8 answers, 2 from Suriname's own official bodies, with a link to each figure.
Suriname's gross enrolment ratio in primary education was 91.9% in 2024, according to World Bank data. In secondary education it was 76.1% in 2023, according to the same source.
Gross ratios compare all pupils enrolled at a level with the population of the official age for that level, so they can be affected by pupils who are older than the official age. Public spending on education was 2.9% of GDP in 2023, according to the World Bank.
18.70% of children in primary education (GLO) in Suriname were older than the official age for their grade in 2025, according to Ministry of Education, Science and Culture figures in the General Bureau of Statistics gender publication 2025. The share was 22.20% for boys and 14.18% for girls.
The share fell to 14.03% in 2021 and rose again to 19.78% in 2022; it has been between about 17% and 21% since 2015.
The figures below use one definition for every country, so they can differ from national figures.
86.0%: that is net primary school enrolment in Suriname for 2018, according to the UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Its high point since 2005 was 2009, at 91.5%; its low point was 2005, at 82.6%. Latin America & Caribbean median: 92.9%; Suriname is 14th highest of 17. Of 69 countries with 2018 data, 53rd highest.
According to the UNESCO Institute for Statistics, gross secondary school enrolment in Suriname was 76.1% in 2023. The peak was 78.0% in 2022 and the low 65.6% in 2021. Latin America & Caribbean median: 92.9%; Suriname is 23rd highest of 28. Of 138 countries with 2023 data, 109th highest.
According to the UNESCO Institute for Statistics, gross tertiary enrolment in Suriname was 2.6% in 2024. That is the lowest since at least 2019. Across Latin America & Caribbean the middle value was 38.0%, and Suriname placed 12th highest of 12. Of 90 countries with 2024 data, 90th highest.
The UNESCO Institute for Statistics puts government spending on education in Suriname at 2.9% of GDP in 2023. It is the bottom of the series, which starts in 2015. Latin America & Caribbean median: 3.8% of GDP; Suriname is 22nd highest of 26. Worldwide: 80th of 112.
The UNESCO Institute for Statistics puts the number of primary pupils per teacher in Suriname at 13 in 2018. The peak was 19 in 2005 and the low 13 in 2017. Across Latin America & Caribbean the middle value was 18, and Suriname placed 15th highest of 18. Of 85 countries with 2018 data, 72nd highest.
75.2%: that is the primary completion rate in Suriname for 2021, according to the UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Its high point since 2005 was 2020, at 87.5%; its low point was 2007, at 69.6%. Across Latin America & Caribbean the middle value was 97.9%, and Suriname placed 19th highest of 20. World rank, highest first: 113th of 130.
Read on 14 October 2026. Definitions · Report an error