Changes in fertility and mortality around the abolition of slavery in Suriname

► Birth and death rates of Surinamese slaves before the Emancipation are compared with the period of indentured labour. ► Mortality rates among freedmen of four sugar plantations went up after the Abolition of slavery. ► Child mortality increased after the abolition of slavery, indicating deteriorated conditions of daily live. ► There is broad evidence of higher fertility rates among former female sugar slaves.