Suriname (Republic of Suriname)

Suriname Republic of Suriname
Status	Independent State
Social and Moral Index	117th best
Capital	Paramaribo
Land Area	156 000km21
Location	South America, The Americas
Population	0.6m2
Life Expectancy	70.27yrs (2017)3
GNI	$12 672 (2017)4
ISO3166-1 Codes	SR, SUR, 7405
Internet Domain	.sr6
Currency	Dollar (SRD)7
Telephone	+5978

1. Overview
2. Suriname National and Social Development
3. Suriname's Demographics and Migration
4. Suriname's Human Rights, Equality & Tolerance
   1. Human Rights & Tolerance Datasets
   2. Gender Equality Datasets
   3. Prejudice Datasets
5. Suriname's Health
   1. Health Datasets
   2. Children's Health Datasets
6. Suriname's Responsibility Towards The Environment
7. Suriname's Modernity and Learning
   1. Modernity Datasets
   2. Education Datasets
   3. Technology and Information Datasets
8. Suriname's Culture, Peace and Inequality
   1. National Culture Datasets
   2. Peace Versus Instability Datasets
   3. Economic Inequality and Poverty Datasets
9. Religion and Beliefs
10. Links

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1. Overview

#china #india #indonesia #netherlands

“First explored by the Spaniards in the 16th century and then settled by the English in the mid-17th century, Suriname became a Dutch colony in 1667. With the abolition of African slavery in 1863, workers were brought in from India and Java. Independence from the Netherlands was granted in 1975. Five years later the civilian government was replaced by a military regime that soon declared a socialist republic. It continued to exert control through a succession of nominally civilian administrations until 1987, when international pressure finally forced a democratic election. In 1990, the military overthrew the civilian leadership, but a democratically elected government - a four-party coalition - returned to power in 1991. The coalition expanded to eight parties in 2005 and ruled until August 2010, when voters returned former military leader Desire BOUTERSE and his opposition coalition to power.”

CIA's The World Factbook (2013)₉

“Suriname is a warm, dense convergence of rivers that thumps with the lively rhythm of ethnic diversity. From Paramaribo, the country´s effervescent Dutch-colonial capital, to the fathomless jungles of the interior, you will get a genuine welcome to this tiny country - whether from the descendants of escaped African slaves, Dutch and British colonialists, Indian, Indonesian and Chinese indentured laborers or indigenous Amerindians.

You get the best of both worlds here: a city that is chock-full of restaurants, shopping venues and night spots and an untamed jungle utterly away from modern development.It´s not easy to get around this river-heavy, forest-dense country, and the mix of languages can make it hard to communicate, sometimes even for Dutch speakers. Don´t forget that a meeting of culinary traditions means the food here is as spicy and rich as the country itself.”

"The World" by Lonely Planet (2014)₁₀

2. Suriname National and Social Development

#economics #human_development #wealth

UN HDI (2021)11
Pos.		Higher is better Value11
1	Switzerland	0.962
2	Norway	0.961
3	Iceland	0.959
	...
97=	Egypt	0.731
97=	Tunisia	0.731
99=	Fiji	0.730
99=	Suriname	0.730
101	Uzbekistan	0.727
102=	Dominica	0.720
102=	Jordan	0.720
104	Libya	0.718
	The Americas Avg	0.75
	World Avg	0.72
q=191.

Gross National Income Per-Capita (2021)11
Pos.		Higher is better PPP $11
1	Liechtenstein	$146 830
2	Singapore	$90 919
3	Qatar	$87 134
	...
91	Turkmenistan	$13 021
92	Iran	$13 001
93	S. Africa	$12 948
94	Suriname	$12 672
95	Sri Lanka	$12 578
96	Paraguay	$12 349
97	Barbados	$12 306
98	Peru	$12 246
	The Americas Avg	$16 628
	World Avg	$20 136
q=193.

Social & Moral Development Index12
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank12
1	Denmark	27.2
2	Norway	29.2
3	Sweden	30.2
	...
114	Nicaragua	95.4
115	Venezuela	95.8
116	Tonga	96.0
117	Suriname	96.2
118	Palau	96.5
119	Belize	96.8
120	Lebanon	96.9
121	Ghana	97.4
	The Americas Avg	82.3
	World Avg	89.2
q=200.

The United Nations produces an annual Human Development Report which includes the Human Development Index. The factors taken into account include life expectancy, education and schooling and Gross National Income (GNI) amongst many others..

The Social and Moral Development Index concentrates on moral issues and human rights, violence, public health, equality, tolerance, freedom and effectiveness in climate change mitigation and environmentalism, and on some technological issues. A country scores higher for achieving well in those areas, and for sustaining that achievement in the long term. Those countries towards the top of this index can truly said to be setting good examples and leading humankind onwards into a bright, humane, and free future. See: Which are the Best Countries in the World? The Social and Moral Development Index.

