GFmag Online Readers Survey 2012
Suriname


Suriname Country Report: GDP data and GDP forecasts; economic, financial and trade information; the best banks in Suriname; country and population overview

DATA ON GDP AND ECONOMIC INFORMATION
Central bankCentral Bank of Suriname
International ReservesUS$ 730.925 million (Source: World Bank; Data updated: November 2010)
Gross Domestic Product - GDPUS$ 3.889 billion (2009 estimate)
GDP (Purchasing Power Parity)5.002 billion of International dollars (2009 estimate)
Real GDP growth
20002001200220032004200520062007
-0.1%4.5%2.8%6.3%8.5%4.4%3.8%5.2%
2008200920102011*
6%3.1%4.4%5%

*Estimate

GDP per capita - current pricesUS$ 7,281 (2007 estimate)
GDP per capita - PPP$9,367 International Dollars (2007 estimate)
GDP (PPP) - share of world total
19801990200020102015**
0.01%0.01%0.01%0.01%0.01%

**Forecast

GDP - composition by sector
  • agriculture: 10.8% 
  • industry: 24.4% 
  • services: 64.8% (2005 estimate)

    • (Data released on February 2012)

Gross domestic expenditure on R&D (% of GDP)N/A

(Data released on November 2010)

Inflation
2008200920102011*
14.6%(2008)-0.1%6.9%17.9%

*Estimate

Unemployment rate
2008200920102011*
9%N/AN/A(2009)N/A

*Estimate

Household saving ratesN/A

(Data released on November 2010)

Public debt (General government gross debt as a % of GDP)
20072008200920102011*
21.1%18.1%18.5%21.6%20%

*Estimate

Public deficit (General government net lending/borrowing as a % of GDP)
2007200820092010*2011**
2.2%2%-1.6%-4.1%-2.5%

*Estimate    **Forecast

Government bond ratings

Standard & Poor's: B+/Positive/B

Moody's rating: B1

Moody's outlook: STA

(Foreign Currency Government Bond Ratings; Data last updated Nov 2010)

Market value of publicly traded shares
200720082009
N/AN/AN/A
Largest companies in SurinameN/A
DATA ON TRADE AND COMPETITIVENESS
Current account balanceUS$ 16 million (2008 estimate)(After 2008)
Current account balance by percentage of GDP0.4% of GDP (2008 estimate)(2009)
Exports as percent of GDP

(Exports of goods and services)

30.7% (2005)

(Data released on December 2010)

Shares in world total merchandising export0.01%(2007)

(Data were released in Nov 2011 and refer to 2010)

Shares in world total commercial services export0.01%(2007)

(Data were released in Nov 2011 and refer to 2010)

Total exportsN/A
Export commoditiesalumina, gold, crude oil, lumber, shrimp and fish, rice, bananas
Total importsUS$1.297 billion f.o.b. (2006 estimate)
Import commoditiescapital equipment, petroleum, foodstuffs, cotton, consumer goods
Exports - major partnersCanada 26.8%, Norway 20.2%, Belgium 9.2%, US 8.9%, UAE 7.9%, France 7.2% (2007)
Imports - major partnersUS 27%, Netherlands 17.3%, Trinidad and Tobago 14.3%, China 5.9%, Japan 5.1% (2007)
FDI inflows
200820092010
US$209 millionUS$151 million(2009)US$180 million(2009)
FDI outflows
200820092010
N/AN/AN/A
Value of cross-border M&A, by country of purchaser
2008200920102011
N/AN/A(2009)N/A(2009)N/A
Cross-border M&A deals worth over $3 billion completed in 2008

(Acquiring company, Acquired company, Country of the acquired company, Value of the deal)

N/A

(for a monthly update on M&A click here )

Cross-border M&A deals worth over $3 billion completed in 2010

(Acquiring company, Acquired company, Country of the acquired company, Value of the deal)

N/A(2008 estimate)

(for a monthly update on M&A click here )

Best countries for doing business

World Bank/IFC Doing Business Project

(Economies are ranked on their ease of doing business, from 1 – 183. A high ranking means the regulatory environment is more conducive to the starting and operation of a local firm.)

Overall ranking: 161 out of 183 countries(2009) (2010)

Subcategories:

Starting a business: 171 out of 183 countries(2009)

Registering property: 168 out of 183 countries

Paying Taxes: 34 out of 183 countries

Getting credit: 138 out of 183 countries

Protecting investors: 181 out of 183 countries

Trading across border: 101 out of 183 countries

Enforcing Contracts: 178 out of 183 countries

(2010)

Global competitiveness ranking
(ranking by country on a basis of 142, the first is the best)		112

(2011/2012)

Index of Economic Freedom

WSJ and Heritage Foundation

Ranking: 129 Score: 53.1 (Mostly Unfree) (2009)

(100=totally free 0=totally repressed )

COUNTRY AND POPULATION OVERVIEW
Time zoneUTC-3
Total area 163,820 km2 (2006)
CapitalParamaribo (2009)
CurrencySurinamese dollars (SRD) (2009)
Government typeconstitutional democracy (2009)
LanguagesDutch (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), Caribbean Hindustani (a dialect of Hindi), Javanese
ReligionsHindu 27.4%, Protestant 25.2% (predominantly Moravian), Roman Catholic 22.8%, Muslim 19.6%, indigenous beliefs 5%
Total population
1980199020002010*2015**
N/AN/A0.47 million0.53 million0.56 million

*Estimate    **Forecast

Urban population as % of total population
1960198020002009
47.3%55%72.1%75.3%
Population median age26.0 years (2006)
Population growth rate0.9% (2009)
Life expectancy70 years (2007)
Adult literacy90% (2000/2007)
% of population living on less than $2 a day27.20% (2011)
Inequality of wealth distribution (Gini index)

N/A

(0=perfect equality, 100=absolute inequality)

Freedom House rating

Political Rights:2
Civil Liberties:2 (2010)

(1 represents the most free, 7 the least free)

Total telephone subscribers as % of population

185.83% (2010)

(sum of fixed telephone lines and mobile cellular subscribers)

Internet users as % of total population31.59% (Data were released in 2011 and refer to 2010)
Cost of living index

(ranking by city on a basis of 214; the 1st is the most expensive and the 214th is the least expensive)

N/A

CO2 emissions
(Metric tons of CO2 per capita)

4.7348 (2008)

GLOBAL FINANCE RANKINGS AND AWARDS
ARTICLES AND COUNTRIES REPORTS FROM GLOBAL FINANCE ARCHIVE