 000	3 000	8 000	30.2	7.4	22.8	4.20	44	65.1	62.8	67.7
1980-1985	11 000	3 000	8 000	30.0	7.3	22.7	3.70	42	66.5	63.6	69.8
1985-1990	10 000	3 000	7 000	25.4	7.2	18.2	3.00	39	67.1	64.0	70.7
1990-1995	9 000	3 000	6 000	22.5	7.1	15.4	2.60	34	67.6	64.4	71.1
1995-2000	11 000	3 000	8 000	23.6	7.4	16.2	2.80	29	67.8	64.6	71.4
2000-2005	10 000	4 000	6 000	21.0	7.6	13.4	2.60	24	68.1	64.8	71.7
2005-2010	10 000	4 000	6 000	19.1	7.3	11.9	2.42	22	69.6	66.4	73.1
* CBR = crude birth rate (per 1000); CDR = crude death rate (per 1000); NC = natural change (per 1000); IMR = infant mortality rate per 1000 births; TFR = total fertility rate (number of children per woman)

Births and deaths

Births and deaths[7][8][9]
Year	Population	Live births	Deaths	Natural increase	Crude birth rate	Crude death rate	Rate of natural increase	TFR
1948		6 476	2 217	4 259
1949		6 473	2 243	4 230
1950		6 863	1 974	4 889
1951		7 710	1 965	5 745
1952		8 453	1 917	6 536
1953		8 878	2 159	6 719
1954		9 154	1 919	7 235
1955		9 458	1 989	7 469
1956		10 177	2 131	8 040
1957		10 001	2 274	7 727
1958		11 151	1 942	9 209
1959		11 757	2 055	9 702
1960		11 702	2 144	9 558
1961		12 835	2 310	10 525
1962		13 141	2 412	10 729
1963			2 406
1964			2 292
1965		13 253	2 378	10 875
1966		12 925	2 280	10 645
1967
1968
1969
1970
1971			2 540
1972		12 557
1973		11 881
1974		11 809
1975		10 031
1976		11 176
1977		11 099
1978		10 673
1979		10 586
1980	355,240	9 848
1981	360,021	10 094
1982	364,854	11 205	2 377	8 828
1983	369,752	11 823
1984	374,716	11 501
1985	379,746	11 704	2 275	9 429
1986	384,844	10176
1987	390,011	9 660
1988	395,246	9 094
1989	400,552	10 217	2 717	7 500
1990	405,930	9 545	2 792	6 753
1991	411,397	9 104	2 573	6 531
1992	416,902	9 835	2 717	7 118
1993	422,498	9 398	2 998	6 400
1994	428,170	8 418	2 842	5 576
1995	433,918	8 717	2 696	6 021
1996	439,743	9 393	2 894	6 499	22.7	7.0	15.7
1997	445,647	10 794	2 878	7 916	25.8	6.9	18.9
1998	451,629	10 221	2 814	7 407	24.1	6.6	17.5
1999	457,692	10 144	2 992	7 152	23.6	7.0	16.6
2000	463,837	9 804	3 090	6 714	22.5	7.1	15.4
2001	470,064	9 717	3 099	6 618	20.7	6.6	14.1
2002	476,374	10 188	3 125	7 063	21.4	6.6	14.8
2003	481,146	9 634	3 154	6 480	20.0	6.6	13.4
2004	492,829	9 062	3 319	5 743	18.6	6.8	11.8
2005	498,543	8 657	3 392	5 265	17.4	6.8	10.6	2.14
2006	504,257	9 311	3 197	6 114	18.5	6.4	12.1	2.28
2007	509,970	9 769	3 374	6 395	19.2	6.6	12.6	2.38
2008	517,052	10 097	3 357	6 740	19.5	6.5	13.0	2.44
2009	524,143	9 792	3 293	6 499	18,7	6,3	12,4	2.34
2010	531,170	9 712	3 484	6 228	18.3	6.6	11.7	2.30
2011	539,910	9 703	3 441	6 262	18.0	6.4	11.6	2.445
2012	541,638	10 217	3 687	6 530	18.9	6.8	12.1	2.406
2013	550,222	10 012	3 557	6 455	18.2	6.5	11.7	2.323
2014	558,773	10 407	3 738	6 669	18.6	6.7	11.9	2.370
2015	567,300	10 148	3 663	6 485	17.9	6.5	11.4	2.30
2016	575,700	9 910	3 591	6 319	17.2	6.2	11.0	2.23
2017	583,200	9 758	3 508	6 250	16.8	6.0	10.8	2.12
2018	590,100	9 809	3 763	6 046	16.6	6.4	10.2	2.17