3. Suriname's Demographics and Migration

#birth_control #demographics #fertility #health #immigration #life_expectancy #longevity #migration #overpopulation #population #yemen

Population Datasets:

Suriname's population is predicted to rise to 601 679 by 2030. This country has a fertility rate of 2.32. The fertility rate is, in simple terms, the average amount of children that each woman has. The higher the figure, the quicker the population will grow, although, to calculate the rate you also need to take into account morbidity - the rate at which people die. If people live healthy and long lives and morbidity is low, then, 2.0 approximates to the replacement rate (two new children for each set of parents who die), which would keep the population stable. If all countries had such a fertility rate, population growth would end. The actual replacement rate in most developed countries is around 2.1, once you take mortality into account₁₃. The highest fertility rate ever detected in a single year was in Yemen in 1985, at 8.86.₁₄

Population2
Pos.		2018 Population2
1	China	1.4b
2	India	1.4b
3	USA	327.1m
	...
163	Solomon Islands	0.7m
164	Montenegro	0.6m
165	Luxembourg	0.6m
166	Suriname	0.6m
167	Cape Verde	0.5m
168	Maldives	0.5m
169	Malta	0.4m
170	Brunei	0.4m
	World Avg	39.0m
q=195.

Life Expectancy Higher is better11
Pos.		2021 Years11
1	Monaco	85.9
2	Hong Kong	85.5
3	Japan	84.8
	...
113	Vanuatu	70.4
114	Iraq	70.4
115	Solomon Islands	70.3
116	Suriname	70.3
117	Paraguay	70.3
118	Egypt	70.2
119	Mexico	70.2
120	Honduras	70.1
	World Avg	71.28
q=195. Also scored for 1990s-2010s.

Fertility Rate 2.0 is best15
Pos.		202215
1	US Virgin Islands	2.00
2	Ecuador	2.00
3	Nepal	2.01
	...
45	Iran	1.68
46	Seychelles	2.32
47	Maldives	1.68
48=	Suriname	2.32
48=	Cambodia	2.32
50	Azerbaijan	1.67
51	USA	1.67
52	Honduras	2.34
	World Avg	2.47
q=208. Also scored for 1960s-2010s.

Old-Age Dependency Ratio Lower is better16
Pos.		2016 Per 10016
1	Uganda	04.3
2	Mali	04.5
3=	Chad	04.7
	...
102=	Kazakhstan	15.6
103	Ecuador	16.0
104	Morocco	16.1
105=	Suriname	16.2
105=	Grenada	16.2
105=	Brunei	16.2
108	El Salvador	17.3
109	Panama	17.7
	World Avg	18.3
q=185.

• The Population of the Earth
• Abortion, Birth Control and Contraception

Migration Datasets:

Immigrants17
Pos.		2017 %17
1	UAE	88.4%
2	Kuwait	75.5%
3	Qatar	65.2%
	...
63	Ivory Coast	9.0%
64	Malaysia	8.5%
65	Portugal	8.5%
66	Suriname	8.5%
67	Costa Rica	8.4%
68	Russia	8.1%
69	Congo, (Brazzaville)	7.6%
70	Botswana	7.3%
	World Avg	9.4%
q=195.

Emigrants18
Pos.		2010 %18
1	Dominica	104.8%
2	Palestine	68.4%
3	Samoa	67.3%
	...
9	Tonga	45.4%
10	Albania	45.4%
11	Barbados	41.0%
12	Suriname	39.0%
13	Bosnia & Herzegovina	38.9%
14	Palau	38.8%
15	St Vincent & Grenadines	37.7%
16	Cape Verde	37.6%
	World Avg	11.5%
q=192.

4. Suriname's Human Rights, Equality & Tolerance

#equality #freedom #gender_equality #human_rights #morals #politics #prejudice #tolerance

Compared to The Americas (2025)19
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank19
1	Canada	17.0
2	Uruguay	30.8
3	Costa Rica	38.8
	...
14	Barbados	72.7
15	Ecuador	74.6
16	Panama	76.4
17	Suriname	76.4
18	Guatemala	77.4
19	Honduras	78.6
20	Jamaica	79.5
21	Colombia	79.6
22	Dominican Rep.	80.4
	The Americas Avg	75.88
q=35.

Human Rights, Equality & Tolerance (2025)19
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank19
1	Sweden	7.5
2	Netherlands	8.6
3	Denmark	9.0
	...
61	Ecuador	74.6
62	Panama	76.4
63	Mauritius	76.4
64	Suriname	76.4
65	Romania	76.6
66	Guatemala	77.4
67	Macedonia	78.3
68	Vanuatu	78.5
	World Avg	90.04
q=198.

The best countries in the world at ensuring human rights, fostering equality and promoting tolerance, are Sweden, The Netherlands and Denmark₂₀. These countries are displaying the best traits that humanity has to offer. The worst countries are Somalia, Eritrea and Saudi Arabia₂₀.

30 datasets are used to calculate points for each country, including multiple decades of data on supporting press freedom, combatting modern slavery, its average Freedom in the World rating, commentary in Human Rights Watch reports, its nominal commitment to Human Rights, speed of uptake of HR treaties, opposing gender inequality, the rate of gender bias (from 7 indicators), the year from which women could participate in democracy, its success in fighting anti-semitic prejudice, LGBT equality and freethought. The regions with the best average results per country are Scandinavia, Baltic States and Europe₂₀, whereas the worst are The Middle East, Africa and Asia₂₀.

For more, see:

• " Which are the Best Countries for Human Rights, Equality and Tolerance?" by Vexen Crabtree (2025).

