Guyana country profile (2024)

FAQs

Is Guyana a rich or poor country? ›

Since Guyana gained its independence in 1966, the country's chief economic assets have been its natural resources, mainly its pristine rainforests, sugarcane plantations, rice fields, and bauxite and gold reserves.

Guyana is a country located in Northern South America and is culturally part of the Anglophone Caribbean. It is bordered by the North Atlantic Ocean between Suriname, Venezuela, and Brazil. The government system is a republic; the chief of state is the president, and the head of government is the prime minister.

Guyana's population is made up of five main ethnic groups--East Indian, African, Amerindian, Chinese, and Portuguese. Ninety percent of the inhabitants live on the narrow coastal plain, where population density is more than 115 persons per square kilometer (380 per sq.

Crime, police violence and corruption, and discrimination against Indigenous and LGBT+ people remain significant problems.

Crime. Crime levels are high, and police capacity is low. There are frequent armed robberies, hold-ups, carjackings and other violent crimes, often involving 2 or more attackers. Passers-by can get caught up in gunfire even if they are not targets because police are armed and shoot back.

English is the official language of Guyana, which is the only South American country with English as the official language. Guyanese Creole or Creolese (an English-based creole with African, Indian, and Amerindian syntax) is widely spoken.

Are Guyanese people considered Hispanic? Guyanese people are not considered Hispanic because they do not speak Spanish. Because of this, Guyana is usually considered part of South America but not Latin America.

In fact, Suriname, French Guiana and Guyana are not directly bordered by the Caribbean Sea. Moreover, like Belize, which is also commonly included in the Caribbean island group, Suriname is not an island in the strict sense of the word, i.e. land surrounded by water, based on the restricted definition of the term.

Country Summary: Violent crime, including murder and armed robbery, is common, especially at night. Local police often lack the resources to respond effectively to serious criminal incidents.

What is the most popular food in Guyana? ›

Guyana is a parliamentary republic in which the President of Guyana is both head of state and head of government. Executive power is exercised by the President, advised by a cabinet. Legislative power is vested in both the President and the National Assembly of Guyana.

Guyanese people can be of any race, just like most countries in the world and every single country in the Americas. The main ethnic/racial groups in Guyana are Indian/South Asian, Black, mixed and Native/Amerindian. There are also people of European, Chinese, Middle Eastern and other backgrounds.

While it is currently the third poorest country in the western hemisphere, Guyana's economy grew by 19.9 percent in 2021. Guyana's economy is projected to grow by 47.9 percent in 2022 according to the Ministry of Finance, making it one of the fastest growing economies in the world.

The Indo-Guyanese (Guyanese of South Asian descent) form the largest ethnic group in the country, representing about two-fifths of the population. Their ancestors arrived mostly as indentured labour from India to replace Africans in plantation work.

The 2015 oil discovery made Guyana the world's fastest-growing economy, recording the world's highest real GDP growth rate in 2022 and 2023. The story is different across Guyana's border. Venezuela has the world's largest oil reserves, but that hasn't stopped its economy from collapsing since Maduro took power in 2013.

Based on GDP per capita (purchasing power parity), Guyana remains one of the poorest countries in the Western Hemisphere, currently ranking fifth, above only Haiti, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Bolivia. This makes Guyana the second poorest country in both South America and the Caribbean.

Guyana's 2022 gross domestic product (GDP) of US$15 billion was just half of Trinidad & Tobago's and 12 per cent less than Jamaica's.

Guyana is not an expensive place to visit for food or accommodation. A three-star hotel in Georgetown is around USD$180 a night, and a meal for two in a mid-range restaurant is around USD$50. You can expect to pay from USD$100 to US$200 for one night in a lodge in the interior.