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People
Population
Most Surinamese numbering approximately half a million live in the narrow, northern coastal plain.
Cultural Demography
The population is one of the most ethnically varied in the world. Informal relationships vary. While 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.
Suriname's population consists of Creoles (people of mixed Dutch and African ancestry), East Indians, Javanese (Indonesians), Chinese, black Africans ("Maroons"), and indigenous Amerindians.
Dutch is the official language-a remnant of the colonial legacy, although English is also widely spoken.
Christianity, Hinduism and Islam are all practiced. Most ethnic groups tend to maintain their own language, culture and religion.
Health and Welfare
In terms of health and welfare, the infant mortality rate in Suriname is 20.11 deaths per 1,000 live births. Life expectancy at birth for the total population is 73 years of age - 70 years for males and 76 for females.
Literacy is quite high in Suriname; the literacy rate is 90 percent, suggesting that the country is home to a population that is relatively well-educated.
Human Development
Another quality-of-life indicator that reflects on Suriname is the Human Development Index (HDI), compiled annually since 1990 by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). The HDI is a composite of several indicators, which measure a country's achievements in three main arenas of human development: longevity, knowledge and education, as well as economic standard of living. In a recent ranking of 169 countries and territories, the HDI placed Suriname in the medium human development category, at 94th place.
Note: Although the concept of human development is complicated and cannot be properly captured by values and indices, the HDI, which is calculated and updated annually, offers a wide-ranging assessment of human development in certain countries, not based solely upon traditional economic and financial indicators.
Written by Dr. Denise Youngblood Coleman, Editor in Chief at CountryWatch; see Bibliography for list of research sources.
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