Demographics of Suriname - Ethnic Groups

Ethnic Groups

• Amerindian, the original inhabitants of Suriname. 2%,
• Hindustani, also known locally as East Indians; their ancestors emigrated from northern British India in the latter part of the 19th century to do indention work. 37%,
• Creole (mixed white and black) 31%,
• Javanese 15% (Southeast Asians),
• "Maroons" (their African ancestors were brought to the country in the 17th and 18th centuries as slaves and escaped to the interior) 10%,
• Chinese 8%,
• White 5%,

and about 20,000 American expatriates from the United States.

Although there are official statistics available, the current population of Suriname is very different of these. Local estimates are

• 180,000 Hindustani (Indian descendants) estimates are up to 200-300,000 which can include unregistred immigrants from Trinidad and Tobago and Guyana,
• 150,000 Creole (Mixed African and European/Asian/Amerindian/Jewish etc.) Some estimates are higher because this figure exclude immigrants from Haiti, French Guiana, Dominican Republic and Guyana,
• 80,000 Maroon (African descendants),
• 75,000 Javanese (Asians from formerly Dutch-ruled Indonesia not limited to those from the island Java),
• 60,000 Brazilian (estimates varies between 20.000 and 80. 000) from Brazil. There are smaller numbers of South American nationalities, but are Spanish speakers included in the European category,
• 40,000 Chinese (with some estimates even higher) with quite small communities of Koreans, Japanese and Filipinos.
• 12,000 to 24,000 Amerindian (esp. in the tropical rainforest south). It does not include Cherokees from the USA whom settled in the Guyanas in the 19th century,
• 20,000 European (of which 8,000 are Dutch) included are small communities of British, French, German, Italian, Portuguese and Spanish descendants, all integrated to the Dutch European group,
• 2,000 Arab/Middle-eastern (mostly Lebanese but also Syrian and Palestinians).
• 200 Jews who are identified in ethnoreligious terms.