Suriname People - 1986

GEOGRAPHICAL NAMES 

Population: 381,000 (July 1986), average annual growth rate 1.7%

Nationality: noun—Surinamer(s); adjective—Surinamese

Ethnic divisions: 37.0% Hindustani (East Indian), 31.0% Creole (black and mixed), 15.3% Javanese, 10.3% Bush Negro, 2.6% Amerindian, 1.7% Chinese, 1.0% Europeans, 1.1% other

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

Language: Dutch (official); English widely spoken; Sranan Tongo (Surinamese, sometimes called Taki-Taki) is native language of Creoles and much of the younger population and is lingua franca among others; also

Hindi Suriname Hindustani (a variant of Bhoqpuri), and Javanese

Infant mortality rate- 23/1,000(1984)

Life expectancy: men 64 8, women 69.8

Literacy. 65%

Labor force: 104,000(1984); unemployment 25% (1985); about 10.6% of work force engaged in agriculture, animal husbandry, and fishing

Organized labor: 49,000 members of labor force organized

NOTE: The information regarding Suriname on this page is re-published from the 1986 World Fact Book of the United States Central Intelligence Agency and other sources. No claims are made regarding the accuracy of Suriname 1986 information contained here. All suggestions for corrections of any errors about Suriname 1986 should be addressed to the CIA or the source cited on each page.