Suriname Facts

by countryaah · Published June 3, 2019 · Updated April 26, 2020

Suriname, formerly also known as Dutch Guiana, state of northern South America; 163,300 km², 576,000 residents (2019).Suriname borders French Guiana in the east, Brazil in the south and Guyana in the west and has a coast to the Atlantic in the north. The capital is Paramaribo (240 900 residents, 2012).

Country facts

Republic of Suriname / Republic of Suriname
Country abbreviation: SR
Area: 163 300 km²
Population (2019): 576,000 residents
Capital: Paramaribo
Main languages: sranan, hindi, dutch
State: Republic
Head of State and Head of Government: Dési Bouterse (President)
Per capita GDP (2018): US $ 5,950
GNI per capita (2018): US $ 4,990
Currency unit: 1 Surinamese dollar = 100 cents
Currency code: SRD
Country Number (Telephony): 597
Internet Domain Name: sr
Time difference compared to Sweden: −4
National Day: November 25 (Independence Day, 1975)

Nature

Land use: forest (96%), agricultural land (0.5%), other (3.5%)
Highest mountain: Julianatop (1 230 m above sea level)

Population

Population density (2019): 4 residents per km²
Natural population growth (2019): 1.1%; birth rate 17 ‰, death figure 6 ‰
Age structure (2019): 0-14 years (28%), 15-64 (65%), 65- (7%)
Life expectancy (2019): men 68 years, women 75 years
Infant mortality (2019): 20 per 1,000 live births
Population forecast 2050: 700,000 residents
HDI (2017): 0.720 (place 100 of 189)
Urbanization rate (2019): 66%
Most popular city (2012): Paramaribo (240 900 residents)

Business

Industry’s contribution to GDP (2017): agriculture (12%), industry (31%), service (57%)
Exports (2017): USD 2,028 million
Main export products: aluminum, gold, oil
Main exporting countries: Switzerland, Belgium, United Arab Emirates
Imports (2017): US $ 1,293 million
Main import products: capital goods, fuels, food
Main importing countries: USA, Netherlands, Trinidad and Tobago
Railway network: nothing in use

Suriname has a slightly hilly terrain with a narrow coastal plain. In the south, mountain ranges run down towards the border with Brazil. The country has a tropical climate with high humidity and even heat throughout the year.

The country is governed by a president who is both head of state and head of government. A parliament, elected for five years, appoints the president. The country became independent in 1975.

Business is dominated by the country’s rich bauxite deposits and agriculture. Suriname also has large untapped resources of forests that cover large parts of the hinterland as well as gold deposits; however, the breach takes place outside the control of the state. Since the mid-1990s, the country’s economy has suffered from a large budget deficit and rising inflation. Oil deposits off the coast of Surinam have in recent years given the country’s strained economy hope for a positive development.