Suriname

Geography

Economics

Demographics

Military

Politics

Surface

Surface (in square kilometers)

Surface (in square miles)

Surface (water)

Water Surface (in square kilometers)

Water Surface (in square miles)

Share of water (%)

Temperature

Average temperature (in Celcius)

Average temperature (in Farenheit)

Average high temperature (in Celcius)

Average high temperature (in Farenheit)

Average low temperature (in Celcius)

Average low temperature (in Farenheit)

Rainfall

Average rainfall (mm)

Average rainfall (inch)

Distance to other capitals (kilometers)

Distance to other capitals (miles)

Proximity

Economic organizations

Gross Domestic Product (US$)

Gross Domestic Product per capita

Amount of memberships (economic organizations)

Absolute earnings for every 1$

Relative earnings

GDP in PPP per capita (in US$)

GDP in PPP per capita

Gross Domestic product (in million US$)

GDP per capita (in US$)

Surface GDP

GDP per square kilometer (in US$)

GDP per square mile(in US$)

Relative GDP in PPP

Population

Population density

Emigration

Immigration

Literacy

Health

Population density (in km2)

Population density (in mi2)

Religion

Christianity (share of the total population)

Islam (share of the total population)

Buddhism (share of the total population)

Hinduism (share of the total population)

Judaism (share of the total population)

Other religions (share of the total population)

Non-religious (share of the total population)

Military spending (in % of GDP)

Military spending

In total, Suriname spends US$60 million on its military, or 2.4 percent of its GDP. This makes Suriname the 151st highest military spender in the world and represents 0.003 percent of total global military expenditure.

The military of Suriname, called the Surinamese armed forces, were officially established since its independence in 1975. After initial training and support from the Netherlands, Suriname has shifted its military orientation to China and the United States.

Military membership

Suriname is also a member of 3 international military organizations. This makes it the 176th most militarily connected state in the world. It is a member of the following organizations:

Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons
Partial Nuclear Test Ban Treaty
Non-Aligned Movement

Military membership

International wars

Suriname has not partaken in any international wars.

Number of international wars fought

Military spending (in US$ million)

Membership (international political organizations)

In total, Suriname is a member of 13 international political organizations. This makes it the 77th most connected state in the world. It is a member of the following organizations:

Member state of the United Nations
International Labour Organization
Organization of American States
Union of South American Nations
Association of Caribbean States
Community of Latin American and Caribbean States
Organization of Islamic Cooperation
International Criminal Court

Political Membership

Democracy/dictatorship rating

Since its independence, it has had regular elections until the end of the 20th century. After several military coups, there have been peaceful transitions of power since the beginning of the 21st century. This makes Suriname the 50th most democratic state in the world. However, corruption and the accountability of the state are points that require more attention.

Democracy/Dictatorship

The politics of Suriname take place in the form of a democratic republic where the president of Suriname is head of government as well as head of state. Its elections are held every five years when district members of Suriname can be elected.

Interpol
Alliance of Small Island States
Association of World Election Bodies
South Centre (organization)
World Organization for Animal Health

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Known for its cuisine, its large difference in population density and being the only state that speaks Dutch outside of Europe, Suriname has had a tumultuous 20th century. Before contact with Europeans, the area was inhabited by the indigenous South American tribe called the Surinen. After first being explored by Christopher Columbus, it was later on named Suriname by the Spanish in 1593. After heavy resistance from the indigenous population, the British established a settlement in 1651. The territory was transferred to the Dutch in exchange for New York. After the Dutch took over, many African slaves were brought over in order to develop the sugar cane plantations. After the abolishment of slavery, the Dutch imported many workers from Southeast Asia to work in the sugar cane plantations. After the second world war, Suriname became a semi-autonomous state with its own government with limited foreign and the defence policies. It attained full independence in 1975. Since then, Suriname has seen several coups as well as a civil war which lasted until 1991. At the turn of the 21st century, political unrest remained.

Being the smallest state in South America, the geography of Suriname consists of a flat plane that borders the Atlantic Ocean which is slightly elevated inland where it has low-lying mountains. The majority of its terrain is covered by the Amazon rain forest with the exception of its coastal plain which has low vegetation which is used for agriculture. In total, Suriname borders three states with Brazil to its south and Guiana to its west. It also borders the overseas territory of France which is called French Guiana to its east.

It is the 90th largest state with a total surface area of 164.639 square kilometers or 63.566 square miles. This makes Suriname slightly smaller than Tunisia and slightly larger than Uruguay.

It has a total water surface area of 7.859 square kilometers or 3.035 square miles. This makes Suriname the 57th largest state in the world.

Below, a graph is shown which displays the absolute amount of water of each state in square kilometers and square miles.

Most of its drinking water is derived from groundwater while its agriculture is being supplied by surface water. Because of its location on the Amazon rain forest, Suriname is home to more than 20 different large rivers, the Suriname River being the largest.

