Map of Guyana | Geography | People | Government | Economy | Energy | Communication
Military | Transportation | Transnational Issues | Year: Guide198919901991199219931994199519961997199819992000200120022003200420052006200720082009201020112012201320142015201620172018201920202021202220232024 | More stats

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Background: Originally a Dutch colony in the 17th century, by 1815 Guyana had become a British possession. The abolition of slavery led to settlement of urban areas by former slaves and the importation of indentured servants from India to work the sugar plantations. The resulting ethnocultural divide has persisted and has led to turbulent politics. Guyana achieved independence from the UK in 1966, and since then it has been ruled mostly by socialist-oriented governments. In 1992, Cheddi JAGAN was elected president in what is considered the country's first free and fair election since independence. After his death five years later, his wife, Janet JAGAN, became president but resigned in 1999 due to poor health. Her successor, Bharrat JAGDEO, was elected in 2001 and again in 2006. Early elections held in May 2015 resulted in the first change in governing party and the replacement of President Donald RAMOTAR by current President David GRANGER. After a December 2018 no-confidence vote against the GRANGER government, national elections were constitutionally required to take place within three months. After over a year of extra-constitutional rule by the GRANGER administration, elections were held, though voting irregularities led to a nationwide recount. The current Irfaan ALI administration was sworn in to office in August 2020. The discovery of oil in 2015 has been the primary economic and political focus, with many hoping the significant reserves will transform one of the poorest countries in the region. Guyana is the only English-speaking country in South America and shares cultural and historical bonds with the Anglophone Caribbean.


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Location: Northern South America, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Suriname and Venezuela

Geographic coordinates: 5 00 N, 59 00 W

Map reference: South America

Area
Total: 214,969 km²
Land: 196,849 km²
Water: 18,120 km²
Comparative: slightly smaller than Idaho; almost twice the size of Tennessee

Land boundaries
Total: 2,933 km
Border countries: (3) Brazil 1,308 km; Suriname 836 km; Venezuela 789 km

Coastline: 459 km

Maritime claims
Territorial sea: 12 nm
Exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
Continental shelf: 200 nm or to the outer edge of the continental margin

Climate: tropical; hot, humid, moderated by northeast trade winds; two rainy seasons (May to August, November to January)

Terrain: mostly rolling highlands; low coastal plain; savanna in south

Elevation
Highest point: Laberintos del Norte on Mount Roraima 2,775 m
Lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
Mean elevation: 207 m

Natural resources: bauxite, gold, diamonds, hardwood timber, shrimp, fish

Land use
Agricultural land: 8.4% (2018 est.)
Agricultural land arable land: 2.1% (2018 est.)
Agricultural land permanent crops: 0.1% (2018 est.)
Agricultural land permanent pasture: 6.2% (2018 est.)
Forest: 77.4% (2018 est.)
Other: 14.2% (2018 est.)

Irrigated land: 1,430 km² (2012)

Major rivers

Major watersheds area km²: Atlantic Ocean drainage: Amazon (6,145,186 km²), Orinoco (953,675 km²)

Total water withdrawal
Municipal: 60 million cubic meters (2020 est.)
Industrial: 20 million cubic meters (2020 est.)
Agricultural: 1.36 billion cubic meters (2020 est.)

Total renewable water resources: 271 billion cubic meters (2020 est.)

Natural hazards: flash flood threat during rainy seasons

Geography
Note: the third-smallest country in South America after Suriname and Uruguay; substantial portions of its western and eastern territories are claimed by Venezuela and Suriname respectively; contains some of the largest unspoiled rainforests on the continent


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Population
Distribution: population is heavily concentrated in the northeast in and around Georgetown, with noteable concentrations along the Berbice River to the east; the remainder of the country is sparsely populated: 791,739 (2023 est.)
Growth rate: 0.28% (2023 est.)
Below poverty line: 35% (2006 est.)

Nationality
Noun: Guyanese (singular and plural)
Adjective: Guyanese

Ethnic groups: East Indian 39.8%, African descent 29.3%, mixed 19.9%, Amerindian 10.5%, other 0.5% (includes Portuguese, Chinese, White) (2012 est.)

