Armed forces personnel in Suriname

Suriname: Armed forces personnel was 2,000 in 2020. ▼ Falling

Latest (2020)
2,000
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
156th
of 173 countries
All-time high
4,000
in 1989
All-time low
1,000
in 2004
Years of data
33
1985–2020

Armed forces personnel in Suriname, 1985–2020

1.0k2.0k3.0k4.0k1985200220201985: 2.0k1989: 4.0k1990: 4.0k1991: 4.0k1992: 2.0k1993: 2.0k1994: 2.0k1995: 1.8k1996: 1.8k1997: 1.8k1998: 1.8k1999: 1.8k2000: 2.0k2001: 2.0k2002: 2.0k2003: 1.8k2004: 1.0k2005: 2.0k2006: 2.0k2007: 2.0k2008: 2.0k2009: 1.8k2010: 1.8k2011: 1.8k2012: 1.8k2013: 1.9k2014: 1.9k2015: 1.9k2016: 1.9k2017: 2.0k2018: 1.8k2019: 2.0k2020: 2.0k

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.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest 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

  1. 153 Eswatini 3,000 compare
  2. 153 Guyana 3,000 compare
  3. 153 Mauritius 3,000 compare
  4. 156 Bahamas 2,000 compare
  5. 156 Belize 2,000 compare
  6. 156 East Timor 2,000 compare
  7. 156 Lesotho 2,000 compare
  8. 156 Liberia 2,000 compare

See the full ranking of 173 places →

More reference data data for Suriname

All data for Suriname →

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

Indicator
Armed forces personnel
Source
The Military Balance - International Institute for Strategic Studies, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
173 places, 5,352 data points, 1985–2020
Last refreshed

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.