Ethnic groups

**Population of Suriname according to ethnic group**
Ethnic group	Census 1921		Census 1950[10]		Census 1964[10]		Census 1972[10]		Census 1980[11]		Census 2004[12]		Census 2012[13]
Ethnic group	Number	%	Number	%	Number	%	Number	%	Number	%	Number	%	Number	%
East Indian			62,280	31.3	112,633	34.7	142,917	37.6			135,117	27.4	148,443	27.4
Maroons			19,180	9.7	27,698	8.5	35,838	9.4			72,553	14.7	117,567	21.7
Creole			71,657	36.1	114,961	35.5	119,009	31.4			87,202	17.7	84,933	15.7
Javanese			35,270	17.8	48,463	14.9	57,688	15.2			71,879	14.6	73,975	13.7
Mixed			0	0.0	0	0.0	0	0.0			61,524	12.5	72,340	13.4
Amerindian[14]			-	-	7,287[15]	2.2	-	-			18,037	3.7	20,344	3.8
Chinese[14]			-	-	5,339[15]	1.6	-	-			8,775	1.8	7,885	1.5
White[14]			-	-	4,322[15]	1.3	-	-			2,899	0.6	1,667	0.3
Other			10,095	5.1	2,986	0.9	24,155	6.4			2,264	0.5	7,166	1.3
Unknown			186	0.1	522	0.2	0	0.0			1,261	0.3	1,805	0.3
No answer											31,318	6.4	1,590	0.3
Total	107,723[16]		198,668		324,211		379,607		355,240		492,829		541,638

Ethnic groups of Suriname[17]
Ethnic groups			percent
Hindustani			27.4%
Maroon			21.7%
Creole			15.7%
Javanese			14%
Mixed			13.4%
Chinese			7.3%
Amerindian			3.8%
White			1%
Other			2.3%

The census used self-identification for ethnic classification.[18]
Amerindians are the original inhabitants of Suriname.
East Indians, also known locally as Hindustanis, are those whose ancestors emigrated from northern British India in the latter part of the 19th century.
Creoles are descendants from slaves from Africa. Prior to the 2004 census, mixed-race people were counted as Creoles. Their ancestors were brought to the country in the 17th and 18th centuries.
The Maroons are descendants from slaves from Africa that escaped to the interior of Suriname. Their proportion has increased considerably during the past decades, from 9% in 1964 to 22% in 2012. Part of this increase is probably caused by interchanging identities of Creole and Maroon, causing a decrease in the proportion of Creole and an increase in the proportion Maroon.
The Javanese are Asians from formerly Dutch-ruled Indonesia.
Whites are principally descended from Dutch colonists.

The current population of Suriname will be different to these census figures, as the census records residents, and notes legal visitors, but does not record illegal immigrants. According to estimates there may be as many as:

60,000 Brazilians (estimates varies between 20,000 and 80,000) from Brazil. There are also other smaller numbers of South American nationalities.
40,000 Chinese,[19] with small communities of Koreans, Japanese and Filipinos.
2,000 Arab/Middle Eastern (mostly Lebanese but also Syrian and Palestinians).
200 Jews who are identified in ethnoreligious terms.
Cherokee people - in the late 19th century, Suriname as well Venezuela, Guyana, Brazil and Chile attracted tens of thousands of settlers from the Indian Territory of the United States, now part of the state of Oklahoma. The exact number of Cherokee descendants is unknown.
Suriname has large American expatriate (mostly retiree) communities (about 50,000 Americans live in Suriname).
Also living in Suriname are Dutch citizens, some of which with a Surinamese background.

Fertility rate by ethnic group

The total fertility rate for Suriname as a whole is 2.53 children per woman aged 15 to 49. Maroons have the highest fertility rate, with 4.47 children per woman. On the other hand, Hindustani's have the lowest fertility with 1.78 children per woman.

Ethnic group	Total fertility rate	Children ever born
Total fertility rate by ethnic group[20]
Maroons	4.47	5.79
Creole	2.26	3.06
East-Indian	1.78	3.15
Javanese	2.15	3.17
Mixed people	2.12	2.77
Smaller minorities	2.93	3.46
Unknown (mostly Maroons as well)	3.69	4.91
Suriname (as whole)	2.53	3.48

Languages

Dutch is the official language of Suriname and the mother tongue of around 60% of the population. Sranan Tongo is the lingua franca and second most spoken language of Suriname.