4.1. Human Rights & Tolerance Datasets

#freedom #human_rights #international_law #mass_media #politics

Press Freedom Higher is better21
Pos.		202521
1	Norway	92.31
2	Estonia	89.46
3	Netherlands	88.64
	...
29	Australia	75.15
30	Cape Verde	74.98
31	Poland	74.79
32	Suriname	74.49
33	Slovenia	74.06
34	Armenia	73.96
35	Moldova	73.36
36	Costa Rica	73.09
	The Americas Avg	55.99
	World Avg	54.65
q=179. Also scored for 2000s-2010s.

Suriname only had Press Freedomdata from 2008 onwards, however, its ranking is consistent with subsequent years so the 2000s average seems accurate, despite the low number of data points.

Freedom in the World Lower is better
Pos.		2024 Score
1=	Norway	1.0
1=	Canada	1.0
1=	Cape Verde	1.0
	...
56=	Greece	2.0
56=	Antigua & Barbuda	2.0
56=	Sao Tome & Principe	2.0
56=	Suriname	2.0
56=	Vanuatu	2.0
56=	Seychelles	2.0
56=	Bulgaria	2.0
56=	S. Africa	2.0
	The Americas Avg	2.7
	World Avg	3.7
q=205. Also scored for 1970s-2010s.

Nominal Commitment to HR Higher is better22
Pos.		2009 Treaties22
1	Argentina	24
2=	Chile	23
2=	Costa Rica	23
	...
141=	Bahrain	12
141=	Israel	12
141=	Angola	12
141=	Suriname	12
141=	Kuwait	12
141=	Trinidad & Tobago	12
141=	Lebanon	12
148=	Thailand	11
	The Americas Avg	16.5
	World Avg	15.1
q=194.

HR Treaties Lag Lower is better23
Pos.		2019 Avg Yrs/Treaty23
1	Ecuador	2.15
2	Uruguay	2.25
3	Tunisia	3.65
	...
148	Monaco	12.76
149	Antigua & Barbuda	12.76
150	Georgia	12.77
151	Suriname	12.81
152	Andorra	12.91
153	Bhutan	13.01
154	Swaziland	13.16
155	Equatorial Guinea	13.18
	The Americas Avg	8.45
	World Avg	10.02
q=195.

4.2. Gender Equality Datasets

#gender #gender_equality #human_rights #misogyny #politics #women

Suriname has made some steps towards ending gender inequality but much more needs to be done.

See:

• "Religion Versus Womankind" by Vexen Crabtree (2007)
• "Christianity and Women: Biblical Misogyny and Male Dominance" by Vexen Crabtree (2019)

Gender Inequality Lower is better24
Pos.		202224
1	Denmark	0.01
2	Norway	0.01
3	Switzerland	0.02
	...
96	Nicaragua	0.40
97=	Brazil	0.40
97=	S. Africa	0.40
99	Suriname	0.41
100	Colombia	0.41
101	Honduras	0.42
102	Timor-Leste (E. Timor)	0.42
103	Guyana	0.42
	The Americas Avg	0.36
	World Avg	0.34
q=166. Also scored for 1990s-2010s.

Year Women Can Vote Lower is better
Pos.		Year Women Can Vote Year
1	New Zealand	1893
2	Australia	1902
3	Finland	1906
	...
73=	Israel	1948
73=	Belgium	1948
73=	Niger	1948
73=	Suriname	1948
73=	Seychelles	1948
78=	Costa Rica	1949
78=	Chile	1949
78=	China	1949
	The Americas Avg	1947
	World Avg	1930
q=189.

4.3. Prejudice Datasets

#2020s #freethought #homosexuality #religious_tolerance

LGBT Equality in the 2020s Higher is better25
Pos.		LGBT Equality in the 2020s Score25
1=	Germany	4.88
1=	Spain	4.88
3	Portugal	4.81
	...
81	Monaco	0.72
82	Thailand	0.49
83	Kazakhstan	0.41
84	Suriname	0.34
85	India	0.30
86=	Nicaragua	0.23
86=	Vietnam	0.23
88	Bhutan	0.21
	The Americas Avg	0.41
	World Avg	-1.21
q=215. Also scored for 1970s-2020s.

Homosexuality has been legal in Suriname since 1869, but sameâ€`sex marriage and civil unions remain unrecognized. From 1920 to 2015, Article 302 of the Penal Code set the age of consent for sameâ€`sex acts at 18, compared to 16 for heterosexual acts. From 2015, this was equalized and antiâ€`discrimination protections created in employment and services, with gender identity protections added in 2022. In February 2025, a Surinamese court ruled that the ban on sameâ€`sex marriage violates international human rights treaties, opening the door to recognition.

Actions taken at the United Nations:

•  ⇣  Opposed a 2003 resolution at the UN Commission tabled by Brazil, on prohibiting discrimination based on sexual orientation and opposed it again in 2004 (it was defeated both times by the Vatican and a collection of Islamic countries).
•  ⇣  Opposed the 2006 Norway Joint Statement on sexual orientation and gender identity at the UN.

Freedom of Thought Lower is better26
Pos.		202126
1=	Belgium	1.0
1=	Taiwan	1.0
1=	Netherlands	1.0
	...
142=	Papua New Guinea	3.5
142=	Solomon Islands	3.5
142=	Kazakhstan	3.5
142=	Suriname	3.5
146=	Angola	3.7
146=	Uzbekistan	3.7
146=	Andorra	3.7
149=	Chad	3.8
	The Americas Avg	2.7
	World Avg	3.0
q=196.

