Suriname (Republic of Suriname)

Suriname Republic of Suriname
Status	Independent State
Capital	Paramaribo
Land Area	156 000km21
Location	South America, The Americas
Population	0.5m (2011)2
Life Expectancy	71.28yrs (2017)3
GNI	$16 018 (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. Population and Demographics
4. Politics and Freedom
5. Gender Equality
6. Religion and Beliefs
7. The Internet
8. Public Health Issues
9. More Charts and Comparisons to Other Countries
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

#human_development

UN HDI (2016)11
Pos.		Lower is better Rank11
1	Norway	1
2	Australia	2
3	Switzerland	2
	...
94	Jamaica	94
95	Colombia	95
96	Dominica	96
97	Suriname	97
98	Tunisia	97
99	Dominican Rep.	99
100	St Vincent & Grenadines	99
101	Tonga	101
	World Avg	94.3
q=188.

Social & Moral Development Index12
Pos.		Higher is better Points12
1	Denmark	84.2
2	Sweden	83.7
3	Finland	83.5
	...
98	El Salvador	51.9
99	Vietnam	51.9
100	Nepal	51.8
101	Suriname	51.7
102	Belarus	51.7
103	Tunisia	51.3
104	China	51.3
105	St Lucia	51.0
	World Avg	54.1
q=198.

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: What is the Best Country in the World? An Index of Morality, Conscience and Good Life.

3. Population and Demographics

#demographics #health #immigration #life_expectancy #overpopulation #population

Old-Age Dependency Ratio (2016)13
Pos.		Lower is better Per 10013
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
106	Grenada	16.2
107	Brunei	16.2
108	El Salvador	17.3
109	Panama	17.7
	World Avg	18.3
q=185.

Emigrants (2010)14
Pos.		%14
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.

Fertility Rate (2013)15
Pos.		2.0 is best15
1	Korea, N.	2.00
2	Brunei	1.99
3	St Vincent & Grenadines	2.01
	...
42	Kuwait	2.27
43	Bhutan	2.27
44	Jamaica	2.28
45	Suriname	2.28
46	Uzbekistan	2.29
47	Cape Verde	2.29
48	Estonia	1.71
49	UAE	1.70
	World Avg	2.81
q=180.

Immigrants (2010)14
Pos.		%14
1	Qatar	86.5
2	Monaco	71.6
3	UAE	70.0
	...
65	Slovenia	8.1
66	St Vincent & Grenadines	7.9
67	Ghana	7.6
68	Suriname	7.5
69	Italy	7.4
70	Montenegro	6.8
71	Burkina Faso	6.4
72	Macedonia	6.3
	World Avg	9.2
q=192.

Life Expectancy (2015)16
Pos.		Higher is better Years16
1	Hong Kong	84.16
2	Japan	83.68
3	Italy	83.34
	...
107	Moldova	71.73
108	Belarus	71.46
109	Egypt	71.33
110	Suriname	71.28
111	Ukraine	71.13
112	Azerbaijan	70.90
113	Kyrgyzstan	70.79
114	Korea, N.	70.52
	World Avg	71.27
q=190.

Population (2012)17
Pos.		The Overpopulation of the Earth17
1	China	1.4b
2	India	1.3b
3	USA	315.8m
	...
162	Equatorial Guinea	0.7m
163	Montenegro	0.6m
164	Solomon Islands	0.6m
165	Suriname	0.5m
166	Luxembourg	0.5m
167	Cape Verde	0.5m
168	Malta	0.4m
169	Brunei	0.4m
	World Avg	36.0m
q=195.

Suriname's population is predicted to rise to 601 679 by 2030. This country has a fertility rate of 2.28. The fertility rate is, in simple terms, the average amount of children that each woman has. The higher the figure, the quicker the population is growing, although, to calculate the rate you also need to take into account morbidity, i.e., 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, 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.

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

4. Politics and Freedom

#burundi #corruption #eritrea #france #freedom #human_rights #indonesia #mass_media #politics #slavery

Corruption (2012-2016)18
Pos.		Higher is better Avg Score18
1	Denmark	90.8
2	New Zealand	90.6
3	Finland	89.4
	...
82	Burkina Faso	38.8
83	China	38.4
84	El Salvador	38.0
85	Suriname	38.0
86	Mongolia	38.0
87	Liberia	38.0
88	Trinidad & Tobago	37.8
89	Zambia	37.8
	World Avg	43.05
q=176.

