Population: 431,303 (July 2000 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years:
32% (male 70,871; female 67,466)
15-64 years:
62% (male 137,209; female 131,905)
65 years and over:
6% (male 10,907; female 12,945) (2000 est.)
Population growth rate: 0.65% (2000 est.)
Birth rate: 21.08 births/1,000 population (2000 est.)
Death rate: 5.69 deaths/1,000 population (2000 est.)
Net migration rate: -8.92 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2000 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth:
1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years:
1.05 male(s)/female
15-64 years:
1.04 male(s)/female
65 years and over:
0.84 male(s)/female
total population:
1.03 male(s)/female (2000 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 25.06 deaths/1,000 live births (2000 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population:
71.36 years
male:
68.71 years
female:
74.14 years (2000 est.)
Total fertility rate: 2.5 children born/woman (2000 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%, Javanesenese 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.)