Surinamese People - Composition

Composition

The population of Suriname is a mixture of different ethnic groups:

• Amerindians, the original inhabitants of Suriname, form 3.7% of the population. The main groups being the Akuriyo, Arawak, Carib/Kaliña, Trío (Tiriyó), and Wayana. They live mainly in the districts of Paramaribo, Wanica, Maroni and Sipaliwini.
• Hindustani form the largest major group at 33% of the population. They are descendants of nineteenth-century contract workers from India. They are from the Indian states of Bihar and Eastern Uttar Pradesh, in Northern India, along the Nepali border.
• The Creoles form the middle group 31% of the population. They are the mixed descendants of West African slaves and Europeans (mostly Dutch).
• The Javanese (descendants of contract workers from the former Dutch East Indies on the island of Java, Indonesia) make up 15% (close to 90,000) of the population.
• Maroons (descendants of escaped West African slaves) make up 10% and are divided into five main groups: Ndyuka (Aucans), Kwinti, Matawai, Saramaccans and Paramaccans.
• Chinese, mainly descendants of the earliest nineteenth-century contract workers, 1.8% and number about 14,000.
• Whites, descendants of Dutch 19th-century immigrant farmers, Portuguese from Madeira and Lebanese (primarily Maronites) from the town of Bcharre, Lebanon. The descendants of Dutch immigrant farmers are known as "Boeroes" (derived from boer, the Dutch word for "farmer"). Most Boeroes left after independence in 1975.
• Jews, mainly descendants of Sephardic Jews and Ashkenazi Jews. In their history plays Jodensavanne a major role. Many Jews are mixed with other populations.
• Brazilians, many of them gold miners. Most of the nearly 40,000 Brazilians living in Suriname arrived during the past several years.

The seventh census of Suriname in 2004 reported the following:

• 27.4% Hindustani,
• 17.7% Creole
• 14.7% Maroons
• 14.6% Javanese (Southeast Asians)
• 12.5% Mixed descent
• 8% Chinese
• 3% Amerindian
• 2% White