The Indo-Caribbean of Suriname

The Indo-Caribbean of Suriname, numbering approximately 133,000 people, are No Longer Unreached. They are an ethnic group indigenous to the Caribbean who descended from Indian indentured laborers brought by the British, Dutch, and French during the colonial era and can also be known as Caribbean Hindi. They are an Indigenous people, in the Indo-Caribbean people cluster of the South Asian Peoples affinity bloc. Their primary religion is Hinduism. They primarily speak Hindustani, Sarnami.

Indo-Caribbean in Suriname photo
Photo courtesy of Joshua Project. Photo Source: Copyrighted ©️ 2025 A Katz - Shutterstock Used with permission

Fast Facts:

Affinity Group: South Asian Peoples
Country: Suriname
People Cluster: Indo-Caribbean
Primary Language(s): Hindustani, Sarnami (hns)
Primary Religion(s): Hinduism
Population: 133,000
Strategic Progress Index (SPI): No Longer Unreached
Global Status of Evangelical Christianity (GSEC): 2% or Greater but Less than 5% Evangelical
People Group ID: PG022266
View on Joshua Project

Pray for the Indo-Caribbean of Suriname

Join others around the world in praying for the lost to be saved, the gospel to advance, the global Church to grow, and for laborers to be sent out and sustained in the harvest.

Dig Deeper (Religion):

Primary Religion: Hinduism
Religious Affiliation: Hinduism

%
Hinduism Adherents

Dig Deeper (Language):

Primary Language: Hindustani, Sarnami
Language Family: Indo-European

%
Hindustani, Sarnami Speakers

Media Resources in Hindustani, Sarnami:

Films:

Bible Resources in Hindustani, Sarnami:

Or check out the Hindustani, Sarnami bible resources at Bible.com

Linked from YouVersion

Next steps for the Indo-Caribbean

The Indo-Caribbean are Unengaged and Unreached, which means there are less than 2% evangelical Christian populations among which there are no known efforts focused on establishing self-sustaining churches consistent with evangelical faith and practice.

Begin signifcant prayer and fasting for this group
Send cross-cultural teams to discover and research this people group
Begin gospel seed sowing and church planting among this group

Next steps for the Indo-Caribbean

The Indo-Caribbean are Engaged yet Unreached, which means there are less than 2% evangelical Christian populations but there are sustained efforts at establishing self-sustaining churches consistent with evangelical faith and practice.

Continue prayer and fasting for this group
Continue gospel seed sowing and church planting among this group
Begin training up local leaders to lead and develop strategies to reach their own people

Next steps for the Indo-Caribbean

The Indo-Caribbean are No Longer Unreached, which means there are more than 2% evangelical Christian populations and there are churches consistent with evangelical faith and practice. There is still more to be done among them.

Empower local believers to begin praying for their own people
Continue gospel seed sowing and church planting among this group
Encourage local leaders to being leading church planting strategy and looking for Unreached and Unengaged groups nearby

Pray specifically for the Indo-Caribbean of Suriname

But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.
readMatthew 5:44-45

Pray for those who don't know Jesus to encounter believers who are kind and compassionate and that their imitation of Christ will serve as a testimony that attracts lost people to Jesus.

And many nations shall join themselves to the LORD in that day, and shall be my people. And I will dwell in your midst, and you shall know that the LORD of hosts has sent me to you.
readZechariah 2:11

Pray that many will take refuge in the Lord and be His people who share the good news of salvation in Jesus with others.

Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.
readHebrews 12:1-2

Pray that as people place their faith in Christ, they will remember the testimony of those who went before them, resist sin, and run with perseverance the race set before them, fixing their eyes on Jesus.

And he said to them, "The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest."
readLuke 10:2

Ask God to send out laborers into His harvest field, raising up believers from around the world to go and proclaim the kingdom of God with those who need to hear it.

Indo-Caribbean (ROP3 - 108730) reported in the following countries:

To download a comprehensive people group list in spreadsheet form, visit our Research Data page.

Peoplegroups.org relies on updates from the field and other organizations for much of our data, so if you have any updates, please contact us. We use various international naming standards. For a list of these standards and fields, visit our Definitions page.

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