Chinese Surinamese
Chinese Surinamese people are Surinamese residents of ethnic Han Chinese origin. The earliest migrants came in the 19th century as indentured laborers; there was another wave of migration in the 1950s and 1960s. There were 7,885 Chinese in Suriname at the 2012 census, constituting 1.5% of the total population. They constitute the largest component of the 'other' ethnic category, which makes up 2.3% of the population as per the CIA World Factbook. The majority of the Chinese Surinamese consider Hakka (Dongguan, Huiyang, Huizhou or Bao'an, Shenzhen) of Guangdong as their ancestral homes. There is a small minority of Heshan, Jiangmen origin Cantonese and Hakkas as well.
| Total population | |
|---|---|
| 7,885 (2012) | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
| Paramaribo · Wanica | |
| Languages | |
| Hakka Chinese · Cantonese · Mandarin · Dutch · Sranan Tongo | |
| Religion | |
| No religion · Christianity · Chinese folk religion (incl. Taoism and Confucianism) · Buddhism | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Chinese Caribbean |
Many Chinese Surinamese are active in the retail and business community. Six percent of the Chinese in the Netherlands migrated from Suriname.