Share of population living in urban areas in Suriname
Suriname: Share of population living in urban areas was 70.8% in 2020. ▲ Rising
Share of population living in urban areas in Suriname, 1950–2020
Source: European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Suriname recorded 70.8% for share of population living in urban areas in 2020. That is the highest value across all 15 years on record.
That represents a change of up 4.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of population living in urban areas in Suriname peaked at 70.8% in 2020 and was at its lowest, 43.5%, in 1950.
Suriname ranks 139th of 236 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 15 years of available data.
Share of population living in urban areas in Suriname, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 43.5% | — |
| 1955 | 46.7% | +7.5% |
| 1960 | 50.5% | +8.0% |
| 1965 | 55.1% | +9.0% |
| 1970 | 59.1% | +7.3% |
| 1975 | 60.2% | +1.8% |
| 1980 | 62.4% | +3.7% |
| 1985 | 63.0% | +0.9% |
| 1990 | 62.6% | -0.6% |
| 1995 | 62.7% | +0.1% |
| 2000 | 62.4% | -0.4% |
| 2005 | 63.7% | +2.1% |
| 2010 | 67.4% | +5.9% |
| 2015 | 68.6% | +1.6% |
| 2020 | 70.8% | +3.2% |
Suriname compared with similar countries
- Suriname's 70.8% is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 74.7%, 95% of the median. (58 countries reporting)
- Suriname's 70.8% is below the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 76.4%, 93% of the median. (42 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 45.1% | 43.5% | 46.7% | 2 |
| 1960s | 52.8% | 50.5% | 55.1% | 2 |
| 1970s | 59.6% | 59.1% | 60.2% | 2 |
| 1980s | 62.7% | 62.4% | 63.0% | 2 |
| 1990s | 62.6% | 62.6% | 62.7% | 2 |
| 2000s | 63.1% | 62.4% | 63.7% | 2 |
| 2010s | 68.0% | 67.4% | 68.6% | 2 |
| 2020s | 70.8% | 70.8% | 70.8% | 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 share of population living in urban areas in Suriname?
- Share of population living in urban areas in Suriname was 70.8% in 2020, according to European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of population living in urban areas recorded in Suriname?
- The highest recorded value was 70.8% in 2020.
- What is the lowest share of population living in urban areas recorded in Suriname?
- The lowest recorded value was 43.5% in 1950.
- How does Suriname rank for share of population living in urban areas?
- Suriname ranks 139th out of 236 countries with data for 2020.
- Is share of population living in urban areas rising or falling in Suriname?
- Over the last ten years it is up 4.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Suriname data come from?
- The figures come from European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of population living in urban areas. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Estimated share of the population living in urban areas (the sum of cities and towns and suburbs). Urban areas are identified using satellite imagery and population data, applying the same definitions across countries.