Armed forces personnel as a share of total population in Suriname
Suriname: Armed forces personnel as a share of total population was 0.3% in 2020. ▼ Falling
Armed forces personnel as a share of total population in Suriname, 1985–2020
Source: The Military Balance - International Institute for Strategic Studies, via World Bank (2026); Population based on various sources (2024) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Suriname recorded 0.3% for armed forces personnel as a share of total population in 2020.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 1.1% on the previous year and down 2.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, armed forces personnel as a share of total population in Suriname peaked at 1.0% in 1989 and was at its lowest, 0.2%, in 2004.
That places Suriname 93rd out of 173 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 33 years of available data.
Armed forces personnel as a share of total population in Suriname, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1985 | 0.5% | — |
| 1989 | 1.0% | +89.5% |
| 1990 | 1.0% | -1.0% |
| 1991 | 1.0% | -0.6% |
| 1992 | 0.5% | -50.3% |
| 1993 | 0.5% | -0.4% |
| 1994 | 0.5% | -0.7% |
| 1995 | 0.4% | -11.5% |
| 1996 | 0.4% | -2.1% |
| 1997 | 0.4% | -2.1% |
| 1998 | 0.4% | -2.0% |
| 1999 | 0.4% | -2.0% |
| 2000 | 0.4% | +8.8% |
| 2001 | 0.4% | -2.0% |
| 2002 | 0.4% | -2.0% |
| 2003 | 0.4% | -11.8% |
| 2004 | 0.2% | -45.3% |
| 2005 | 0.4% | +97.9% |
| 2006 | 0.4% | -1.1% |
| 2007 | 0.4% | -1.1% |
| 2008 | 0.4% | -1.2% |
| 2009 | 0.3% | -9.1% |
| 2010 | 0.3% | -1.2% |
| 2011 | 0.3% | -1.1% |
| 2012 | 0.3% | -1.1% |
| 2013 | 0.3% | +4.3% |
| 2014 | 0.3% | -1.1% |
| 2015 | 0.3% | -1.1% |
| 2016 | 0.3% | -1.0% |
| 2017 | 0.3% | +2.1% |
| 2018 | 0.3% | -8.9% |
| 2019 | 0.3% | +7.6% |
| 2020 | 0.3% | -1.1% |
Suriname compared with similar countries
- Suriname's 0.3% is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 0.5%, 72% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
- Suriname's 0.3% is below the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 0.4%, 89% of the median. (28 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Armed forces personnel as a share of total population in Suriname changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | +97.9% | 0.2% | 0.4% |
| 1989 | +89.5% | 0.5% | 1.0% |
| 1992 | -50.3% | 1.0% | 0.5% |
| 2004 | -45.3% | 0.4% | 0.2% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 0.7% | 0.5% | 1.0% | 2 |
| 1990s | 0.5% | 0.4% | 1.0% | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.4% | 0.2% | 0.4% | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.3% | 0.3% | 0.3% | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.3% | 0.3% | 0.3% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Suriname
More reference data data for Suriname
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.0324 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 0.0374 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 0.1239 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.0109 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 0.1239 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.1088 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 0.0507 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 0.2131 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 0.6104 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.0594 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is armed forces personnel as a share of total population in Suriname?
- Armed forces personnel as a share of total population in Suriname was 0.3% in 2020, according to The Military Balance - International Institute for Strategic Studies, via World Bank (2026); Population based on various sources (2024) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest armed forces personnel as a share of total population recorded in Suriname?
- The highest recorded value was 1.0% in 1989.
- What is the lowest armed forces personnel as a share of total population recorded in Suriname?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.2% in 2004.
- How does Suriname rank for armed forces personnel as a share of total population?
- Suriname ranks 93rd out of 173 countries with data for 2020.
- Is armed forces personnel as a share of total population rising or falling in Suriname?
- Over the last ten years it is down 2.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Suriname data come from?
- The figures come from The Military Balance - International Institute for Strategic Studies, via World Bank (2026); Population based on various sources (2024) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Armed forces personnel as a share of total population. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Armed forces personnel are active duty military personnel, including paramilitary forces if their training, organization, equipment, and control suggest they may be used to support or replace regular military forces.