5. Suriname's Health

#health

Compared to The Americas (2025)27
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank27
1	Antigua & Barbuda	62.3
2	Canada	63.9
3	Cuba	64.7
	...
33	Paraguay	108.2
34	Honduras	108.2
35	Puerto Rico	108.3
36	Venezuela	110.1
37	Nicaragua	111.1
38	Guatemala	116.5
39	Suriname	117.8
40=	Bolivia	124.1
41	Haiti	126.1
	The Americas Avg	91.99
q=41.

Health (2025)27
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank27
1	Monaco	10.3
2	Liechtenstein	30.1
3	Japan	40.8
	...
142	Guatemala	116.5
143	Ghana	117.4
144	Rwanda	117.5
145	Suriname	117.8
146	Tuvalu	118.6
147	Kenya	119.7
148	Syria	120.7
149	Eritrea	120.8
	World Avg	97.39
q=207.

The countries with the best overall approach to public health, in terms of both public policy and individual lifestyle choices, are Monaco, Liechtenstein and Japan₂₈. These countries are worth emulating. And, although often through no fault of the average citizen, the worst countries are Angola, Somalia and S. Sudan₂₈.

42 datasets are used to calculate points for each country, including multiple decades of data on its average life expectancy, its alcohol consumption rate, its fertility rate, its smoking rate, its suicide rate, its food aid and health contributions and WHO compliance, the prevalence of overweight adults, obesity rate, its adolescent birth rate, delivery rate of infant DTP immunizations, delivery rate of 7x Infant Immunizations 2011-2015 and childhood mortality. The regions with the best average results per country are Scandinavia, Europe and The Mediterranean₂₈, whereas the worst are Micronesia, Africa and Melanesia₂₈.

For more, see:

• "Countries With the Healthiest Cultures and Health Policies" by Vexen Crabtree (2025).

5.1. Health Datasets

#2010s #alcohol #birth_control #demographics #health #life_expectancy #longevity #mental_health #obesity #overpopulation #suicide #suriname

Suriname is a pretty unhealthy country. Suriname does better than average in its fertility rate₁₅ and in its alcohol consumption rate₂₉. However Suriname performs less well in most areas. It does worse than average in terms of the prevalence of overweight adults₃₀, childhood mortality in the 2020s₃₁, its average life expectancy₁₁, its adolescent birth rate₃₂, its food aid and health contributions and WHO compliance₃₃, delivery rate of 7x Infant Immunizations 2011-2015₃₄ and in delivery rate of infant DTP immunizations in the 2020s₃₅. And finally, it sits amongst the bottom 20 in its suicide rate₃₆. The prevalence of overweight adults has increased by 14% between 1976 and 2016. Life expectancy in Suriname improved by +8yrs in the 30 years from 1990, just over the global average improvement of +7.9yrs. Suriname's peak fertility rate was 6.61 in 1960.

Life Expectancy Higher is better11
Pos.		2021 Years11
1	Monaco	85.9
2	Hong Kong	85.5
3	Japan	84.8
	...
113	Vanuatu	70.4
114	Iraq	70.4
115	Solomon Islands	70.3
116	Suriname	70.3
117	Paraguay	70.3
118	Egypt	70.2
119	Mexico	70.2
120	Honduras	70.1
	The Americas Avg	72.58
	World Avg	71.28
q=195. Also scored for 1990s-2010s.

Alcohol Consumption Lower is better29
Pos.		2016 Per Capita29
1	Bangladesh	0.0
2	Kuwait	0.0
3	Libya	0.0
	...
78=	Zambia	4.8
78=	Zimbabwe	4.8
80	Lesotho	5.0
81	Suriname	5.1
82	Nicaragua	5.2
83	Turkmenistan	5.4
84	Armenia	5.5
85	Venezuela	5.6
	The Americas Avg	6.9
	World Avg	6.2
q=189.

Fertility Rate 2.0 is best15
Pos.		202215
1	US Virgin Islands	2.00
2	Ecuador	2.00
3	Nepal	2.01
	...
45	Iran	1.68
46	Seychelles	2.32
47	Maldives	1.68
48=	Suriname	2.32
48=	Cambodia	2.32
50	Azerbaijan	1.67
51	USA	1.67
52	Honduras	2.34
	The Americas Avg	1.80
	World Avg	2.47
q=208. Also scored for 1960s-2010s.

Suicide Rate in the 2010s Lower is better36
Pos.		Suicide Rate in the 2010s Per 100k36
1=	Jordan	1.00
1=	Sao Tome & Principe	1.00
1=	Antigua & Barbuda	1.00
	...
177	Ukraine	23.49
178	Belarus	24.43
179	Swaziland	24.89
180	Suriname	25.29
181	Lesotho	26.45
182	S. Korea	29.96
183	Russia	30.84
184	Guyana	31.18
	The Americas Avg	8.02
	World Avg	9.24
q=185. Also scored for 2000s-2010s.

Food Aid, Health Contributions & WHO Compliance Lower is better33
Pos.		2017 Rank33
1	Sweden	1
2	Ireland	2
3	Denmark	3
	...
129	Ivory Coast	129
130	Mongolia	130
131	Afghanistan	131
132	Suriname	132
133	Grenada	133
134	Montenegro	134
135	Iraq	135
136	Madagascar	136
	The Americas Avg	94.3
	World Avg	82.0
q=163.

