Suriname

Location

• Northern South America, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between French Guiana and Guyana
• smallest independent country on the South American continent; mostly tropical rainforest; great diversity of flora and fauna; relatively small population, mostly along the coast

Population

Notable Population Centers

City	Population	Note
Paramaribo	223,757	Capital
Lelydorp	18,223

Size

• 63,039 square miles
• 163,270 square kilometers
• slightly larger than Georgia

History

The Spaniards first explored Suriname in the 16th century, and the English then settled it in the mid-17th century. Suriname became a Dutch colony in 1667. With the abolition of African slavery in 1863, workers were brought in from India and Java. The Netherlands granted the colony independence in 1975. Five years later, the civilian government was replaced by a military regime that soon declared Suriname a socialist republic. It continued to exert control through a succession of nominally civilian administrations until 1987, when international pressure finally forced a democratic election. In 1990, the military overthrew the civilian leadership, but a democratically elected government -- a four-party coalition -- returned to power in 1991. The coalition expanded to eight parties in 2005 and ruled until 2010, when voters returned former military leader Desire BOUTERSE and his opposition coalition to power. President BOUTERSE ran unopposed in 2015 and was reelected. Opposition parties campaigned hard against BOUTERSE in the run-up to the 2020 elections, and a multi-party coalition led by Chandrikapersad SANTOKHI’s VHP and Ronnie Brunswijk’s ABOP was installed. 

Climate

tropical; moderated by trade winds

Terrain

mostly rolling hills; narrow coastal plain with swamps

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), Javanesemajor-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.)

Government

presidential republic

• Constitution: history: previous 1975; latest ratified 30 September 1987, effective 30 October 1987amendment process: proposed by the National Assembly; passage requires at least two-thirds majority vote of the total membership
• Political Parties and Leaders: n/a
• Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
• Legal System: civil law system influenced by Dutch civil law
• Executive Branch: chief of state: President Jennifer GEERLINGS-SIMONS (since 16 July 2025)head of government: President Jennifer GEERLINGS-SIMONS (since 16 July 2025)cabinet: Cabinet of Ministers appointed by the presidentelection/appointment process: president and vice president indirectly elected by the National Assembly; president and vice president serve a 5-year term (no term limits)most recent election date: 6 July 2025election results: 2025: Jennifer GEERLINGS-SIMONS elected president unopposed; National Assembly vote - NA2020: Chandrikapersad "Chan" SANTOKHI elected president unopposed; National Assembly vote - NA2015: Desire Delano BOUTERSE reelected president unopposed; National Assembly vote - NAexpected date of next election: 2030note: the president is both chief of state and head of government
• Judicial Branch: highest court(s): High Court of Justice of Suriname (consists of the court president, vice president, and 4 judges)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 lifesubordinate courts: cantonal courtsnote: 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
• Legislative Branch: legislature name: National Assembly (Nationale Assemblee)legislative structure: unicameralnumber of seats: 51 (all directly elected)electoral system: proportional representationscope of elections: full renewalterm in office: 5 yearsmost recent election date: 5/25/2025parties elected and seats per party: National Democratic Party (NDP) (18); Progressive Reform Party (VHP) (17); National Party of Suriname (NPS) (6); General Liberation and Development Party (ABOP) (6); Other (4)percentage of women in chamber: 31.4%expected date of next election: May 2030

Demographic Profile

n/a

Economy

• 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
• Budget: revenues: $863 million (2019 est.)expenditures: $1.648 billion (2019 est.)
• Credit Rating: n/a
• Natural Resources: timber, hydropower, fish, kaolin, shrimp, bauxite, gold, and small amounts of nickel, copper, platinum, iron ore
• Industries: gold mining, oil, lumber, food processing, fishing
• Agricultural Products: rice, sugarcane, oranges, vegetables, chicken, cassava, plantains, pineapples, eggs, citrus fruits (2023)note: top ten agricultural products based on tonnage
• Land Use: agricultural land: 0.4% (2022 est.)arable land: 0.3% (2022 est.)permanent crops: 0% (2022 est.)permanent pasture: 0.1% (2022 est.)forest: 94.5% (2022 est.)other: 5% (2022 est.)
• Labor Force by Occupation: n/a
• Imports
• Imported Commodities: refined petroleum, ships, excavation machinery, trucks, tobacco (2023)note: top five import commodities based on value in dollars
• Import Partners: USA 22%, China 12%, Netherlands 11%, Trinidad & Tobago 9%, Guyana 8% (2023)note: top five import partners based on percentage share of imports
• Exports
• Exported Commodities: gold, fish, refined petroleum, wood, tobacco (2023)note: top five export commodities based on value in dollars
• Export Partners: Switzerland 49%, UAE 28%, Guyana 5%, USA 4%, France 3% (2023)note: top five export partners based on percentage share of exports