Over 250,000 Surinamese people have moved to the Netherlands since 1975

A total of 256,000 Surinamese citizens have emigrated to the Netherlands since the country became independent in 1975, Statistics Netherlands has reported. November 25 will mark 50 years of Suriname’s independence from the Netherlands.

Immigration to the Netherlands began rising in the early 1960s and peaked in 1975. Another peak followed in 1979 and 1980, linked to the expiration of the so-called allocation agreement, which allowed Surinamese citizens to obtain Dutch nationality for up to five years after independence. After 1980, immigration declined. Over the past three years, however, it has inched up again, reaching nearly 4,000 people in 2024.

By September 2025, the Netherlands was home to 181,000 residents born in Suriname, the majority aged between 50 and 75. In addition, 189,000 people born in the Netherlands have one or two parents who were born in Suriname.

Almere has the highest share of residents with Surinamese roots: 11.5 percent were born in Suriname or have at least one parent born there. Nationally, that figure is 2 percent, according to Statistics Netherlands.

The cities of The Hague and Rotterdam each have 8 percent, while Amsterdam and Lelystad have 7 percent. Statistics Netherlands also highlights nearby municipalities such as Diemen, Zoetermeer, and Capelle aan den IJssel.

Women make up the majority of Suriname-born residents in the Netherlands, with 128 women for every 100 men. From 1975 to 2024, more women than men migrated to the Netherlands, and Surinamese men more often moved away again.

According to Statistics Netherlands, women of Surinamese origin are relatively often the head of a single-parent household. This applies to 32 percent of women aged 40 to 45, compared with 12 percent of women of Dutch origin.

There is little difference between women born in Suriname and second-generation women. Men of Surinamese origin in the same age group are more likely to live alone (30 percent) than men of Dutch origin (19 percent).