According to the 2004 census, Suriname has a population of 492,829 inhabitants. It is made up of a number of distinct ethnic groups.

• Amerindians, the original inhabitants of Suriname, form 3.6% of the population. The main groups being the Akuriyo, Arawak, Carib/Kaliña, Trío (Tiriyó), and Wayana. They live mainly in the districts of Paramaribo, Wanica, Maroni and Sipaliwini.
• Hindoestanen form the largest major group at 33% of the population. They are descendants of 19th-century contract workers from India. They are from the Indian states of Bihar and Eastern Uttar Pradesh, in Northern India, along the Nepali border.
• The Surinamese Creoles form the middle group 31% of the population. They are the mixed descendants of West African slaves and Europeans (mostly Dutch).
• The Javanese (descendants of contract workers from the former Dutch East Indies on the island of Java, Indonesia),[17] form 15% of the population.
• Surinamese Maroons (descendants of escaped West African slaves) make up 10% and are divided into five main groups: Ndyuka (Aucans), Kwinti, Matawai, Saramaccans and Paramaccans.
• Chinese, about 14,000 are descendants of the earliest 19th-century contract workers. The 1990′s and early 21st century saw renewed immigration on a large scale. In the year 2011 there were over 41,000 Chinese in Suriname, including legal and illegal migrants.
• Boeroes (derived from boer, the Dutch word for “farmer”) are descendants of Dutch 19th-century immigrant farmers. Most Boeroes left after independence in 1975.
• Jews, mainly descendants of Sephardic Jews and Ashkenazi Jews. In their history, Jodensavanne plays a major role. Many Jews are mixed with other populations.
• Lebanese, primarily Maronites, many from the town of Bcharre, Lebanon.
• Brazilians, many of them gold miners. Most of the nearly 40,000 Brazilians living in Suriname arrived during the past several years.