Overweight Adults Lower is better30
Pos.		1976 %30
1	Bangladesh	4.7
2	Vietnam	5.1
3	Nepal	5.4
	...
101=	Morocco	30.4
101=	Turkmenistan	30.4
103	Algeria	30.6
104	Suriname	31.0
105=	Switzerland	31.1
105=	Iran	31.1
107	Panama	31.2
108	Georgia	31.4
	The Americas Avg	30.7
	World Avg	27.1
q=191.

Adult Obesity Lower is better37
Pos.		2022 %37
1	Vietnam	2.1%
2	Timor-Leste (E. Timor)	2.2%
3	Ethiopia	2.4%
	...
125	Honduras	28.5%
126	UK	28.7%
127	Brazil	28.8%
128	Suriname	29.0%
129	Dominican Rep.	29.1%
130	Trinidad & Tobago	29.2%
131	Ukraine	29.2%
132	Latvia	29.8%
	The Americas Avg	32.0%
	World Avg	24.7%
q=199. Also scored for 1990s-2010s.

5.2. Children's Health Datasets

#children's_health #health #parenting #population #vaccines

Adolescent Birth Rate Lower is better32
Pos.		2022 Per 100032
1	Hong Kong	1.6
2	Denmark	1.8
3	S. Korea	2.1
	...
128	Cape Verde	54.0
129	Papua New Guinea	54.3
130	El Salvador	54.5
131	Suriname	55.2
132	Comoros	56.1
133	Peru	56.1
134	Belize	56.6
135	Marshall Islands	57.5
	The Americas Avg	48.1
	World Avg	43.8
q=195. Also scored for 1990s-2010s.

Infant DTP Immunizations (2020s) Higher is better35
Pos.		Infant DTP Immunizations (2020s) Avg %35
1=	Luxembourg	99.0
1=	Oman	99.0
1=	Niue	99.0
	...
186	S. Sudan	72.7
187=	Ecuador	72.6
187=	Equatorial Guinea	72.6
189	Suriname	72.2
190	Chad	72.1
191	Djibouti	71.2
192	Ethiopia	71.0
193	Northern Mariana Islands	70.8
	The Americas Avg	87.5
	World Avg	88.5
q=211. Also scored for 1980s-2020s.

7x Infant Immunizations (2011-2015) Higher is better34
Pos.		2015 Avg %34
1=	Hungary	99.0
1=	China	99.0
3	Uzbekistan	98.9
	...
132	Paraguay	88.1
133	Bosnia & Herzegovina	88.0
134	Sierra Leone	87.7
135	Suriname	87.2
136	Ecuador	86.8
137	Cambodia	86.5
138	Namibia	86.5
139	Dominican Rep.	86.3
	The Americas Avg	91.3
	World Avg	88.3
q=194.

Infant Mortality (2020s) Lower is better31
Pos.		Infant Mortality (2020s) Per 100031
1	San Marino	2.11
2	Finland	2.59
3	Luxembourg	2.60
	...
104	Cape Verde	20.21
105	Mongolia	20.26
106	Venezuela	20.47
107	Suriname	20.80
108	Honduras	20.99
109	Palau	21.33
110	Uzbekistan	21.50
111	Vietnam	22.10
	The Americas Avg	18.99
	World Avg	32.19
q=195. Also scored for 1960s-2020s.

6. Suriname's Responsibility Towards The Environment

#biodiversity #climate_change #deforestation #environmentalism #food #internationalism #meat #over-exploitation #the_environment #veganism #vegetarianism

Compared to The Americas (2025)38
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank38
1	Uruguay	43.2
2	Puerto Rico	47.1
3	Costa Rica	49.7
	...
28=	St Kitts & Nevis	96.9
29	Bahamas	100.9
30	Antigua & Barbuda	103.2
31	St Lucia	103.6
32	USA	103.8
33	Haiti	105.8
34	Suriname	108.5
35	Barbados	110.1
36	Grenada	125.0
	The Americas Avg	82.39
q=36.

Responsibility Towards The Environment (2025)38
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank38
1	Sri Lanka	34.9
2	Uruguay	43.2
3	Switzerland	45.0
	...
167	Bahrain	107.9
168	Mongolia	108.1
169	Armenia	108.2
170	Suriname	108.5
171	Kyrgyzstan	108.7
172	Angola	109.5
173	Kazakhstan	109.8
174	Barbados	110.1
	World Avg	84.93
q=199.

We have known for a long term that we must protect the environment from habitation destruction, over-exploitation, pollution, and the emissions that cause climate change. In 1998, Greenpeace wrote that "Environment can no longer be meaningfully separated from health, quality of life, democracy, education, economy or trade"₃₉. What countries have been doing the right thing, via legislation and national culture? All countries' current and historical approach towards the environment is gauged via 21 datasets, including multiple decades of data on its forested percent change 2000-2020, its environmental performance, energy to GDP efficiency, its sign-up rate to major international accords on protecting the environment, the rate of rational beliefs on the environment in the population, reducing annual meat consumption per person and its score on the Green Future Index.

The countries that do the best (Sri Lanka, Uruguay and Switzerland) tend to have avoided the excesses of early industrial countries, and have not yet repeated the same mistakes of environmental destruction - at least, not on the same scale. The regions with the best average results per country are Central America, South America and Scandinavia. The worst are Eritrea, The Vatican City and Timor-Leste (E. Timor), and the worst regions Micronesia, Australasia and Melanesia.

