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Guyana Demographics Profile

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Population787,971 (July 2021 est.)

note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality, higher death rates, lower population growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected
Nationalitynoun: Guyanese (singular and plural)

adjective: Guyanese
Ethnic groupsEast Indian 39.8%, African descent 29.3%, mixed 19.9%, Amerindian 10.5%, other 0.5% (includes Portuguese, Chinese, White) (2012 est.)
LanguagesEnglish (official), Guyanese Creole, Amerindian languages (including Caribbean and Arawak languages), Indian languages (including Caribbean Hindustani, a dialect of Hindi), Chinese (2014 est.)
ReligionsProtestant 34.8% (Pentecostal 22.8%, Seventh Day Adventist 5.4%, Anglican 5.2%, Methodist 1.4%), Hindu 24.8%, Roman Catholic 7.1%, Muslim 6.8%, Jehovah's Witness 1.3%, Rastafarian 0.5%, other Christian 20.8%, other 0.9%, none 3.1% (2012 est.)
Age structure0-14 years: 23.91% (male 91,317/female 88,025)

15-24 years: 21.23% (male 81,294/female 77,987)

25-54 years: 39.48% (male 154,825/female 141,385)

55-64 years: 8.37% (male 29,385/female 33,386)

65 years and over: 7.01% (male 21,325/female 31,275) (2020 est.)
Dependency ratiostotal dependency ratio: 53.2

youth dependency ratio: 42.5

elderly dependency ratio: 10.7

potential support ratio: 9.3 (2020 est.)
Median agetotal: 27.5 years

male: 27.2 years

female: 27.9 years (2020 est.)
Population growth rate0.19% (2021 est.)
Birth rate16.64 births/1,000 population (2021 est.)
Death rate6.87 deaths/1,000 population (2021 est.)
Net migration rate-7.84 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2021 est.)
Population distributionpopulation 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
Urbanizationurban population: 26.9% of total population (2021)

rate of urbanization: 1.01% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)
Major cities - population110,000 GEORGETOWN (capital) (2018)
Sex ratioat birth: 1.05 male(s)/female

0-14 years: 1.04 male(s)/female

15-24 years: 1.04 male(s)/female

25-54 years: 1.1 male(s)/female

55-64 years: 0.88 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 0.68 male(s)/female

total population: 1.02 male(s)/female (2020 est.)
Mother's mean age at first birth20.8 years (2009 est.)

note: median age at first birth among women 25-29
Maternal mortality rate667 deaths/100,000 live births (2017 est.)
Infant mortality ratetotal: 22.68 deaths/1,000 live births

male: 25.66 deaths/1,000 live births

female: 19.55 deaths/1,000 live births (2021 est.)
Life expectancy at birthtotal population: 71.59 years

male: 69.74 years

female: 73.53 years (2021 est.)
Total fertility rate2.07 children born/woman (2021 est.)
Contraceptive prevalence rate33.9% (2014)
Drinking water sourceimproved: urban: 100% of population

rural: 95.6% of population

total: 96.7% of population

unimproved: urban: 0% of population

rural: 38.7% of population

total: 26.5% of population (2017 est.)
Health expenditures5.9% (2018)
Physicians density0.8 physicians/1,000 population (2018)
Hospital bed density1.7 beds/1,000 population (2016)
Sanitation facility accessimproved: urban: 97.8% of population

rural: 95.4% of population

total: 96% of population

unimproved: urban: 2.2% of population

rural: 4.6% of population

total: 4% of population (2017 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate1.3% (2020 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS9,000 (2020 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths<200 (2020 est.)
Major infectious diseasesdegree of risk: very high (2020)

food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever

vectorborne diseases: dengue fever and malaria
Obesity - adult prevalence rate20.2% (2016)
Children under the age of 5 years underweight8.2% (2014)
Education expenditures5.5% of GDP (2018)
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.

Guyana's emigration rate is among the highest in the world - more than 55% of its citizens reside abroad - and it is one of the largest recipients of remittances relative to GDP among Latin American and Caribbean counties. Although remittances are a vital source of income for most citizens, the pervasive emigration of skilled workers deprives Guyana of professionals in healthcare and other key sectors. More than 80% of Guyanese nationals with tertiary level educations have emigrated. Brain drain and the concentration of limited medical resources in Georgetown hamper Guyana's ability to meet the health needs of its predominantly rural population. Guyana has one of the highest HIV prevalence rates in the region and continues to rely on international support for its HIV treatment and prevention programs.

Literacydefinition: age 15 and over has ever attended school

total population: 88.5%

male: 87.2%

female: 89.8% (2015)
School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education)total: 11 years

male: 11 years

female: 12 years (2012)

Source: CIA World Factbook
This page was last updated on September 18, 2021

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