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Suriname vs. Guyana

Demographics

SurinameGuyana
Population614,749 (July 2021 est.)787,971 (July 2021 est.)

note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality, higher death rates, lower population growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected
Age structure0-14 years: 23.38% (male 72,642/female 69,899)

15-24 years: 17.2% (male 53,427/female 51,438)

25-54 years: 44.09% (male 136,889/female 131,868)

55-64 years: 8.78% (male 26,435/female 27,066)

65 years and over: 6.55% (male 17,437/female 22,468) (2020 est.)
0-14 years: 23.91% (male 91,317/female 88,025)

15-24 years: 21.23% (male 81,294/female 77,987)

25-54 years: 39.48% (male 154,825/female 141,385)

55-64 years: 8.37% (male 29,385/female 33,386)

65 years and over: 7.01% (male 21,325/female 31,275) (2020 est.)
Median agetotal: 31 years

male: 30.6 years

female: 31.4 years (2020 est.)
total: 27.5 years

male: 27.2 years

female: 27.9 years (2020 est.)
Population growth rate0.91% (2021 est.)0.19% (2021 est.)
Birth rate14.7 births/1,000 population (2021 est.)16.64 births/1,000 population (2021 est.)
Death rate6.1 deaths/1,000 population (2021 est.)6.87 deaths/1,000 population (2021 est.)
Net migration rate0.53 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2021 est.)-7.84 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2021 est.)
Sex ratioat birth: 1.05 male(s)/female

0-14 years: 1.04 male(s)/female

15-24 years: 1.04 male(s)/female

25-54 years: 1.04 male(s)/female

55-64 years: 0.98 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 0.78 male(s)/female

total population: 1.01 male(s)/female (2020 est.)
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female

0-14 years: 1.04 male(s)/female

15-24 years: 1.04 male(s)/female

25-54 years: 1.1 male(s)/female

55-64 years: 0.88 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 0.68 male(s)/female

total population: 1.02 male(s)/female (2020 est.)
Infant mortality ratetotal: 26.6 deaths/1,000 live births

male: 31.72 deaths/1,000 live births

female: 21.23 deaths/1,000 live births (2021 est.)
total: 22.68 deaths/1,000 live births

male: 25.66 deaths/1,000 live births

female: 19.55 deaths/1,000 live births (2021 est.)
Life expectancy at birthtotal population: 73.57 years

male: 71.09 years

female: 76.16 years (2021 est.)
total population: 71.59 years

male: 69.74 years

female: 73.53 years (2021 est.)
Total fertility rate1.85 children born/woman (2021 est.)2.07 children born/woman (2021 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate1.1% (2020 est.)1.3% (2020 est.)
Nationalitynoun: Surinamer(s)

adjective: Surinamese
noun: Guyanese (singular and plural)

adjective: Guyanese
Ethnic groupsHindustani (also known locally as "East Indians"; their ancestors emigrated from northern India in the latter part of the 19th century) 27.4%, Maroon (their African ancestors were brought to the country in the 17th and 18th centuries as slaves and escaped to the interior) 21.7%, Creole (mixed White and Black) 15.7%, Javanese 13.7%, mixed 13.4%, other 7.6%, unspecified 0.6% (2012 est.)East Indian 39.8%, African descent 29.3%, mixed 19.9%, Amerindian 10.5%, other 0.5% (includes Portuguese, Chinese, White) (2012 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS5,200 (2020 est.)9,000 (2020 est.)
ReligionsProtestant 23.6% (includes Evangelical 11.2%, Moravian 11.2%, Reformed .7%, Lutheran .5%), Hindu 22.3%, Roman Catholic 21.6%, Muslim 13.8%, other Christian 3.2%, Winti 1.8%, Jehovah's Witness 1.2%, other 1.7%, none 7.5%, unspecified 3.2% (2012 est.)Protestant 34.8% (Pentecostal 22.8%, Seventh Day Adventist 5.4%, Anglican 5.2%, Methodist 1.4%), Hindu 24.8%, Roman Catholic 7.1%, Muslim 6.8%, Jehovah's Witness 1.3%, Rastafarian 0.5%, other Christian 20.8%, other 0.9%, none 3.1% (2012 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths<200 (2020 est.)<200 (2020 est.)
LanguagesDutch (official), English (widely spoken), Sranang Tongo (Surinamese, sometimes called Taki-Taki, is the native language of Creoles and much of the younger population and is lingua franca among others), Caribbean Hindustani (a dialect of Hindi), Javanese

major-language sample(s):
Het Wereld Feitenboek, een omnisbare bron van informatie. (Dutch)