For more, see:

• "Countries With the Best Environmental Records" by Vexen Crabtree (2025).

One of the worst in The Americas in terms of its responsibility towards the environment, Suriname is 170th in the world. This is computed from 21 data sets. And finally, it does worse than average in terms of its environmental performance₄₀, reducing annual meat consumption per person₄₁, its sign-up rate to major international accords on protecting the environment and in its forested percent change 2000-2020₄₂.

Forest Area Change 2000-2020 Higher is better42
Pos.		Total42
1	Guernsey	82.6%
2	Bahrain	75.2%
3	Iceland	64.7%
	...
144	Sweden	-0.7%
145	Gabon	-0.7%
146	Guyana	-0.8%
147	Suriname	-0.9%
148	French Guiana	-1.0%
149	Congo, (Brazzaville)	-1.1%
150	St Lucia	-1.1%
151	Papua New Guinea	-1.2%
	The Americas Avg	-2.1%
	World Avg	-0.1%
q=234.

Environmental Performance Higher is better40
Pos.		201840
1	Switzerland	87.4
2	France	84.0
3	Denmark	81.6
	...
100	Nigeria	54.8
101	Kazakhstan	54.6
102	Samoa	54.5
103	Suriname	54.2
104	Sao Tome & Principe	54.0
105	Paraguay	53.9
106	El Salvador	53.9
107	Fiji	53.1
	The Americas Avg	58.8
	World Avg	56.4
q=180.

International Accords on the Environment Higher is better
Pos.		International Accords on the Environment Avg Rate
1	Sweden	83%
2	Canada	82%
3	Norway	81%
	...
134	Iceland	53%
135	Samoa	52%
136	Zimbabwe	52%
137	Suriname	52%
138	St Vincent & Grenadines	52%
139	Saudi Arabia	52%
140	Central African Rep.	52%
141	Mauritania	51%
	The Americas Avg	60.7%
	World Avg	57.5%
q=197. Also scored for 1970s-2020s.

Suriname enacted the Rotterdam Convention on obtaining prior consent for transporting certain hazardous chemicals in 2000, whilst most others delayed it until subsequent years.

Meat Consumption Lower is better41
Pos.		2021 kg41
1	Congo, DR	03.0
2	Burundi	03.5
3	Bangladesh	04.3
	...
102	Papua New Guinea	58.5
103	Trinidad & Tobago	58.5
104	Armenia	60.0
105	Suriname	60.8
106	Colombia	60.9
107	Slovenia	61.2
108	Bulgaria	61.8
109	Moldova	61.9
	The Americas Avg	70.3
	World Avg	52.5
q=185. Also scored for 2010s.

7. Suriname's Modernity and Learning

#education #modernity #technology #the_internet

Compared to The Americas (2025)43
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank43
1	Canada	28.7
2	Argentina	39.3
3	Chile	43.4
	...
14=	Dominican Rep.	68.3
15	Venezuela	68.8
16	USA	72.0
17	Suriname	74.9
18	Barbados	76.9
19	Paraguay	80.3
20	St Kitts & Nevis	80.6
21	Grenada	80.6
22	Trinidad & Tobago	83.1
	The Americas Avg	79.58
q=36.

Modernity & Learning (2025)43
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank43
1	Finland	6.1
2	Iceland	8.1
3	Denmark	8.8
	...
84	USA	72.0
85	Albania	73.0
86	Vietnam	74.8
87	Suriname	74.9
88	Egypt	75.6
89	Barbados	76.9
90	Bahrain	77.9
91	Kuwait	78.6
	World Avg	84.96
q=197.

The most modern countries, with the best results from education, the highest levels of research, and with the easiest access to information on the Internet, are Finland, Iceland and Denmark₄₄. The worst countries are S. Sudan, Eritrea and Somalia₄₄. Despite improves in global education, access to tertiary (adult) education is becoming increasingly unequal between the rich haves and the poor have-nots₄₅.

“Education, at all levels and ages, is the single most vital support for equality as well as being a country's most vital economic and social resource. [...] Every successful aspirant to modernisation and economic development, from Japan to South Korea, China to Chile, has got there with a big emphasis on education.”

Bill Emmott (2017)₄₆

27 datasets are used to calculate points for each country, including multiple decades of data on Research and Development, Intellectual Endeavours, metric system adoption rate, Religiosity, IQ, Secondary Education, Length of Schooling, Maths, Science & Reading, the percent of citizens with access to the internet, Freedom On The Internet, IT Security, IPv6 Uptake and digital quality of life. The regions with the best average results per country are Scandinavia, Baltic States and Europe₄₄, whereas the worst are Melanesia, Africa and Micronesia₄₄.

For more, see:

• " Which Countries are Most Modern, With the Best Education and Internet Access?" by Vexen Crabtree (2025).

7.1. Modernity Datasets

#metric

Intellectual Endeavours Lower is better33
Pos.		2017 Rank33
1	Ukraine	1
2	Czechia	2
3	Hungary	3
	...
131	Mongolia	131
132	Haiti	132
133	Botswana	133
134	Suriname	134
135	Uruguay	135
136	Honduras	136
137	Papua New Guinea	137
138	Congo, DR	138
	The Americas Avg	99.8
	World Avg	82.0
q=163.

