Land use in Suriname
Suriname: Land use was 55,432 hectares in 2023. ▲ Rising
Latest (2023)
55,432 hectares
Change on year
up 4.6%
World rank
164th
of 224 countries
All-time high
71,000 hectares
in 2014
All-time low
35,000 hectares
in 1961
Years of data
63
1961–2023
Land use in Suriname, 1961–2023
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in hectares.
Analysis
The most recent figure for land use in Suriname is 55,432 hectares, measured in 2023.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 4.6% on the previous year and down 16.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, land use in Suriname peaked at 71,000 hectares in 2014 and was at its lowest, 35,000 hectares, in 1961.
Suriname ranks 164th of 224 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 63 years of available data.
Land use in Suriname, year by year
| Year | hectares | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 35,000 hectares | — |
| 1962 | 36,000 hectares | +2.9% |
| 1963 | 35,000 hectares | -2.8% |
| 1964 | 39,000 hectares | +11.4% |
| 1965 | 38,000 hectares | -2.6% |
| 1966 | 37,000 hectares | -2.6% |
| 1967 | 36,000 hectares | -2.7% |
| 1968 | 36,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1969 | 38,000 hectares | +5.6% |
| 1970 | 38,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1971 | 41,000 hectares | +7.9% |
| 1972 | 41,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1973 | 43,000 hectares | +4.9% |
| 1974 | 43,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1975 | 43,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1976 | 43,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1977 | 44,000 hectares | +2.3% |
| 1978 | 44,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1979 | 45,000 hectares | +2.3% |
| 1980 | 49,000 hectares | +8.9% |
| 1981 | 52,000 hectares | +6.1% |
| 1982 | 55,000 hectares | +5.8% |
| 1983 | 57,000 hectares | +3.6% |
| 1984 | 59,000 hectares | +3.5% |
| 1985 | 62,000 hectares | +5.1% |
| 1986 | 64,000 hectares | +3.2% |
| 1987 | 68,000 hectares | +6.2% |
| 1988 | 68,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1989 | 68,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1990 | 68,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1991 | 68,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1992 | 68,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1993 | 68,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 68,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1995 | 68,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1996 | 68,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1997 | 67,000 hectares | -1.5% |
| 1998 | 67,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1999 | 67,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 67,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 65,000 hectares | -3.0% |
| 2002 | 52,000 hectares | -20.0% |
| 2003 | 61,000 hectares | +17.3% |
| 2004 | 59,000 hectares | -3.3% |
| 2005 | 55,000 hectares | -6.8% |
| 2006 | 55,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 52,000 hectares | -5.5% |
| 2008 | 52,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 63,000 hectares | +21.2% |
| 2010 | 61,000 hectares | -3.2% |
| 2011 | 63,000 hectares | +3.3% |
| 2012 | 57,000 hectares | -9.5% |
| 2013 | 66,000 hectares | +15.8% |
| 2014 | 71,000 hectares | +7.6% |
| 2015 | 71,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 71,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 68,000 hectares | -4.2% |
| 2018 | 68,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 67,000 hectares | -1.5% |
| 2020 | 65,000 hectares | -3.0% |
| 2021 | 62,000 hectares | -4.6% |
| 2022 | 53,000 hectares | -14.5% |
| 2023 | 55,432 hectares | +4.6% |
Suriname compared with similar countries
- Suriname's 55,432 hectares is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 1.58 million hectares, 4% of the median. (58 countries reporting)
- Suriname's 55,432 hectares is below the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 544,348 hectares, 10% of the median. (39 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 36,667 hectares | 35,000 hectares | 39,000 hectares | 9 |
| 1970s | 42,500 hectares | 38,000 hectares | 45,000 hectares | 10 |
| 1980s | 60,200 hectares | 49,000 hectares | 68,000 hectares | 10 |
| 1990s | 67,700 hectares | 67,000 hectares | 68,000 hectares | 10 |
| 2000s | 58,100 hectares | 52,000 hectares | 67,000 hectares | 10 |
| 2010s | 66,300 hectares | 57,000 hectares | 71,000 hectares | 10 |
| 2020s | 58,858 hectares | 53,000 hectares | 65,000 hectares | 4 |
Countries ranked near Suriname
- 161 Mauritius 78,957 hectares compare
- 162 Puerto Rico 66,200 hectares compare
- 163 Luxembourg 62,878 hectares compare
- 165 Cape Verde 54,000 hectares compare
- 166 Trinidad and Tobago 47,000 hectares compare
- 167 Samoa 42,420 hectares compare
More environment data for Suriname
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly 1.4 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly 1.91 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.222 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 1.86 °C (2025)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual 2.23 % change on previous year (2024)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), per unit 0 Mt CO2e per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), per capita 0 Mt CO2e per person (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Agriculture (Mt CO2e), annual growth rate -0.158 % change on previous year (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Agriculture (Mt CO2e), per unit of GDP 0 Mt CO2e per US$ of GDP (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is land use in Suriname?
- Land use in Suriname was 55,432 hectares in 2023, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest land use recorded in Suriname?
- The highest recorded value was 71,000 hectares in 2014.
- What is the lowest land use recorded in Suriname?
- The lowest recorded value was 35,000 hectares in 1961.
- How does Suriname rank for land use?
- Suriname ranks 164th out of 224 countries with data for 2023.
- Is land use rising or falling in Suriname?
- Over the last ten years it is down 16.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Suriname data come from?
- The figures come from Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Land use. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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