Assessment of Suriname’s Social Protection System - Annex 3 - Poverty and Equity Assessment

Jul 19, 2026

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Annex 3 evaluates how Suriname’s social protection system supports poverty reduction and equity outcomes, focusing on the design, implementation, and targeting of four main social assistance programs. It quantifies the counterfactual impact on poverty in 2022 absent the permanent programs and examines gaps in coverage across demographic and socioeconomic groups. Findings highlight inefficiencies from outdated policy and delivery systems, suboptimal targeting, and weak support for households with children, while recent transfer expansions show meaningful but uneven poverty effects.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages46

Reading Time1 h 56 min

AccessFree to download

Key Findings

Introduction

Suriname’s Social Protection System

Background: Vision, Plans, Recent Developments, and Challenges

Implementation of Social Assistance Programs for Poverty-Targeting

Social Protection Landscape

Scale of Suriname’s Main Social Assistance Programs

Detailed Description of Suriname’s Four Main Social Assistance Programs

Elderly Allowance (AOV)

General Child Benefit (AKB)

Financial Assistance

Total Contribution of Transfers to Household Income

Do Social Assistance Programs Reach the Sociodemographic Groups Most in Need?

Coverage by Consumption Quintile

Coverage by Region

Coverage by Ethnic Group

Coverage by Level of Education

Coverage by Household Composition

Policy Simulations

Current Impact of Social Assistance on Poverty

Strongest Per Dollar Poverty Reduction Potential

Impact of Recent Increases in Transfer Amounts

Impact of New Program to Strengthen Household Purchasing Power

Recommendations

References

Pub lic Disclosure Authorized Pub lic Disclosure Authorized Pub lic Disclosure Authorized Pub lic Disclosure Authorized ANNEX 3. ASSESSMENT OF SURINAME’S SOCIAL PROTECTION SYSTEM SURINAME POVERTY AND EQUITY ASSESSMENT CONTENTS Key Findings 4 1. Introduction 5 2. Suriname’s Social Protection System 9 2.1. Background: Vision, Plans, Recent Developments, and Challenges 10 2.2. Implementation of Social Assistance Programs for Poverty-Targeting 11 2.3. Social Protection Landscape 12 2.4. Scale of Suriname’s Main Social Assistance Programs 15 3. Detailed Description of Suriname’s Four Main Social Assistance Programs 18 3.1. Elderly Allowance (AOV) 19 3.2. General Child Benefit (AKB) 20 3.3. Financial Assistance (FBZWHHand FBMMEB) 22 3.4. Total Contribution of Transfers to Household Income 24 4. Do Social Assistance Programs Reach the Sociodemographic Groups Most in Need? 25 4.1. Coverage by Consumption Quintile 26 4.2. Coverage by Region 27 4.3. Coverage by Ethnic Group 28 4.4. Coverage by Level of Education 29 4.5. Coverage by Household Composition 30 5. Policy Simulations 33 5.1. Current Impact of Social Assistance on Poverty 34 5.2. Which Ongoing Program Has the Strongest Per Dollar Poverty Reduction Potential? 35 5.3. The Impact of Recent Increases in Transfer Amounts 36 5.4. The Impact of Suriname’s New Program to Strengthen Household Purchasing Power 38 6. Recommendations 41 References 44 FIGURE Figure A3.1. Suriname: Social Assistance Expenditure, 2017–2023 (Percent of GDP) 17 TABLES Table A3.1. Overview of Suriname’s Social Assistance Programs and Provisions 13 Table A3.2. Coverage of Suriname’s Main Social Programs According to Administrative Records, 2018–2023 16 Table A3.3. Suriname: Targeting Accuracy of theAOV Elderly Allowance (Percent) 20 Table A3.4. Suriname: AOV Elderly Allowance Transfer Amounts 20 Table A3.5. Suriname: AKB Child Benefit Program Transfer Amounts 22 Table A3.6. Suriname: Financial Assistance Transfer Amounts 23 Table A3.7. Suriname: Per Capita Contribution of Transfer Programs to Household Income 24 Table A3.8. Suriname: Coverage by Consumption Quintile 27 Table A3.9. Suriname: Coverage by Geographic Area 28 Table A3.10. Suriname: Coverage by Ethnicity 28 Table A3.11. Suriname: Coverage by Level of Education Completed 29 Table A3.12. Suriname: Coverage by Presence of Children 30 Table A3.13. Suriname: Coverage by Household Size 31 Table A3.14. Suriname; Coverage by Sex of the Household Head 32 Table A3.15. Suriname: Impact of Social Assistance on Poverty 35 Table A3.16. Suriname: Impact of Allocating an Additional SRD100 Million to Any of the Four Main Social Assistance Programs 36 Table A3.17. Suriname: Evolution of Transfer Amounts Provided by the Four Main Social Assistance Programs 37 Table A3.18. Suriname Impact of Increased 2024 Transfer Amounts on Poverty 37 Table A3.19. Suriname: Impact of the KKV Program on Poverty 40 SURINAME POVERTY AND EQUITY ASSESSMENT KEY FINDINGS • As part of its macroeconomic recovery program, Suriname has scaled up its social assistance programming in recent years through a combination of increased transfer amounts and implementation of a major temporary purchasing power program. • Estimates in this annex indicate that in 2022, in the absence of Suriname’s four permanent social assistance programs, poverty (as defined by the World Bank’s US$6 .85 purchasing power parity poverty line expressed in 2017 U.S. dollars) would have been more than 1.5 percentage points higher. • Of these four permanent programs, a universal allowance for the elderly provides the most generous support and had the strongest impact on poverty in 2022. The other programs, which target disabled persons, children, and vulnerable households, either have more moderate coverage or provide more modest benefits. • An outdated social protection policy framework and rudimentary delivery

FAQs

What does Annex 3 assess about Suriname’s social protection system?

It assesses how Suriname’s social protection system, through four main social assistance programs, reaches the poor and affects poverty and equity outcomes.

How does the annex estimate poverty would change without the four permanent programs?

It indicates that in 2022, poverty would have been more than 1.5 percentage points higher without the four permanent social assistance programs.

Which groups face the biggest coverage gaps and why?

Coverage is suboptimal for groups with the highest poverty rates—especially people in the interior, deprived ethnic groups, and those with low education—driven by demographic-focused targeting, outdated policy frameworks, and rudimentary delivery systems.

Jul 19, 2026

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