Metric System Adoption Rate Higher is better47
Pos.		2025 %47
1=	Slovakia	100
1=	Poland	100
1=	Portugal	100
	...
92=	Ukraine	95
92=	Ireland	95
92=	Japan	95
92=	Suriname	95
92=	Turkey	95
92=	Tunisia	95
92=	Thailand	95
92=	Kazakhstan	95
	The Americas Avg	90
	World Avg	92
q=187. Also scored for 1960s-2020s.

Suriname officially adopted metric in 1916₄₈. Progression:

• 1960 (80%): Dutch metric legacy; traditional units persist in rural areas.
• 1970 (90%): Commerce/education standardized metric.
• 1980 (95%): Metric dominant across sectors.
• 2000 (95%).
• 2025 (95%).

7.2. Education Datasets

#education

Secondary Education Higher is better49
Pos.		201849
1=	Luxembourg	100.0%
1=	Estonia	100.0%
1=	Austria	100.0%
	...
89	Ghana	63.1%
90	Peru	62.2%
91	Palestine	61.1%
92	Suriname	60.5%
93	Mexico	59.7%
94	Bahrain	59.6%
95	Brazil	59.5%
96	Bolivia	58.8%
	The Americas Avg	63.0%
	World Avg	63.0%
q=169.

Length of Schooling Higher is better50
Pos.		2021 Years50
1	Australia	21.1
2	New Zealand	20.3
3	Greece	20.0
	...
106	Armenia	13.1
107	Cameroon	13.1
108	Panama	13.1
109	Suriname	13.0
110	Belize	13.0
111	Paraguay	13.0
112	Gabon	13.0
113	Vietnam	13.0
	The Americas Avg	14.2
	World Avg	13.5
q=193. Also scored for 1990s-2010s.

7.3. Technology and Information Datasets

#the_internet

Internet Users (2020s) Higher is better
Pos.		Internet Users (2020s)
1=	Iceland	99%
1=	Kuwait	99%
1=	UAE	99%
	...
95	Vietnam	77%
96	Mexico	77%
97	Antigua & Barbuda	76%
98	Suriname	76%
99	Fiji	75%
100	S. Africa	75%
101	Peru	74%
102	St Kitts & Nevis	74%
	The Americas Avg	75.7%
	World Avg	67.8%
q=188. Also scored for 1990s-2020s.

IPv6 Uptake Higher is better51
Pos.		2017 Ratio51
1	Belgium	55.4
2	Germany	41.8
3	Switzerland	35.1
	...
160=	Palau	0.0
160=	Equatorial Guinea	0.0
160=	Belize	0.0
160=	Suriname	0.0
160=	Grenada	0.0
160=	Gabon	0.0
160=	Lebanon	0.0
160=	St Lucia	0.0
	The Americas Avg	3.36
	World Avg	3.82
q=176.

8. Suriname's Culture, Peace and Inequality

#charitability #culture #equality #human_development #inequality #peace

Compared to The Americas (2025)52
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank52
1	Canada	20.9
2	USA	40.1
3	Costa Rica	46.8
	...
25	Dominican Rep.	87.9
26	Honduras	88.1
27	Cuba	88.2
28	Bolivia	88.7
29	Colombia	90.6
30	Suriname	90.9
31	Nicaragua	91.1
32	Venezuela	104.6
33	Haiti	125.8
	The Americas Avg	76.34
q=33.

Culture, Peace & Inequality (2025)52
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank52
1	Denmark	10.4
2	Netherlands	11.8
3	Finland	12.2
	...
107	Sri Lanka	89.3
108	Colombia	90.6
109	Russia	90.7
110	Suriname	90.9
111	Nicaragua	91.1
112	India	91.2
113	Vietnam	91.7
114	Egypt	91.9
	World Avg	80.47
q=183.

This is the final pillar of the Social and Moral Development Index; it has 39 datasets, including multiple decades of data on resisting corruption, Creativity and Culture, overall happiness, Open Trading, Aid and Development, passport utility (so far), personal financial stability, World Giving Index, its Global Peace Index rating, Peacekeeping and Security, Refugees and UN Treaties, the impact of terrorism, poverty (so far), life expectancy inequality, Income Inequality (Gini Coefficient) and Multidimensional Poverty.

For more, see:

• "Which are the Countries for International Contributions, Creativity, Peace and Inequality?" by Vexen Crabtree (2026).

8.1. National Culture Datasets

#corruption #freedom #internationalism #politics

Corruption Higher is better53
Pos.		2022 Points53
1	Denmark	90.0
2=	Finland	87.0
2=	New Zealand	87.0
	...
83=	Hungary	42.0
84	Kosovo	41.0
85=	Tunisia	40.0
85=	Suriname	40.0
85=	Macedonia	40.0
85=	Maldives	40.0
85=	India	40.0
85=	Guyana	40.0
	The Americas Avg	42.97
	World Avg	42.98
q=180. Also scored for 1990s-2010s.

Creativity & Culture Lower is better33
Pos.		2017 Rank33
1	Belgium	1
2	Netherlands	2
3	Estonia	3
	...
77	Togo	77
78	Albania	78
79	Brunei	79
80	Suriname	80
81	Fiji	81
82	Kenya	82
83	Guatemala	83
84	Cape Verde	84
	The Americas Avg	80.2
	World Avg	82.0
q=163.

