POPULATION

 

According to an estimate by the Central Bureau for Population Administration (C.B.B), the population numbered approximately 492,829 by July 2007 . The net annual population growth is estimated at 2.7 percent.

The population can be distinguished into three major and four minor ethnic groups. The major ethnic groups are those of the Creoles, the Hindostani (East Indians) and Javanese. The minor ethnic groups are those of the Bushnegroes, the Amer-Indians, Chinese and Europeans.

 

The Creole group includes people of mixed ethnic descents (Afro/Europeans, Afro/Indians, Europeans/Indians etc.). The Hindostani are the descendants of the East Indian indentured labourers brought into the country in the period 1870-1916. The Javanese indentured labourers came in the  period 1890-1939. Together these three groups constitute about 85% of the total population. The Javanese group is the smallest of the three with about  18%, the Creole group amounts to approximately   33.5 %, while the Hindostanis account for about 34.5% of the population.

The Bushnegroes are the descendants of marooned slaves, which at present still live in organized tribal communities in the interior. The Bushnegro population groups amount to 8.5% (approximately 36,000) of the total population.

The Amer-Indian group includes a total of approximately 7,500 persons, i.e. approximately 1.8% of the total population.

Approximately 90% (370,000) of the population has its residence in the coastal plain areas of Suriname. About 72% (300,000) of the population is to be found in the area within a radius of thirty kilometers around the center of the capital-city of Paramaribo.

 

The official language of Suriname is Dutch. This language is well understood and spoken by the majority of the population in the age group of fifty or younger. Common speech in many circles also takes place in the local Surinamese language, which is generally well understood and spoken by all people, while English is generally understood and spoken by the rank and file of the population of the coastal plain. Hindi and Javanese are respectively spoken by the descendents of the Indian and Javanese immigrants, while most of other minority ethnic groups also still use their own language.