The climate of Suriname is a tropical climate with hot and humid weather all year round. It knows two distinct seasons with a wet season from December to July and a dry season from August to November. The average temperature is 25.85 degrees Celsius or 79 degrees Fahrenheit. This makes Suriname the 45th warmest state in the world.

The average high temperature is 29.4 degrees Celsius or 85 degrees Fahrenheit.

The average low temperature is 23.4 degrees Celsius or 74.1 degrees Fahrenheit.

Rain mainly occurs during its wet season where it receives roughly 80 percent of its rainfall between December and January. On average, Suriname receives 220 centimetres or 86.8 inches of rainfall per year which ranks it as the 25th highest in the world.

The capital of Suriname, Paramaribo, is home to roughly 250,000 people. The closest capital is Georgetown, Guyana, with a distance of 340 kilometers or 211 miles. The capital that is the furthest removed is Dili, Timor-Leste, with a distance of 19.705 kilometers or 12.244 miles.

The economy of Suriname is a moderately developed economy. It has been an agricultural economy for the majority of its existence until the discovery of large mineral reserves. This, along with oil represent the vast majority of its exported products. These are mainly exported to the United Arab Emirates which is solely responsible for more than 30 percent of all exports. Most of its imports comes from the Netherlands and the United States which combined represent more than 30 percent of all imports.

Suriname is a member of 13 international economic organizations. This makes it the 84th most connected state in the world. It is a member of the following organizations:

Alliance for Financial Inclusion
Caribbean Development Bank
Inter-American Development Bank
International Monetary Fund
Islamic Development Bank
World Bank Group
World Customs Organization
World Trade Organization
International Bamboo and Rattan Organization
Organization of African, Caribbean and Pacific States
Caribbean Community
International Solar Alliance
Group of 77

It has a GDP of US$31.855 million, which makes it the 102nd highest in the world and represents 0.038 percent of total global GDP.

Its GDP per surface area is the 129th highest in the world with US$193.484 per square kilometer or US$501.130 per square mile.

Its GDP per capita is the 99th highest in the world with US$5.486.

The absolute earnings (GDP per capita) reflect the average yearly income. The figure below shows how much, on average, an inhabitant of another state earns for every $1 earned by a citizen of this state.

Its purchasing power parity per capita is the 86th highest in the world with US$15.254.

The relative Gross Domestic Product in Purchasing Power Parity compares the purchasing power of this state with that of the rest of the world. The graph on the left shows how much purchasing power of 1$ compared to the purchasing power of other states

Suriname is the 166th most populous state in the world with a total population of 580,000 people. Because of its long history of a voluntary and involuntary migration, its population is currently made up of a diverse group of people. A quarter of the population consists of descendants from Southeast Asia, namely India, China and Indonesia. Other ethnicities are descendants from African slaves as well as Europeans and the indigenous people.

It has the 190th highest population density in the world with 4 people per square kilometer or 9 people per square mile.

42.9 percent of the population, or just under 250,000 people have migrated to other states. This makes Suriname the 130th state with the highest number of emigrants and represents 0.97 percent of total global emigration. The main reason for migration has been political due to its unrest as well as economic and the main destinations has been the Netherlands which is solely responsible for around 80 percent of all migrants from Suriname.

Immigration to Suriname is represented by 4.6 percent of the population, or just over 25,000 people. This makes Suriname the 131st state with the highest number of immigrants and represents 0.01 percent of total global immigration. The largest supplier of migrants has been Guiana which is solely responsible for roughly 50 percent of all migrants.

Education is provided by the state as well as religious institutions and is free and compulsory between the ages of six and 12 years. The current literacy rate is 94.7 percent which is the 92nd highest in the world.

The health care system in Suriname has invested heavily in combating communicable diseases and has succeeded for the most part. Currently, noncommunicable diseases are the largest health threats that Suriname faces that are mainly related to cardiovascular diseases and diabetes. The average life expectancy is 72.15 years which is the 119th highest in the world. Women have an average life expectancy of 75.5 years, while men have an average life expectancy of 68.9 years.

The government of Suriname provides freedom of religion towards all religions. Due to its diverse population, the government has put extra emphasis on this protection and has made it punishable by law to instigate religious hatred.

Christianity is the largest religion in Suriname and is followed by 43.1 percent of the population. This makes it the 124th most Christian state in the world. Both Roman Catholicism and Protestantism are the largest denominations.

On the right, the global share of Christians per state is displayed

Islam is followed by 14.8 percent of the population which makes Suriname the 67th most Islamic state in the world. Most Muslims adhere to the Sunni denomination and are mainly descendants of migrants from Indonesia.

Buddhism is represented by 0.4 percent of the population.

Hinduism is represented by 20.6 percent of the population and is the second largest religion in Suriname.

Judaism is represented by 0.14 percent of the population. The Jewish community has been present Suriname since the establishment of the first British settlement. However, in recent years, the Jewish community has been shrinking due to migration.

Other religions are represented by 4.7 percent of the population and are mainly adherents to Javanese which comes from the Indonesian island of Java.

Irreligion is represented by 3.6 percent of the population.