English is mostly used in the business sector mainly to communicate with foreign businesses. It is also used in the hospitality industry to communicate with tourists.

Sarnami Hindustani is spoken by the Surinamese Indian community. Depending on the person this language can be either the mother tongue, second language or third language (after Dutch or Sranan Tongo).

Saramaccan is spoken by the Saramaka tribe of the Maroon community. Aukan is mainly spoken by the Aukan tribe of the Maroon community

Javanese is spoken by the Surinamese Javanese community. Just like Sarnami Hindustani, Javanese can be either the mother tongue, second language or third language (after Dutch or Sranan Tongo) for some.

Hakka and Cantonese is spoken by Surinamese Chinese, mainly as a second language after Dutch. Cantonese was introduced in Suriname by the second wave of Chinese immigrants in 1970. Beginning in the 1990s new migrants from China moved to Suriname, and Putonghua, during circa 2004–2014, became the main Chinese lingua franca in the country.

French is spoken by some Maroons due to the cultural influence from French Guiana, Portuguese mainly by immigrants from Brazil and Portugal, and Spanish due to immigrants from, Cuba, Venezuela, Colombia, and other Latin American countries.

Amerindian languages are spoken by the Surinamese Amerindian community. Languages include Carib, Arawak, Tiriyó and Wayana.

Religion

Denomination	2012 census[21]
Denomination	Number	%
Catholic Church	117,261	21.6
Pentecostalism (Full Gospel)	60,530	11.18
Moravian Church	60,420	11.16
Jehovah's Witnesses	6,622	1.2
Calvinism	4,018	0.7
Lutheranism	2,811	0.5
Other forms of Christianity	17,280	3.2
Sanatani Hindus	97,311	18
Arya Samaj Hindus	16,661	3.1
Other forms of Hinduism	6,651	1.2
Sunni Islam	21,159	3.9
Ahmadi Islam	14,161	2.6
Other forms of Islam	39,733	7.3
Javanism	4,460	0.8
Judaism	181	0.0
Winti	9,949	1.8
Other faith	4,630	0.9
No faith	40,718	7.5
No answer	17,082	3.2
Total population	541,638	100.0

References

"NATIONAL CENSUS REPORT SURINAME" (PDF). CARICOMSTATS. Archived from the original (PDF) on 27 June 2017. Retrieved 27 July 2017.
""World Population prospects – Population division"". population.un.org. United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division. Retrieved 9 November 2019.
""Overall total population" – World Population Prospects: The 2019 Revision" (xslx). population.un.org (custom data acquired via website). United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division. Retrieved 9 November 2019.
Population Division of the Department of Economic and Social Affairs of the United Nations Secretariat, World Population Prospects: The 2010 Revision Archived 6 May 2011 at the Wayback Machine
"Censusstatistieken 2012". Algemeen Bureau voor de Statistiek in Suriname (General Statistics Bureau of Suriname). Presentatie Definitieve Resultaten Census 8 Vol. 1, page 26. Archived from the original on 13 November 2014. Retrieved 12 September 2013.
"Archived copy". Archived from the original on 13 November 2014. Retrieved 13 July 2014.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
"United Nations Statistics Division - Demographic and Social Statistics". Unstats.un.org. Retrieved 3 October 2017.
"Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 28 March 2016. Retrieved 18 March 2016.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
"Demographic and Social Statistics". UN Statistics Division. Retrieved 29 July 2020.
"National Census Report: Suriname" (PDF). Caricom. 2009. p. 32. Archived from the original (PDF) on 27 June 2017. Retrieved 2 December 2014.
"National Census Report: Suriname" (PDF). Caricom. 2009. p. 31. Archived from the original (PDF) on 27 June 2017. Retrieved 2 December 2014. Except for the 1980 census, all censuses since the first in 1921 included ethnicity as a variable of interest. For unknown reasons, the government did not allow the Census Bureau to include this variable.
"National report submitted in accordance with paragraph 15 (a) of the annex to Human Rights Council resolution 5/1 Suriname*". UN Human Rights Council. 16 February 2011. p. 7.
"Censusstatistieken 2012" (PDF). Algemeen Bureau voor de Statistiek in Suriname (General Statistics Bureau of Suriname). p. 76.
Where no separate figures are given, these people are included in Other.
This is included in Other in the source
"South America :: SURINAME". CIA The World Factbook.
"REPORT ON CENSUS 2004 COVERAGE EVALUATION" (PDF). CENSUS OFFICE GENERAL BUREAU OF STATISTICS. 2006. p. 30.
"With Aid and Migrants, China Expands Its Presence in a South American Nation". The New York Times. 10 April 2011.
Resultaten achtste (8e) Volks- en woningtelling in Suriname (volume 1) : Demografische en sociale karakteristieken en migratie, 2013 (pdf, 7.8 MB, in Dutch); p. 24
2012 Suriname Census Definitive Results Archived 24 September 2015 at the Wayback Machine. Algemeen Bureau voor de Statistiek - Suriname.

