Armed forces personnel in Suriname
Suriname: Armed forces personnel was 2,000 in 2020. ▼ Falling
Armed forces personnel in Suriname, 1985–2020
Source: The Military Balance - International Institute for Strategic Studies, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2020, armed forces personnel in Suriname stood at 2,000.
The figure is up 8.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, armed forces personnel in Suriname peaked at 4,000 in 1989 and was at its lowest, 1,000, in 2004.
Suriname ranks 156th of 173 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 33 years of available data.
Armed forces personnel in Suriname, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1985 | 2,000 | — |
| 1989 | 4,000 | +100.0% |
| 1990 | 4,000 | +0.0% |
| 1991 | 4,000 | +0.0% |
| 1992 | 2,000 | -50.0% |
| 1993 | 2,000 | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 2,000 | +0.0% |
| 1995 | 1,800 | -10.0% |
| 1996 | 1,800 | +0.0% |
| 1997 | 1,800 | +0.0% |
| 1998 | 1,800 | +0.0% |
| 1999 | 1,800 | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 2,000 | +11.1% |
| 2001 | 2,000 | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 2,000 | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 1,800 | -10.0% |
| 2004 | 1,000 | -44.4% |
| 2005 | 2,000 | +100.0% |
| 2006 | 2,000 | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 2,000 | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 2,000 | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 1,840 | -8.0% |
| 2010 | 1,840 | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 1,840 | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 1,840 | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 1,940 | +5.4% |
| 2014 | 1,940 | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 1,940 | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 1,940 | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 2,000 | +3.1% |
| 2018 | 1,840 | -8.0% |
| 2019 | 2,000 | +8.7% |
| 2020 | 2,000 | +0.0% |
Suriname compared with similar countries
- Suriname's 2,000 is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 64,000, 3% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
- Suriname's 2,000 is below the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 28,500, 7% of the median. (28 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 3,000 | 2,000 | 4,000 | 2 |
| 1990s | 2,300 | 1,800 | 4,000 | 10 |
| 2000s | 1,864 | 1,000 | 2,000 | 10 |
| 2010s | 1,912 | 1,840 | 2,000 | 10 |
| 2020s | 2,000 | 2,000 | 2,000 | 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 in Suriname?
- Armed forces personnel in Suriname was 2,000 in 2020, according to The Military Balance - International Institute for Strategic Studies, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest armed forces personnel recorded in Suriname?
- The highest recorded value was 4,000 in 1989.
- What is the lowest armed forces personnel recorded in Suriname?
- The lowest recorded value was 1,000 in 2004.
- How does Suriname rank for armed forces personnel?
- Suriname ranks 156th out of 173 countries with data for 2020.
- Is armed forces personnel rising or falling in Suriname?
- Over the last ten years it is up 8.7%. 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) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Armed forces personnel. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 33 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
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.