The World Factbook, the indispensable source for basic information. (English)
English (official), Guyanese Creole, Amerindian languages (including Caribbean and Arawak languages), Indian languages (including Caribbean Hindustani, a dialect of Hindi), Chinese (2014 est.)
Literacydefinition: age 15 and over can read and write

total population: 94.4%

male: 96.1%

female: 92.7% (2018)
definition: age 15 and over has ever attended school

total population: 88.5%

male: 87.2%

female: 89.8% (2015)
Major infectious diseasesdegree of risk: very high (2020)

food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever

vectorborne diseases: dengue fever and malaria
degree of risk: very high (2020)

food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever

vectorborne diseases: dengue fever and malaria
Education expendituresNA5.5% of GDP (2018)
Urbanizationurban population: 66.2% of total population (2021)

rate of urbanization: 0.88% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)
urban population: 26.9% of total population (2021)

rate of urbanization: 1.01% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)
Drinking water sourceimproved: urban: 98.2% of population

rural: 92% of population

total: 96.6% of population

unimproved: urban: 1.8% of population

rural: 8% of population

total: 3.4% of population (2017 est.)
improved: urban: 100% of population

rural: 95.6% of population

total: 96.7% of population

unimproved: urban: 0% of population

rural: 38.7% of population

total: 26.5% of population (2017 est.)
Sanitation facility accessimproved: urban: 98.5% of population

rural: 88.2% of population

total: 95% of population

unimproved: urban: 1.5% of population

rural: 11.8% of population

total: 5% of population (2017 est.)
improved: urban: 97.8% of population

rural: 95.4% of population

total: 96% of population

unimproved: urban: 2.2% of population

rural: 4.6% of population

total: 4% of population (2017 est.)
Major cities - population239,000 PARAMARIBO (capital) (2018)110,000 GEORGETOWN (capital) (2018)
Maternal mortality rate120 deaths/100,000 live births (2017 est.)667 deaths/100,000 live births (2017 est.)
Children under the age of 5 years underweight6.7% (2018)8.2% (2014)
Health expenditures8% (2018)5.9% (2018)
Physicians density1.21 physicians/1,000 population (2018)0.8 physicians/1,000 population (2018)
Hospital bed density3 beds/1,000 population (2017)1.7 beds/1,000 population (2016)
Obesity - adult prevalence rate26.4% (2016)20.2% (2016)
Demographic profile

Suriname is a pluralistic society consisting primarily of Creoles (persons of mixed African and European heritage), the descendants of escaped African slaves known as Maroons, and the descendants of Indian and Javanese (Indonesian) contract workers. The country overall is in full, post-industrial demographic transition, with a low fertility rate, a moderate mortality rate, and a rising life expectancy. However, the Maroon population of the rural interior lags behind because of lower educational attainment and contraceptive use, higher malnutrition, and significantly less access to electricity, potable water, sanitation, infrastructure, and health care.

Some 350,000 people of Surinamese descent live in the Netherlands, Suriname's former colonial ruler. In the 19th century, better-educated, largely Dutch-speaking Surinamese began emigrating to the Netherlands. World War II interrupted the outflow, but it resumed after the war when Dutch labor demands grew - emigrants included all segments of the Creole population. Suriname still is strongly influenced by the Netherlands because most Surinamese have relatives living there and it is the largest supplier of development aid. Other emigration destinations include French Guiana and the United States. Suriname's immigration rules are flexible, and the country is easy to enter illegally because rainforests obscure its borders. Since the mid-1980s, Brazilians have settled in Suriname's capital, Paramaribo, or eastern Suriname, where they mine gold. This immigration is likely to slowly re-orient Suriname toward its Latin American roots.

Guyana is the only English-speaking country in South America and shares cultural and historical bonds with the Anglophone Caribbean. Guyana's two largest ethnic groups are the Afro-Guyanese (descendants of African slaves) and the Indo-Guyanese (descendants of Indian indentured laborers), which together comprise about three quarters of Guyana's population. Tensions periodically have boiled over between the two groups, which back ethnically based political parties and vote along ethnic lines. Poverty reduction has stagnated since the late 1990s. About one-third of the Guyanese population lives below the poverty line; indigenous people are disproportionately affected. Although Guyana's literacy rate is reported to be among the highest in the Western Hemisphere, the level of functional literacy is considerably lower, which has been attributed to poor education quality, teacher training, and infrastructure.

Guyana's emigration rate is among the highest in the world - more than 55% of its citizens reside abroad - and it is one of the largest recipients of remittances relative to GDP among Latin American and Caribbean counties. Although remittances are a vital source of income for most citizens, the pervasive emigration of skilled workers deprives Guyana of professionals in healthcare and other key sectors. More than 80% of Guyanese nationals with tertiary level educations have emigrated. Brain drain and the concentration of limited medical resources in Georgetown hamper Guyana's ability to meet the health needs of its predominantly rural population. Guyana has one of the highest HIV prevalence rates in the region and continues to rely on international support for its HIV treatment and prevention programs.

Contraceptive prevalence rate39.1% (2018)33.9% (2014)
Dependency ratiostotal dependency ratio: 51.1

youth dependency ratio: 40.3

elderly dependency ratio: 10.8

potential support ratio: 9.3 (2020 est.)
total dependency ratio: 53.2

youth dependency ratio: 42.5

elderly dependency ratio: 10.7

potential support ratio: 9.3 (2020 est.)

Source: CIA Factbook