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.

[1] "NATIONAL CENSUS REPORT SURINAME" (PDF). CARICOMSTATS. Archived from the original (PDF) on 27 June 2017. Retrieved 27 July 2017.

[UN_WPP-2] ""World Population prospects – Population division"". population.un.org. United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division. Retrieved 9 November 2019.

[UN_WPP_2019-3] ""Overall total population" – World Population Prospects: The 2019 Revision" (xslx). population.un.org (custom data acquired via website). United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division. Retrieved 9 November 2019.

[WPP_2010-4] Population Division of the Department of Economic and Social Affairs of the United Nations Secretariat, World Population Prospects: The 2010 Revision Archived 6 May 2011 at the Wayback Machine

[5] "Censusstatistieken 2012". Algemeen Bureau voor de Statistiek in Suriname (General Statistics Bureau of Suriname). Presentatie Definitieve Resultaten Census 8 Vol. 1, page 26. Archived from the original on 13 November 2014. Retrieved 12 September 2013.

[6] "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 13 November 2014. Retrieved 13 July 2014.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)

[unstats.un.org-7] "United Nations Statistics Division - Demographic and Social Statistics". Unstats.un.org. Retrieved 3 October 2017.

[8] "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 28 March 2016. Retrieved 18 March 2016.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)

[9] "Demographic and Social Statistics". UN Statistics Division. Retrieved 29 July 2020.

[carncr-10] "National Census Report: Suriname" (PDF). Caricom. 2009. p. 32. Archived from the original (PDF) on 27 June 2017. Retrieved 2 December 2014.

[11] "National Census Report: Suriname" (PDF). Caricom. 2009. p. 31. Archived from the original (PDF) on 27 June 2017. Retrieved 2 December 2014. Except for the 1980 census, all censuses since the first in 1921 included ethnicity as a variable of interest. For unknown reasons, the government did not allow the Census Bureau to include this variable.

[12] "National report submitted in accordance with paragraph 15 (a) of the annex to Human Rights Council resolution 5/1 Suriname*". UN Human Rights Council. 16 February 2011. p. 7.

[13] "Censusstatistieken 2012" (PDF). Algemeen Bureau voor de Statistiek in Suriname (General Statistics Bureau of Suriname). p. 76.

[other-14] Where no separate figures are given, these people are included in Other.

[note-15] This is included in Other in the source

[CIAPAPUANEWGUINEA-17] "South America :: SURINAME". CIA The World Factbook.

[18] "REPORT ON CENSUS 2004 COVERAGE EVALUATION" (PDF). CENSUS OFFICE GENERAL BUREAU OF STATISTICS. 2006. p. 30.

[19] "With Aid and Migrants, China Expands Its Presence in a South American Nation". The New York Times. 10 April 2011.

[20] Resultaten achtste (8e) Volks- en woningtelling in Suriname (volume 1) : Demografische en sociale karakteristieken en migratie, 2013 (pdf, 7.8 MB, in Dutch); p. 24

[CENSUS2012-21] 2012 Suriname Census Definitive Results Archived 24 September 2015 at the Wayback Machine. Algemeen Bureau voor de Statistiek - Suriname.

Demographics of South America
Sovereign states	Argentina Bolivia Brazil Chile Colombia Ecuador Guyana Paraguay Peru Suriname Uruguay Venezuela
Dependencies and other territories	Falkland Islands French Guiana South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands

Surinamese people
Indigenous	Arawak Lokono Carib Akurio Kali'na Sikiana Tiriyó Wayana Warao
African	Maroons Aluku Kwinti Matawai Ndyuka Paramaccan Saramaka
Asian	Chinese Indian Javanese Jewish Lebanese
European	Dutch Portuguese
South American	Brazilian