Nominal Commitment to HR (2009)19
Pos.		Higher is better Treaties19
1	Argentina	24
2	Chile	23
3	Costa Rica	23
	...
141	Bahrain	12
142	Israel	12
143	Angola	12
144	Suriname	12
145	Kuwait	12
146	Trinidad & Tobago	12
147	Lebanon	12
148	Thailand	11
	World Avg	15.1
q=194.

Personal, Civil & Economic Freedom (2014)20
Pos.		Lower is better Rank20
1	Hong Kong	1
2	Switzerland	2
3	New Zealand	3
	...
54	Bosnia & Herzegovina	54
55	Armenia	55
56	Macedonia	55
57	Suriname	55
58	El Salvador	58
59	Ghana	59
60	Jamaica	60
61	Haiti	61
	World Avg	79.7
q=159.

Press Freedom (2013)21
Pos.		Lower is better21
1	Finland	638
2	Netherlands	648
3	Norway	652
	...
28	Portugal	1675
29	UK	1689
30	Ghana	1727
31	Suriname	1819
32	USA	1822
33	Lithuania	1824
34	Slovenia	2049
35	Spain	2050
	World Avg	3249
q=178.

Slavery (2018)22
Pos.		Lower is better % Victims22
1	Japan	0.03
2	Canada	0.05
3	Taiwan	0.05
	...
40	UK	0.21
41	Tunisia	0.22
42	Slovenia	0.22
43	Suriname	0.23
44	Spain	0.23
45	Ecuador	0.24
46	Italy	0.24
47	Morocco	0.24
	World Avg	0.65
q=167.

The taking of slaves has been an unwholesome feature of Human cultures since prehistory₂₃. Private households and national endeavours have frequently been augmented with the use of slaves. The Egyptian and Roman empires both thrived on them for both purposes. Aside from labourers they are often abused sexually by their owners and their owners' friends₂₄. The era of colonialism and the beginnings of globalisation changed nothing: the imprisonment and forced movements of labour continued to destroy many lives except that new justifications were invented based on Christian doctrine and the effort to convert non-Christians. By 1786 over 12 million slaves had been extracted from Africa and sent to colonial labour camps, with a truly atrocious condition of life₂₅. But they were not the only ones to blame; in Africa internal nations such as the Asantes sold and bought tens of thousands of slaves₂₆.

The abolition of the slave trade was a long and slow process. Until a relatively modern time, even philosophers, religious leaders and those concerned with ethics justified, or ignored, the problem of slavery₂₇. The first abolitionists were always the slaves themselves. Their protests and rebellions caused the industry to become too expensive to continue. After that, it was the economic costs of maintain slave colonies that led the British to reject and then oppose the slave trade globally. Finally, the enlightenment-era thinkers of France encouraged moral and ethical thinking including the declaration of the inherent value of human life and human dignity₂₈. A long-overdue wave of compassionate and conscientious movements swept across the West, eliminating public support for slavery, until the industries and churches that supported it had no choice but to back down.

'Modern slavery' includes forced labour (often of the under-age), debt bondage (especially generational), sexual slavery, chattel slavery and other forms of abuse, some of which can be surprisingly difficult to detect, but often target those fleeing from warzones and the vulnerable.₂₉. Some industries (diamond, clothing, coal) from some countries (Burundi₂₂, Eritrea₂₂, Indonesia₃₀) are a particular concern. The Walk Free Foundation, say that in 2016, 40.3 million people were living in modern slavery₃₁.

5. Gender Equality

#gender #misogyny #politics #women

Gender Inequality (2015)32
Pos.		Lower is better32
1	Switzerland	0.04
2	Denmark	0.04
3	Netherlands	0.04
	...
96	Philippines	0.44
97	Samoa	0.44
98	Bolivia	0.45
99	Suriname	0.45
100	Panama	0.46
101	Honduras	0.46
102	Venezuela	0.46
103	Nicaragua	0.46
	World Avg	0.36
q=159.

Year Women Can Vote33
Pos.		Lower is better Year33
1	New Zealand	1893
2	Australia	1902
3	Finland	1906
	...
73	Israel	1948
74	Belgium	1948
75	Niger	1948
76	Suriname	1948
77	Seychelles	1948
78	Costa Rica	1949
79	Chile	1949
80	China	1949
	World Avg	1930
q=189.

