Age structure: 0-14 years: 30.7% (male 68,536; female 65,165)
15-64 years: 63.3% (male 141,048; female 134,699)
65 years and over: 6% (male 11,686; female 14,315) (2003 est.)

Median age: total: 25.5 years
male: 25.1 years
female: 26 years (2002)

Population growth rate: 0.37% (2003 est.)

Birth rate: 19.4 births/1,000 population (2003 est.)

Death rate: 6.83 deaths/1,000 population (2003 est.)

Net migration rate: -8.84 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2003 est.)

Sex ratio: at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.82 male(s)/female
total population: 1.03 male(s)/female (2003 est.)

Infant mortality rate: total: 24.74 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 20.34 deaths/1,000 live births (2003 est.)
male: 28.93 deaths/1,000 live births

Life expectancy at birth: total population: 69.23 years
male: 66.79 years
female: 71.78 years (2003 est.)

Total fertility rate: 2.4 children born/woman (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 1.2% (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 3,700 (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths: 330 (2001 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%, "Maroons" (their African ancestors were brought to the country in the 17th and 18th centuries as slaves and escaped to the interior) 10%, Amerindian 2%, Chinese 2%, white 1%, other 2%

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 2003 World Fact Book of the United States Central Intelligence Agency. No claims are made regarding the accuracy of Guinea Geography 2003 information contained here. All suggestions for corrections of any errors about Suriname People 2003 should be addressed to the CIA.