Food imports (% of merchandise imports) in Suriname
Suriname: Food imports (% of merchandise imports) was 15.1% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Food imports in Suriname, 1962–2025
Source: Comtrade database, United Nations (UN), publisher: UN Statistics Division. Measured in % of merchandise imports.
Analysis
Suriname recorded 15.1% for food imports in 2025.
That represents a change of down 2.4% on the previous year and up 12.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, food imports in Suriname peaked at 18.9% in 2016 and was at its lowest, 9.3%, in 1994.
That places Suriname 95th out of 196 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 36 years of available data.
Food imports (% of merchandise imports) in Suriname, year by year
| Year | % of merchandise imports | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1962 | 18.2% | — |
| 1965 | 11.7% | -35.6% |
| 1973 | 15.8% | +34.6% |
| 1974 | 11.9% | -24.9% |
| 1994 | 9.3% | -21.3% |
| 1995 | 14.0% | +49.8% |
| 1996 | 14.1% | +1.1% |
| 1997 | 14.9% | +5.0% |
| 1998 | 14.5% | -2.6% |
| 1999 | 15.5% | +7.1% |
| 2000 | 14.0% | -9.4% |
| 2001 | 14.2% | +1.3% |
| 2002 | 14.8% | +3.8% |
| 2003 | 13.3% | -9.9% |
| 2004 | 11.1% | -16.5% |
| 2005 | 9.5% | -14.2% |
| 2006 | 9.7% | +1.8% |
| 2007 | 11.2% | +15.9% |
| 2008 | 11.7% | +3.7% |
| 2009 | 14.3% | +22.3% |
| 2010 | 15.2% | +6.4% |
| 2011 | 14.3% | -5.4% |
| 2012 | 15.2% | +6.2% |
| 2013 | 11.3% | -25.8% |
| 2014 | 13.7% | +21.0% |
| 2015 | 13.4% | -2.0% |
| 2016 | 18.9% | +40.8% |
| 2017 | 16.7% | -11.4% |
| 2018 | 14.1% | -16.1% |
| 2019 | 13.1% | -6.6% |
| 2020 | 13.3% | +1.6% |
| 2021 | 16.1% | +20.4% |
| 2022 | 15.1% | -5.8% |
| 2023 | 15.8% | +4.5% |
| 2024 | 15.5% | -1.8% |
| 2025 | 15.1% | -2.4% |
Suriname compared with similar countries
- Suriname's 15.1% is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 15.4%, 98% of the median. (56 countries reporting)
- Suriname's 15.1% is below the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 19.0%, 80% of the median. (37 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 15.0% | 11.7% | 18.2% | 2 |
| 1970s | 13.8% | 11.9% | 15.8% | 2 |
| 1990s | 13.7% | 9.3% | 15.5% | 6 |
| 2000s | 12.4% | 9.5% | 14.8% | 10 |
| 2010s | 14.6% | 11.3% | 18.9% | 10 |
| 2020s | 15.2% | 13.3% | 16.1% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Suriname
More private sector data for Suriname
- Merchandise trade 108.1% (2025)
- Manufactures imports 71.6% (2025)
- Merchandise imports 2.20 billion current US$ (2025)
- Commercial service imports 3.59 billion current US$ (2025)
- Food exports 2.4% (2025)
- Manufactures exports 2.2% (2025)
- Merchandise exports 2.69 billion current US$ (2025)
- Commercial service exports 207.79 million current US$ (2025)
- Merchandise exports (current US$), per capita 4,204 current US$ per person (2025)
- Merchandise exports (current US$), per unit of GDP 0.5947 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is food imports in Suriname?
- Food imports in Suriname was 15.1% in 2025, according to Comtrade database, United Nations (UN), publisher: UN Statistics Division.
- What is the highest food imports recorded in Suriname?
- The highest recorded value was 18.9% in 2016.
- What is the lowest food imports recorded in Suriname?
- The lowest recorded value was 9.3% in 1994.
- How does Suriname rank for food imports?
- Suriname ranks 95th out of 196 countries with data for 2025.
- Is food imports rising or falling in Suriname?
- Over the last ten years it is up 12.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Suriname data come from?
- The figures come from Comtrade database, United Nations (UN), publisher: UN Statistics Division, published as part of Food imports (% of merchandise imports). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 36 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Food comprises the commodities in SITC (Rev. 3) sections 0 (food and live animals), 1 (beverages and tobacco), and 4 (animal and vegetable oils and fats) and division 22 (oil seeds, oil nuts, and oil kernels). This indicator is expressed as a percentage of merchandise imports which is comprised of goods whose economic ownership is changed between a non-resident and a resident and that are not included in the following specific categories: goods under merchanting, non-monetary gold, and parts of travel, construction, and government goods and services n.i.e.