Languages: English (official), Guyanese Creole, Amerindian languages (including Caribbean and Arawak languages), Indian languages (including Caribbean Hindustani, a dialect of Hindi), Chinese (2014 est.)

Religions: Protestant 34.8% (Pentecostal 22.8%, Seventh Day Adventist 5.4%, Anglican 5.2%, Methodist 1.4%), Hindu 24.8%, other Christian 20.8%, Roman Catholic 7.1%, Muslim 6.8%, Jehovah's Witness 1.3%, Rastafarian 0.5%, other 0.9%, none 3.1% (2012 est.)

Demographic profile: Guyana is the only English-speaking country in South America and shares cultural and historical bonds with the Anglophone Caribbean. Guyana's two largest ethnic groups are the Afro-Guyanese (descendants of African slaves) and the Indo-Guyanese (descendants of Indian indentured laborers), which together comprise about three quarters of Guyana's population. Tensions periodically have boiled over between the two groups, which back ethnically based political parties and vote along ethnic lines. Poverty reduction has stagnated since the late 1990s. About one-third of the Guyanese population lives below the poverty line; indigenous people are disproportionately affected. Although Guyana's literacy rate is reported to be among the highest in the Western Hemisphere, the level of functional literacy is considerably lower, which has been attributed to poor education quality, teacher training, and infrastructure.

Age structure
0-14 years: 23.65% (male 95,605/female 91,654)
15-64 years: 68.49% (male 281,157/female 261,113)
65 years and over: 7.86% (2023 est.) (male 27,269/female 34,941)

Dependency ratios
Total dependency ratio: 53.6
Youth dependency ratio: 44.1
Elderly dependency ratio: 9.5
Potential support ratio: 10.6 (2021 est.)

Median age
Total: 27.9 years (2023 est.)
Male: 27.8 years
Female: 28 years

Population growth rate: 0.28% (2023 est.)

Birth rate: 16.7 births/1,000 population (2023 est.)

Death rate: 7 deaths/1,000 population (2023 est.)

Net migration rate: -7 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2023 est.)

Population distribution: population is heavily concentrated in the northeast in and around Georgetown, with noteable concentrations along the Berbice River to the east; the remainder of the country is sparsely populated

Urbanization
Urban population: 27.2% of total population (2023)
Rate of urbanization: 1.01% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

Major urban areas
Population: 110,000 GEORGETOWN (capital) (2018)

Environment
Current issues: water pollution from sewage and agricultural and industrial chemicals; deforestation
International agreements party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Climate Change-Paris Agreement, Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping-London Protocol, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 2006
International agreements signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Air pollutants
Particulate matter emissions: 11.11 micrograms per cubic meter (2019 est.)
Carbon dioxide emissions: 2.38 megatons (2016 est.)
Methane emissions: 1.81 megatons (2020 est.)

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
0-14 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.08 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.78 male(s)/female
Total population: 1.04 male(s)/female (2023 est.)

Mothers mean age at first birth: 20.8 years (2009 est.)
Note: data represents median age at first birth among women 25-29

Maternal mortality ratio: 112 deaths/100,000 live births (2020 est.)

Infant mortality rate
Total: 21.6 deaths/1,000 live births (2023 est.)
Male: 24.5 deaths/1,000 live births
Female: 18.7 deaths/1,000 live births

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 72.2 years (2023 est.)
Male: 70.3 years
Female: 74.1 years

Total fertility rate: 2.06 children born/woman (2023 est.)

Contraceptive prevalence rate: 29.9% (2019/20)

Drinking water source
Improved urban: 100% of population
Improved rural: 95.6% of population
Improved total: 96.8% of population
Unimproved urban: 0% of population
Unimproved rural: 4.4% of population
Unimproved total: 3.2% of population (2020 est.)

