Unreached peoples of Suriname
An overview of the country's people groups, focusing on those who still have little or no access to the gospel in their own language and culture.
Suriname is home to 22 cataloged people groups, a rare mosaic of descendants of Indians, Javanese, Africans, Europeans and Amazonian indigenous peoples. Most groups already have access to the gospel and have some evangelical Christian presence, the result of the country's long Moravian missionary history. Even so, two peoples remain unreached: the Saramaccans, one of the Maroon peoples (descendants of Africans who fled slavery) of the interior, tied mainly to traditional ethnic religions, and the small, nearly extinct Jewish community of Dutch origin.
- 5.3% Unreached (33K)
- 1.1% Minimally reached (7K)
- 0.1% Superficially reached (0)
- 20.6% Partially reached (128K)
- 73% Significantly reached (454K)
- 9.1% Unreached (2)
- 22.7% Minimally reached (5)
- 9.1% Superficially reached (2)
- 31.8% Partially reached (7)
- 27.3% Significantly reached (6)
Source of people group data: Joshua Project (joshuaproject.net). Estimates, may vary.
Source: Joshua Project. Estimates, may vary.
| People | Population | Language | Evang. | Chr. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saramaccan Matawari | 2K | Saramaccan | 0.5% | 8% |
| Dutch Jew | 34K | Dutch | 0.1% | 0.5% |
| Saramaka | 36K | Saramaccan | 0.8% | 11.3% |
| Wayana | 2K | Wayana | 0.7% | 20% |
| Warao | 49K | Warao | 1.4% | 20% |
| Tiriyo | 3K | Trio | 1% | 30% |
| Akuliyo | 70 | Trio | 2% | 18% |
| Kwinti | 300 | Kwinti | 2% | 70% |
| Sikiana | 100 | Sikiana | 2.3% | 47.3% |
| Dutch-speaking Surinamese | 2K | Dutch | 4.3% | 47% |
| Hmong Njua | 797K | Hmong Njua | 5.5% | 15.8% |
| Galibi Carib | 32K | Carib | 5.2% | 60.8% |
| Cantonese | 80.1M | Yue Chinese | 7.6% | 9.7% |
| East Indian | 1.4M | Sarnami Hindustani | 7.9% | 25.3% |
| Hakka Han Chinese | 43.9M | Hakka Chinese | 7.1% | 8.9% |
| Caribbean Javanese | 96K | Surinamese Javanese | 7.8% | 35% |
| Surinamese Creole | 558K | Sranan Tongo | 8.5% | 71.9% |
| Arawak | 26K | Arawak | 9.6% | 88.6% |
| Aukan Ndjuka | 75K | Aukan | 9.9% | 83.2% |
| Latin American, general | 1.1M | Spanish | 10.2% | 93.7% |
| Indonesian | 15.1M | Indonesian | 11.2% | 16.7% |
| Guyanese | 389K | Guyanese Creole | 20.2% | 88% |
Intercede for Suriname and its peoples
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