Open Trading, Aid & Development Lower is better33
Pos.		2017 Rank33
1	Ireland	1
2	Denmark	2
3	Sweden	3
	...
148	Iran	148
149	India	149
150	Cameroon	150
151	Suriname	151
152	Gabon	152
153	Iraq	153
154	Paraguay	154
155	Grenada	155
	The Americas Avg	100.5
	World Avg	82.0
q=163.

Passport Reach (2020s) Higher is better54
Pos.		Passport Reach (2020s) Q54
1	Singapore	192.2
2	Japan	192.0
3	S. Korea	190.7
	...
111	Bolivia	79.3
112	Namibia	78.7
113	Belarus	78.5
114	Suriname	77.8
115	Lesotho	77.5
116	Kazakhstan	75.7
117	Swaziland	74.8
118	Malawi	73.8
	The Americas Avg	132.4
	World Avg	108.8
q=195. Also scored for 2000s-2020s.

Personal Financial Stability in the 2020s Higher is better55
Pos.		Personal Financial Stability in the 2020s Score55
1	Denmark	9.06
2	Switzerland	9.00
3	Finland	8.96
	...
147	Ethiopia	4.52
148	Pakistan	4.50
149	Guinea-Bissau	4.46
150	Suriname	4.36
151	Congo, (Brazzaville)	4.35
152	Central African Rep.	4.27
153	Chad	4.22
154	Yemen	4.19
	The Americas Avg	6.36
	World Avg	6.46
q=165.

8.2. Peace Versus Instability Datasets

Peacekeeping & Security Lower is better33
Pos.		2017 Rank33
1	Samoa	1
2	S. Africa	2
3	Tunisia	3
	...
111	Equatorial Guinea	111
112	Botswana	112
113	Slovakia	113
114	Suriname	114
115	Greece	115
116	Trinidad & Tobago	116
117	Benin	117
118	Venezuela	118
	The Americas Avg	82.3
	World Avg	82.0
q=163.

Refugees & UN Treaties Lower is better33
Pos.		2017 Rank33
1	Austria	1
2	Germany	2
3	Netherlands	3
	...
102	Timor-Leste (E. Timor)	102
103	Barbados	103
104	Armenia	104
105	Suriname	105
106	Namibia	106
107	Tunisia	107
108	Cape Verde	108
109	China	109
	The Americas Avg	91.5
	World Avg	82.0
q=163.

8.3. Economic Inequality and Poverty Datasets

#capitalism #economics #health #inequality #life_expectancy #poverty #social_development

Poverty (2020s) Lower is better56
Pos.		Poverty (2020s) %56
1	Malaysia	0.01%
2	Bhutan	0.01%
3	Cyprus	0.02%
	...
56	Serbia	1.92%
57	Costa Rica	1.99%
58	Palestine	2.07%
59	Suriname	2.18%
60	Montenegro	2.37%
61	Paraguay	2.43%
62	Nepal	2.44%
63	Mexico	3.29%
	The Americas Avg	4.07%
	World Avg	11.40%
q=106. Also scored for 1980s-2020s.

Inequality in Life Expectancy Lower is better57
Pos.		201957
1	Iceland	2.40
2=	Singapore	2.50
2=	Hong Kong	2.50
	...
97	Solomon Islands	12.10
98	Cape Verde	12.20
99	El Salvador	12.50
100	Suriname	12.80
101	Vietnam	12.90
102=	Syria	13.00
102=	Morocco	13.00
104=	Nicaragua	13.10
	The Americas Avg	12.03
	World Avg	14.59
q=184.

Income Inequality (Gini Coefficient) Lower is better58
Pos.		2023 %58
1	Slovakia	24.1%59
2	Slovenia	24.3%59
3	Belarus	24.4%60
	...
113=	Laos	38.8%61
114	Bulgaria	39.0%59
115	Tuvalu	39.1%62
116	Suriname	39.2%63
117	Morocco	39.5%64
118	Micronesia	40.1%64
119	Jamaica	40.2%59
120	Peru	40.3%63
	The Americas Avg	44.0%
	World Avg	36.5%
q=167. Also scored for 1980s-2010s.

Income inequality data for Suriname is only available for the year 2022.

Multidimensional Poverty Lower is better65
Pos.		2018 Severity65
1	Armenia	.001
2	Ukraine	.001
3	Serbia	.001
	...
38	Tajikistan	.029
39	El Salvador	.032
40	Iraq	.033
41	Suriname	.041
42	Mongolia	.042
43	Peru	.053
44	Gabon	.066
45	Nicaragua	.074
	The Americas Avg	.045
	World Avg	.154
q=101.

9. Religion and Beliefs

#buddhism #christianity #hinduism #islam #judaism

Pew Forum polling over the decades has found the following adherency rates:₆₆:

	2010	2020
Christian	51.6%	52.8%
Hindu	23.4%	22.5%
Muslim	14.1%	13.1%
Unaffiliated	7.37%	8.11%
Other	3.15%	3.14%
Buddhist	0.353%	0.384%
Jewish	<0.1%	<0.1%

The CIA World Factbook has slightly different data, and states: Hindu 27.4%, Protestant 25.2% (predominantly Moravian), Roman Catholic 22.8%, Muslim 19.6%, indigenous beliefs 5%₆₇.

Links:

• A List of All Religions and Belief Systems