Gender inequality is not a necessary part of early human development. Although a separation of roles is almost universal due to different strengths between the genders, this does not have to mean that women are subdued, and, such patriarchialism is not universal in ancient history. Those cultures and peoples who shed, or never developed, the idea that mankind ought to dominate womankind, are better cultures and peoples than those who, even today, cling violently to those mores.

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

See:

• "Religion Versus Womankind" by Vexen Crabtree (2007)

6. Religion and Beliefs

#buddhism #christianity #hinduism #islam #judaism

Data from the Pew Forum, a professional polling outfit, states that in 2010 the religious makeup of this country was as follows in the table below₃₄:

Christian	51.6%
Muslim	15.2%
Hindu	19.8%
Buddhist	0.6%
Folk Religion	5.3%
Jew	0.2%
Unaffiliated	5.4%

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%₃₅.

Links:

• A List of All Religions and Belief Systems

7. The Internet

#internet #the_internet

Internet Users (2016)36
Pos.		Higher is better36
1	Iceland	100%
2	Faroe Islands	99%
3	Norway	98%
	...
116	Thailand	43%
117	Mauritius	43%
118	Cape Verde	43%
119	Suriname	42%
120	Bolivia	41%
121	Peru	41%
122	Guyana	40%
123	Grenada	39%
	World Avg	48.1%
q=201.

IPv6 Uptake (2017)37
Pos.		Higher is better Ratio37
1	Belgium	55.4
2	Germany	41.8
3	Switzerland	35.1
	...
160	Palau	0.0
161	Equatorial Guinea	0.0
162	Belize	0.0
163	Suriname	0.0
164	Grenada	0.0
165	Gabon	0.0
166	Lebanon	0.0
167	St Lucia	0.0
	World Avg	3.82
q=176.

Internet access has become an essential research tool. It facilitates an endless list of life improvements, from the ability to network and socialize without constraint, to access to a seemingly infinite repository of technical and procedural information on pretty much any task. The universal availability of data has sped up industrial development and personal learning at the national and personal level. Individuals can read any topic they wish regardless of the locality of expert teachers, and, entire nations can develop their technology and understanding of the world simply because they are now exposed to advanced societies and moral discourses online. Like every communications medium, the Internet has issues and causes a small range of problems, but these are insignificant compared to the advantages of having an online populace.

8. Public Health Issues

#alcohol #health #mental_health #parenting #population #smoking #suicide #vaccines

Adolescent Birth Rate (2015)32
Pos.		Lower is better Per 100032
1	Korea, N.	0.5
2	Korea, S.	1.6
3	Switzerland	2.9
	...
101	Fiji	44.8
102	S. Africa	45.5
103	Cuba	45.6
104	Suriname	46.1
105	Timor-Leste (E. Timor)	46.6
106	Chile	47.8
107	Solomon Islands	48.4
108	Peru	49.1
	World Avg	47.9
q=185.

Alcohol Consumption (2010)38
Pos.		Lower is better Per Capita38
1	Libya	0.1
2	Pakistan	0.1
3	Kuwait	0.1
	...
98	Vietnam	6.6
99	Equatorial Guinea	6.6
100	St Vincent & Grenadines	6.6
101	Suriname	6.6
102	China	6.7
103	Italy	6.7
104	Trinidad & Tobago	6.7
105	Macedonia	6.7
	World Avg	6.2
q=191.

Food Aid, Health Contributions & WHO Compliance (2017)39
Pos.		Lower is better Rank39
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
	World Avg	82.0
q=163.

Infant Immunizations 2011-2015 (2015)40
Pos.		Higher is better Avg %40
1	Hungary	99.0
2	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
	World Avg	88.3
q=194.

Smoking Rates (2014)41
Pos.		Lower is better41
1	Guinea	15
2	Solomon Islands	26
3	Kiribati	28
	...
8	Ethiopia	76
9	Vanuatu	76
10	Guyana	77
11	Suriname	79
12	Malawi	80
13	Tonga	81
14	Mozambique	82
15	Nepal	83
	World Avg	819
q=182.

Suicide Rate (2013)42
Pos.		Lower is better Per 100k42
1	Haiti	0
2	Grenada	0
3	Egypt	0.1
	...
65	Sweden	25.5
66	Slovakia	25.7
67	Czechia	28.3
68	Suriname	28.7
69	Hong Kong	29.7
70	Poland	30.5
71	Austria	30.9
72	Uruguay	32.3
	World Avg	20.93
q=91.

9. More Charts and Comparisons to Other Countries