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. 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 total population was in, 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.
Total and Percent Distribution of Population by Age (Censuses 2004 & 2012)
Structure of the population
Structure of the population :
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
Structure of the population :
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
Vital statistics
The Population Departement of the United Nations prepared the following estimates for Suriname.
Births and deaths
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 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.
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 from Brazil. There are also other smaller numbers of South American nationalities.
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. Saramaccan is spoken by the Saramaka tribe of the Maroon community. Aukan is mainly spoken by the Aukan tribe of the Maroon communitry Javanese is spoken by the Surinamese Javanese community. Just like Sarnami Hindustani, Javanese can be either the mother tongue, second language or third language 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.
