Socio-economic and Ethnic Segregation in the Greater Paramaribo Region, Suriname

Abstract

AbstractIncome inequality has steadily increased in Suriname and it is considered to be at one of the highest levels in the Caribbean. This chapter analyses socio-economic and ethnic segregation between 2004 and 2012 in the Greater Paramaribo Region in Suriname. To investigate the link between income inequality and socio-economic segregation, occupation is used as a proxy for socio-economic status. The Dissimilarity Index is used to evaluate the level of segregation between different socio-economic and ethnic groups. The link between ethnicity and socio-economic status is also analysed. Results show that the highest level of socio-economic segregation exists between the higher socio-economic group (top occupational categories) and the lower socio-economic group (bottom occupational categories). It was also found that even though the Region is ethnically diverse, different ethnic groups tend to concentrate in different neighbourhoods. These segregated ethnicities are in turn linked to the higher and lower level socio-economic groups.