Current health expenditure: 5.5% of GDP (2020)

Physicians density: 1.42 physicians/1,000 population (2020)

Hospital bed density: 1.7 beds/1,000 population (2016)

Sanitation facility access
Improved urban:
Unimproved urban:

Hiv/Aids

Major infectious diseases
Degree of risk: very high (2023)
Food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever
Vectorborne diseases: dengue fever and malaria

Obesity adult prevalence rate: 20.2% (2016)

Alcohol consumption
Per capita total: 5.11 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Per capita beer: 2.75 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Per capita wine: 0.04 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Per capita spirits: 2.3 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Per capita other alcohols: 0.02 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

Tobacco use
Total: 12.1% (2020 est.)
Male: 21.7% (2020 est.)
Female: 2.4% (2020 est.)

Children under the age of 5 years underweight: 9.4% (2019)

Education expenditures: 4.5% of GDP (2018 est.)

Literacy
Definition: age 15 and over has ever attended school
Total population: 88.8%
Male: 89.3%
Female: 88.4% (2021)

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education
Total: 11 years
Male: 11 years
Female: 12 years (2012)

Youth unemployment
Rate ages 15 24 total: 29.9% (2021 est.)
Rate ages 15 24 male: 23.5%
Rate ages 15 24 female: 39.6%


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Country name
Conventional long form: Cooperative Republic of Guyana
Conventional short form: Guyana
Former: British Guiana
Etymology: the name is derived from Guiana, the original name for the region that included British Guiana, Dutch Guiana, and French Guiana; ultimately the word is derived from an indigenous Amerindian language and means "Land of Many Waters" (referring to the area's multitude of rivers and streams)

Government type: parliamentary republic

Capital
Name: Georgetown
Geographic coordinates: 6 48 N, 58 09 W
Time difference: UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)
Etymology: when the British took possession of the town from the Dutch in 1812, they renamed it Georgetown in honor of King GEORGE III (1738-1820)

Administrative divisions: 10 regions; Barima-Waini, Cuyuni-Mazaruni, Demerara-Mahaica, East Berbice-Corentyne, Essequibo Islands-West Demerara, Mahaica-Berbice, Pomeroon-Supenaam, Potaro-Siparuni, Upper Demerara-Berbice, Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo

Dependent areas

Independence: 26 May 1966 (from the UK)

National holiday: Republic Day, 23 February (1970)

Constitution
History: several previous; latest promulgated 6 October 1980
Amendments: proposed by the National Assembly; passage of amendments affecting constitutional articles, such as national sovereignty, government structure and powers, and constitutional amendment procedures, requires approval by the Assembly membership, approval in a referendum, and assent of the president; other amendments only require Assembly approval; amended many times, last in 2016

Legal system: common law system, based on the English model, with some Roman-Dutch civil law influence

International law organization participation: has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; accepts ICCt jurisdiction

Citizenship
Citizenship by birth: yes
Citizenship by descent only: yes
Dual citizenship recognized: no
Residency requirement for naturalization: na

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch
Chief of state: President Mohammed Irfaan ALI (since 2 August 2020); First Vice President Mark PHILLIPS (since 2 August 2020); Vice President Bharrat JAGDEO (since 2 August 2020); Prime Minister Legislative branch
Description: unicameral National Assembly (70 seats; 40 members directly elected in a single nationwide constituencies, 25 directly elected in multi-seat constituencies - all by closed-list proportional representation vote, 2 non-elected ministers, 2 non-elected parliamentary secretaries, and the speaker; members serve 5-year terms)
Elections: last held on 2 March 2020 (next to be held in 2025)
Election results: percent of vote by party - PPP/C 50.69%, APNU-AFC 47.34%, LJP 0.58%, ANUG 0.5%, TNM 0.05%, other 0.84%; seats by party - PPP/C 33, APNU-AFC 31, LJP-ANUG-TNM 1; composition (elected and non-elected) - men 45, women 25, percent of women 35.7%; note - the initial results were declared invalid and a partial recount was conducted from 6 May to 8 June 2020, in which PPP/C was declared the winner

