Business by district
Suriname has ten districts, but two thirds of its people live in Paramaribo and Wanica. If you do business outside the capital you have different customers, different opportunities and your own office for local licences: the district commissioner. Below, for each district: the figures, the economy, the transport links and where to arrange what.
On this page (11)
- The ten districts in figures
- Where your customers live
- How district government works
- What do you arrange with the district commissioner?
- Step by step: opening a business in a district
- Decentralisation: what is changing
- Roads, ports and border crossings
- Choose your district
- What if...
- Sources
- Frequently asked questions
- The market is concentrated: Paramaribo and Wanica together have 359,146 of the 541,638 inhabitants. Wanica, Para and Commewijne grew fastest between 2004 and 2012.
- Each district has its own economic engines: rice in Nickerie, onshore oil in Saramacca, the refinery in Wanica, hydropower and gold in Brokopondo, the Merian gold mine in Marowijne, the airport in Para.
- KKF registration and tax matters are national, mostly handled in Paramaribo. Local licences (food and drink, events, street stalls, Nuisance Act) come from the district commissioner of the place where your business will be.
- Large districts are split into administrative areas, each with its own district commissioner. Wanica has had three since August 2025.
- The population figures are from the 2012 census. The ninth census has been carried out, but as of 26 October 2026 the statistics bureau ABS had not published results.
The ten districts in figures
Population and area from the final results of the eighth census (ABS, 2012). Click a district for its economy, transport links and opportunities.
| District (capital) | Population 2012 | Area | Main activities |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paramaribo (Paramaribo) | 240,924 | 182 km² | Trade, government, banking, port, services, tourism |
| Wanica (Lelydorp) | 118,222 | 443 km² | Suburbs and retail, oil refinery, power plant, horticulture |
| Nickerie (Nieuw Nickerie) | 34,233 | 5,353 km² | Rice, bananas, mango, border trade with Guyana |
| Coronie (Totness) | 3,391 | 3,902 km² | Coconut, new farming projects, through traffic |
| Saramacca (Groningen) | 17,480 | 3,636 km² | Onshore oil (Staatsolie), bananas, farming |
| Commewijne (Nieuw Amsterdam) | 31,420 | 2,353 km² | Farming, tourism (plantations), suburbs |
| Marowijne (Albina) | 18,294 | 4,627 km² | Gold (Merian), border trade with French Guiana, former bauxite |
| Para (Onverwacht) | 24,700 | 5,393 km² | International airport, timber, farming, recreation |
| Brokopondo (Brokopondo) | 15,909 | 7,364 km² | Hydropower (Afobaka), gold (Rosebel and small-scale), tourism |
| Sipaliwini (no capital) | 37,065 | 130,567 km² | Small-scale gold, timber, eco-tourism, village economy |
| Suriname | 541,638 | 163,820 km² | Oil, gold, rice, timber, fish and bananas are the main exports |
The ninth General Population and Housing Census (law passed on 4 October 2024, fieldwork in late 2024 and 2025) has no published results yet. We will update this table when ABS publishes them. For your market plan, allow for growth since 2012, especially in Wanica, Para and Commewijne.
Where your customers live
Between the 2004 and 2012 censuses Suriname grew 9.9%. Almost all of that growth was around the capital: Wanica grew 37.5%, Para 31.7% and Commewijne 27.5%. Paramaribo itself shrank slightly (-0.8%) and Nickerie lost 6.6% of its people. The city is spilling over into the neighbouring districts. For shops, schools, healthcare and builders, the growing areas in Wanica (Kwatta, Koewarasan, De Nieuwe Grond, Lelydorp), Commewijne (Meerzorg) and Para (Noord) are often a better bet than central Paramaribo.
The interior is vast and thinly populated. Sipaliwini covers almost 80% of the land but has only 6.8% of the people, spread over more than 150 villages. There the business is transport, energy and services delivered on site, not volume.
How district government works
The Regional Bodies Act (Wet Regionale Organen, S.B. 1989 no. 44) governs the districts. Three bodies matter for business:
- The district commissioner (DC) represents the government in the district and chairs the district administration, which includes a representative of each ministry. The district administration runs day-to-day affairs. The DC issues local licences and advises on land applications.
- The district council (districtsraad) is the highest political body of the district and is elected. It can make district by-laws, for example on the upkeep of public places. A by-law can introduce a purpose levy (bestemmingsheffing), a local charge for a specific aim, which needs the approval of the National Assembly. The revenue can go into a district fund managed by the district administration.
- The ressort council (ressortraad) is the elected body of a ressort and oversees what the district administration does in that ressort.
The Ministry of Regional Development (RO) is responsible for the district commissioners. Large districts are split into administrative areas (bestuursressorten), each with its own DC. Paramaribo has several; Wanica has had three since the Wanica Ressort Division Decree 2025 (Centre, South-East and North-West); in Sipaliwini each ressort has its own DC. So go to the commissioner's office for the area where your premises are, not necessarily to the district capital.
What do you arrange with the district commissioner?
Since the licence list was cut sharply in 2011, the DC no longer licenses trades. The DC still handles:
- Places serving food and drink and the sale of spirits (restaurant, snack bar, bar), under the Drinking Houses and Public Entertainment Act.
- Public entertainment: parties, concerts, events.
- Stalls on the public road: a market stall, food truck or roadside sales point.
- Nuisance Act permit (Hinderwetvergunning) for businesses that may cause danger, damage or nuisance to neighbours, such as a workshop, paint shop or fuel storage.
- Advice on land applications: an application for state land is posted at the commissioner's office and the local administrative post, and the DC advises the minister.
