Paramaribo scores 65 out of 100 (high safety) on World Safety Map, ranked 3981 of 6168 cities worldwide. The score combines the homicide rate, nearby conflict deaths, income equality and human development from published data (UNODC, UCDP, World Bank, UNDP).

Is Paramaribo safe?

Suriname · South America · data updated 2026-09-04

65.1High · rank 3981 / 6,168
safer than 35% of ranked cities

Paramaribo is a city in Suriname, home to about 253k people, and one of 6,168 cities worldwide ranked on this site from published safety data. It currently ranks 3,981 of 6,168, with a safety score of 65.1 out of 100 - comfortably in the safer part of the ranking.

US 1/4 Exercise normal precautions

Emergency 115 (ambulance, fire, police) · Ambulance 113 · Fire 110

No official source names specific areas to avoid here: travel advisories for Suriname are country-level, and no published dataset covers neighborhood-level crime - so this briefing does not invent it.

How safe is Paramaribo really?

No published homicide figure exists for Paramaribo itself, so the national rate stands in: Suriname recorded 4.3 homicides per 100,000 people in 2024 - close to the global city median. The city itself may be safer or more dangerous than its country's average. Suriname's income inequality is middling (Gini 39.2) - in this dataset inequality predicts city violence better than any other structural factor, so this neither raises nor lowers the picture much.

What the travel advisories say

The US State Department currently rates Suriname at level 1 of 4 - "Exercise normal precautions" (updated 2024-12-12). The UK Foreign Office publishes travel advice for Suriname without any avoid-travel warning in force. Both advisories are country-level: no official source publishes verified neighborhood-level crime guidance for individual cities, which is why this page reports named areas only where an official source names them.

What to watch out for in Suriname

Terrorism in Suriname · Political situation · Protecting yourself and your belongings · Attacks against fishing boats · Robberies while travelling in Suriname · Illegal drugs penalties · Money · Road travel · Air travel · Flooding · Heatwaves

Topic headings from the official UK FCDO travel advice for Suriname — country-level, not specific to Paramaribo. Read what each one says →

The numbers

Homicide rate: 4.3 /100knational rate, 2024
Conflict deaths: 0within 100 km, 2022-2024 (UCDP)
Income inequality: Gini 39.2country, 2022
Human development: HDI 0.722country, 2023
Income: $21,000/yrGNI per capita PPP · context only, not scored
Population: 253kurban centre · 2,687/km²

Country context for travelers

Road deaths: 15.3 /100kWHO, 2019 · often the biggest real travel risk
Political stability: 74/100World Bank WGI, 2024 · higher = more stable
Rule of law: 53/100World Bank WGI, 2024 · police and courts reliability
Corruption perceptions: 38/100Transparency International, 2025 · higher = cleaner
Natural-hazard risk: 3.1/10EU INFORM, 2026 · higher = riskier
Women, Peace & Security: 0.78Georgetown WPS Index, 2025 · 0-1, higher = better
Air quality: 15.7 µg/m³PM2.5 annual mean, 2023 · WHO guideline is 5
Safely managed drinking water: 56%of the population, 2024 · WHO/UNICEF JMP
Healthcare capacity: 1.4 doctors /1k2.9 hospital beds per 1,000
Malaria: 0 /1k at riskWHO, 2024 · listed for endemic countries only

Natural hazards in Suriname

Flood: 8.6/10EU INFORM, 2026 · higher = riskier
Drought: 1.7/10EU INFORM, 2026 · higher = riskier

Hazard types scoring under 1 out of 10 are not listed. These describe Suriname as a whole, not Paramaribo specifically.

Same-sex sexual activity is legal in Suriname (as of 2025).

All country-level figures shared by every city in Suriname; none of them affect the safety score.

How the score works

Low homicide40%46

Peace25%100

Equality25%57

Development10%72

One fixed, calibrated mix for every city: 40% homicide · 25% peace · 25% equality · 10% HDI. Homicide and conflict deaths are measured outcomes; income inequality carries the structural share because it predicts real city violence far better than national income (which is shown above but scored at zero). Each factor maps to 0-100 against fixed anchors, missing data drops out and is never estimated, and cities with data behind less than half the weighting get “no data” instead of a score. For Paramaribo that gives 65.1/100. Full methodology, anchors and sources →

Paramaribo compared with Paradise

The nearest ranked city of comparable size. Green favours Paramaribo, red favours Paradise.
Measure	Paramaribo	Paradise	Difference
Safety score	65.1	50.7	+14.4 — better for Paramaribo
Homicide ratecity-measured where published, otherwise the national rate	4.3 /100k	23 /100k	−18 /100k — better for Paramaribo
Conflict deaths within 100 km	0	0	±0
Income inequality (Gini)	39.2	45.1	−5.9 — better for Paramaribo
Human development (HDI)	0.722	0.776	−0.054 — better for Paradise
Road deaths	15.3 /100k	22.3 /100k	−7.0 /100k — better for Paramaribo
Rule of law	53/100	51/100	+2/100 — better for Paramaribo
Corruption perceptions	38/100	40/100	−2/100 — better for Paradise
Air quality (PM2.5)	15.7 µg/m³	16.9 µg/m³	−1.2 µg/m³ — better for Paramaribo
Natural-hazard risk	3.1/10	4.0/10	−0.9/10 — better for Paramaribo

Differences are plain arithmetic between the two stored figures — nothing is modelled. Country-level rows describe the two countries, not the cities themselves. Full report for Paradise →

Nearby cities

See Paramaribo on the interactive map → · Safest cities in South America → · Full travel briefings →