Judicial branch
Highest courts: Supreme Court of Judicature (consists of the Court of Appeal with a chief justice and 3 justices, and the High Court with a chief justice and 10 justices organized into 3- or 5-judge panels); note - in 2009, Guyana acceded to the Caribbean Court of Justice as the final court of appeal in civil and criminal cases, replacing that of the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council (in London)
Judge selection and term of office: Court of Appeal and High Court chief justices appointed by the president; other judges of both courts appointed by the Judicial Service Commission, a body appointed by the president; judges appointed for life with retirement at age 65
Subordinate courts: Land Court; magistrates' courts

Political parties and leaders:

A New and United Guyana or ANUG [Ralph RAMKARRAN]
A Partnership for National Unity or APNU [Joseph HARMON]
Alliance for Change or AFC [Khemraj RAMJATTAN]
Justice for All Party [Chandra Narine SHARMA]
Liberty and Justice Party or LJP [Lenox SHUMAN]
National Independent Party or NIP [Saphier Husain SUBEDAR]
People's Progressive Party/Civic or PPP/C [Dr. Bharrat JAGDEO]
The New Movement or TNM [Dr. Asha KISSOON]
The United Force or TUF [Marissa NADIR]
United Republican Party or URP [Vishnu BANDHU]

International organization participation: ACP, AOSIS, C, Caricom, CD, CDB, CELAC, FAO, G-77, IADB, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO (correspondent), ITU, LAES, MIGA, NAM, OAS, OIC, OPANAL, OPCW, PCA, Petrocaribe, PROSUR, UN, UNASUR, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCO, WFTU (NGOs), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Diplomatic representation
In the us chief of mission: Ambassador [link]

$17.64 billion (2021 est.)
$14.693 billion (2020 est.)
$10.24 billion (2019 est.)

20.06% (2021 est.)
43.48% (2020 est.)
5.35% (2019 est.)

$21,900 (2021 est.)
$18,400 (2020 est.)
$12,800 (2019 est.)

16.42% (2021 est.)
16.43% (2020 est.)
13.99% (2019 est.)

52.2% of GDP (2017 est.)
50.7% of GDP (2016 est.)

5.03% (2021 est.)
0.99% (2020 est.)
2.09% (2019 est.)

-$2.087 billion (2021 est.)
-$396.533 million (2020 est.)
-$2.717 billion (2019 est.)

$4.64 billion (2021 est.) note: data are in current year dollars
$2.799 billion (2020 est.) note: data are in current year dollars
$1.805 billion (2019 est.)

$6.611 billion (2021 est.) note: data are in current year dollars
$3.756 billion (2020 est.) note: data are in current year dollars
$5.025 billion (2019 est.)

$790.785 million (31 December 2021 est.)
$680.634 million (31 December 2020 est.)
$573.446 million (31 December 2019 est.)

$1.69 billion (31 December 2017 est.)
$1.542 billion (31 December 2016 est.)

Guyanese dollars (GYD) per US dollar - 208.5 (2021 est.)
208.5 (2020 est.)
208.5 (2019 est.)
207.717 (2018 est.)
206.5 (2017 est.)

0.6% of GDP (2022 est.)
1% of GDP (2021 est.)
1.2% of GDP (2020 est.)
1.3% of GDP (2019 est.)
1.3% of GDP (2018 est.)

Guyana-Venezuela: Venezuela claims all of the area west of the Essequibo River and maintains that Guyana does not have jurisdiction to grant concessions in maritime areas off the Essequibo, waters which are potentially rich in hydrocarbon resources; Guyana submitted the dispute to the International Court of Justice in 2018; the ICJ ruled that it had jurisdiction to hear the case in December 2020; in September 2021, Venezuelan officials issued a statement reasserting dominion over three-quarters of Guyana, which Guyana stated was a threat to its sovereignty and territorial integrity; in December 2023, the Venezuelan Government conducted a public referendum asking its citizens to support establishing a state in the disputed territory, granting citizenship to current and future area residents, and rejecting the jurisdiction of the ICJ

Guyana-Suriname: Suriname claims a triangle of land between the New and Kutari/Koetari Rivers in a historic dispute over the headwaters of the Courantyne River