Forms, fees and processing times are not published centrally and can differ by district. Call or visit the commissioner's office before you sign a lease or buy stock. If you want a place at a market, ask the office who manages that market. More on national licences: Business licences. On land: Buying land and property.
Step by step: opening a business in a district
- Choose the location and check the building or land. Is there a valid title (freehold, land lease, rental contract)? May a business operate there? Buying land and property
- Visit the commissioner's office. Ask which local licence you need, what it costs and how long it takes. Also ask about plans for the area, such as road works or a new market.
- Register with the KKF and apply for a FIN tax number at the tax office. Start a business
- Check whether your activity is on the national licence list (for example a hotel, petrol station or butcher). That licence comes from the ministry, not the DC. Business licences
- Apply for the local licence with the DC: food and drink, event, street stall or Nuisance Act.
- If you build or renovate, you also need a building permit. If you sell food, a health certificate.
- Arrange utilities early. Ask early about a power and water connection. Remote areas often have no grid, so you work with a generator or solar panels.
- Hire staff under the national rules. Hiring staff
Decentralisation: what is changing
More autonomy and own income for the districts are on the agenda. In April 2026 the Ministry of Regional Development said it is drafting bills to help district commissioners work better and give them more ways to raise income. Wanica got a third administrative area in August 2025, partly because of urban growth and industry. In Sipaliwini the ministry wants to upgrade offices in the district so the DCs no longer have to work from Paramaribo.
What does that mean for you? Local rules and levies may start to differ by district in the coming years. Ask the commissioner's office about district by-laws for your trade, and keep an eye on our overview of new laws: New laws and rules.
Roads, ports and border crossings
- East-West Link. The main coastal road from Albina via Paramaribo to Nieuw Nickerie, with bridges over the Suriname (Jules Wijdenbosch Bridge, 2000), the Saramacca (2011) and the Coppename (1999). A southern branch runs from Paramaribo via Bitagron to Apoera.
- To Guyana. The ferry Canawaima sails between South Drain (Nickerie) and Moleson Creek, since 1998. In August 2026 the service stopped for about a week. At the end of September 2026 the two countries still had no new agreement on a bridge across the Corantijn.
- To French Guiana. A car ferry runs between Albina and Saint-Laurent-du-Maroni, since 1969. Passengers also cross by dugout boat (korjaal).
- Seaports. The Dr. Jules Sedney Harbour in Paramaribo; Havenbeheer Suriname also manages the port of Nieuw Nickerie.
- Airports. International through Johan Adolf Pengel airport at Zanderij (Para). Domestic and charter flights from Zorg en Hoop in Paramaribo to airstrips in the interior.
If you export or import across a land border, you need a customs post (among others in Albina and Nieuw Nickerie). See Exporting from Suriname and Importing goods.
Choose your district
What if...
- ...my business operates in several districts? You register once with the KKF, but a local licence belongs to a location. A second restaurant or stall in another district needs a licence from that district's DC.
- ...I want to work in the interior? Many villages have traditional authorities (granman, kapitein). Make arrangements with the village leadership, and for gold apply for a concession at the GMD. Gold and oil price
- ...I want to compare sectors, not places? See Sectors and opportunities and Starting an agribusiness.
- ...I am writing a business plan for a district? Use the figures above as a base and add growth since 2012. Writing a business plan
Sources
- ABS: definitieve resultaten Census 8, bevolking en oppervlakte per district
- ABS: Census 8 districtsresultaten Paramaribo en Wanica (2014)
- ABS: Census 8 districtsresultaten volume II (2014)
- ABS: status negende volkstelling
- City Population: districten en ressorten (censuscijfers ABS)
- Wet Regionale Organen, S.B. 1989 no. 44 (zoals gewijzigd)
- Besluit Ressortenindeling Wanica 2025, S.B. 2025 no. 111
- Suriname Herald: versterking districten bij RO (21 April 2026)
- Keynews: RO over kantoren DC's in Sipaliwini (2 September 2026)
- De West: Corantijnbrug (30 September 2026)
- Kaieteur News: Canawaima-veerdienst (September 2026)
- Oost-Westverbinding: route, bruggen en veerdiensten
Checked on 26 October 2026. General information, not legal advice.
Frequently asked questions
How many districts does Suriname have?
Ten: Paramaribo, Wanica, Nickerie, Coronie, Saramacca, Commewijne, Marowijne, Para, Brokopondo and Sipaliwini. They are divided into 63 ressorts. Sipaliwini is the only district without a capital.
What does the district commissioner handle for businesses?
Local licences: for places serving food and drink, public entertainment such as parties, stalls on the public road and the Nuisance Act. The district commissioner also advises on applications for state land.
Do I have to register with the KKF in each district?
No, registration in the KKF trade register is national. A local licence belongs to a location, though: for a business in another district you apply to that district's commissioner.
What is Suriname's population by district?
According to the 2012 census (ABS) Suriname had 541,638 inhabitants, 240,924 of them in Paramaribo and 118,222 in Wanica. Results of the ninth census had not been published as of 26 October 2026.
Which district is growing fastest?
Between 2004 and 2012 Wanica grew fastest (+37.5%), followed by Para (+31.7%) and Commewijne (+27.5%). Paramaribo shrank slightly and Nickerie lost 6.6% of its population.
How do you cross by land from Suriname to Guyana or French Guiana?
To Guyana by the Canawaima ferry from South Drain (Nickerie) to Moleson Creek; a bridge over the Corantijn has been discussed but not yet agreed. To French Guiana by the car ferry from Albina to Saint-Laurent-du-Maroni.