Population 427,980 (July 1998 est.)

Age structure
0-14 years: 33% (male 72,945; female 69,468)
15-64 years: 62% (male 133,840; female 129,452)
65 years and over: 5% (male 10,309; female 11,966) (July 1998 est.)

Population growth rate 0.77% (1998 est.)

Birth rate 22.48 births/1,000 population (1998 est.)

Death rate 5.79 deaths/1,000 population (1998 est.)

Net migration rate -8.99 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1998 est.)

Sex ratio
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.03 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.86 male(s)/female (1998 est.)

Infant mortality rate 27.44 deaths/1,000 live births (1998 est.)

Life expectancy at birth
total population: 70.61 years
male: 68.05 years
female: 73.29 years (1998 est.)

Total fertility rate 2.59 children born/woman (1998 est.)

Nationality
noun: Surinamer(s)
adjective: Surinamese

Ethnic groups Hindustani (also known locally as "East Indians"; their ancestors emigrated from northern India in the latter part of the 19th century) 37%, Creole (mixed white and black) 31%, Javanese 15.3%, "Maroons" (their African ancestors were brought to the country in the 17th and 18th centuries as slaves and escaped to the interior) 10.3%, Amerindian 2.6%, Chinese 1.7%, white 1%, other 1.1%

Religions Hindu 27.4%, Muslim 19.6%, Roman Catholic 22.8%, Protestant 25.2% (predominantly Moravian), indigenous beliefs 5%

Languages Dutch (official), English (widely spoken), Sranang Tongo (Surinamese, sometimes called Taki-Taki, is native language of Creoles and much of the younger population and is lingua franca among others), Hindustani (a dialect of Hindi), Javanese

Literacy
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 93%
male: 95%
female: 91% (1995 est.)

NOTE: The information regarding Suriname on this page is re-published from the 1998 World Fact Book of the United States Central Intelligence Agency. No claims are made regarding the accuracy of Suriname People 1998 information contained here. All suggestions for corrections of any errors about Suriname People 1998 should be addressed to the CIA.