On November 25, it will be fifty years since Suriname gained independence from the Netherlands. In the year of independence, 1975, immigration from Suriname increased sharply. From 1975 through 2024, 256 thousand people emigrated from Suriname to the Netherlands. Currently, 181 thousand people born in Suriname live in the Netherlands, predominantly women and of relatively high age. This is reported by Statistics Netherlands (CBS).
Since the early 1960s, migration from Suriname increased, fifteen years before independence. This was due to the deteriorating economy in Suriname, while the Dutch economy was growing. The chain migration also slowly started: more and more Surinamese had a family member living in the Netherlands with whom they reunited.

Immigration peaks in 1975 and declines after 1980

In 1975, the year of independence, immigration peaked. At that time, 40 thousand people settled in the Netherlands, of whom over 17 thousand still live here now. In 1979 and 1980, a second peak followed, related to the expiration of the separation agreement, which allowed Surinamese up to five years after independence to choose Dutch nationality. After that, it became more difficult to move to the Netherlands.

After 1980, immigration declined. In the early 1990s, more than 8 thousand people from Suriname arrived annually, but from 1994 it remained below 5 thousand. In the last three years, immigration increased again, to nearly 4 thousand in 2024.

From the Netherlands to Suriname