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Demographics of Suriname

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Population
  
539,276 (2013)

Population growth rate
  
0.9% annual change (2013)

Official language
  
Dutch

Life expectancy
  
70.81 years (2012)

GNI per capita
  
15,960 PPP dollars (2013)

Demographics of Suriname httpsuploadwikimediaorgwikipediacommons66

Fertility rate
  
2.29 births per woman (2012)

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.

Contents

Map of Suriname

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

According to the 2010 revision of the World Population Prospects the total population was 525,000 in 2010, 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 . According to 2012 census, there were 270,629 males and 271,009 females in Suriname.

Structure of the population

Structure of the population (02.08.2004) (Census) :

Structure of the population (01.07.2011) (Estimates) :

Vital statistics

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

Ethnic groups

  • The census used self-identification for ethnic classification.
  • 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 Maroon 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 Brazilian (estimates varies between 20,000 and 80,000) from Brazil. There are also other smaller numbers of South American nationalities.
  • 40,000 Chinese, with quite 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.

    • Languages

    Dutch (official), Sranan Tongo (Surinamese Creole, sometimes called Taki-Taki, is native language of Creoles and much of the younger population), Hindustani (Hindi-Urdu), Javanese, English (widely spoken), French due to cultural influence from French Guiana, Portuguese and Spanish. Chinese languages are spoken as well.

    References

    Demographics of Suriname Wikipedia
    (Text) CC BY-SA