Population: 431,156 (July 1999 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 33% (male 72,673; female 69,212)
15-64 years: 62% (male 135,573; female 130,700)
65 years and over: 5% (male 10,585; female 12,413) (1999 est.)

Population growth rate: 0.71% (1999 est.)

Birth rate: 21.75 births/1,000 population (1999 est.)

Death rate: 5.75 deaths/1,000 population (1999 est.)

Net migration rate: -8.92 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1999 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: 0.85 male(s)/female
total population: 1.03 male(s)/female (1999 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 26.52 deaths/1,000 live births (1999 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 70.89 years
male: 68.32 years
female: 73.59 years (1999 est.)

Total fertility rate: 2.55 children born/woman (1999 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%, Javanese 15.3%, "Maroons" (their African ancestors were brought to the country in the 17th and 18th centuries as slaves and escaped to the interior) 10.3%, Amerindian 2.6%, Chinese 1.7%, white 1%, other 1.1%

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.)

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