Suriname: Investir

FDI in Figures

According to the UNCTAD's World Investment Report 2023, FDI inflows to Suriname totaled USD 7 million in 2022, compared to a negative inflow of USD 124 million one year earlier. At the end of the same period, the FDI stock was estimated at USD 1.94 billion, around 55.1% of the country’s GDP. Gold, bauxite, and oil are the main sectors that attract FDI. Recent investments have also been made in palm oil. The main investing countries are the United States, Belgium, and the Netherlands. Apache, an American exploration firm, and TotalEnergies from France recently revealed a substantial oil find in the waters off Suriname. Following this, Apache, along with major players like ExxonMobil from the US and Petronas from Malaysia, have continued to make additional discoveries in the region. Suriname and China announced that they would be working on a strategic partnership of cooperation in areas such as infrastructure construction, agriculture, forestry, fisheries, communications and energy, digital economy, tourism, and ocean economy. The Chinese government also said it encouraged more Chinese companies to invest in Suriname, so significant investments from China are expected in the coming years. The primary multinational players in Suriname's gold mining sector are Newmont Corporation, headquartered in the United States, and IAMGOLD from Canada, which sold its Suriname operation to Zijin Mining Group in October 2022. These companies remain pivotal in the industry, contributing substantially to the government's revenue through their operations.

The Surinamese government actively supports and promotes foreign investment. To attract FDI, the government has outlined plans to modernize the country's institutional and legal frameworks to protect investors and eliminate restrictions regarding investment income transfers. Except for the oil sector, Suriname has no economic or industrial policies that discriminate against foreign investors or foreign-owned investments; oil ownership, however, is restricted by law to the State Oil Company Suriname (Staatsolie). No law requires Surinamese nationals to own a share of foreign investments nor is there a requirement for said share of foreign equity to be reduced over time. The low level of investment in Suriname, despite its rich natural resources, can be explained by the country's poor business environment, which is hampered by various factors, including a lack of clarity in the concession and tender awarding processes, corruption, limitations in institutional capacity, and a general lack of transparency. Suriname's Investment and Trade Agency (SITA) serve as the country's primary Trade and Investment Promotion Agency. It functions as an autonomous state-owned entity under the oversight of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, International Business, and International Cooperation of Suriname. Finally, the country ranks 87th among the 180 economies on the 2023 Corruption Perception Index and 161st out of 184 on the latest Index of Economic Freedom.

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Latest Update: May 2024