Page last modified 20 August 2023
105) Guyana (formerly British Guiana)
Community
Area 214,969 square kilometres (land area 196,849 square kilometres)
Population,
127,695 (1850)
278,328 (1891)
295,000 (1900)
310,933 (1931)
375,701 (1945)
427,000 (1950)
572,000 (1960) +34.0%
705,000 (1970) +23.3%
780,000 (1980) +10.6%
743,000 (1990) -4.7%
753,000 (2000) +1.3%
747,000 (2010) -0.8%
787,000 (2020) +5.3%
Ethnicity, %
|
|
American Indian |
Afro- Caribbean |
Asian Indian |
Mixed Race |
|
1900 |
3.5 |
33.0 |
36.0 |
|
|
1946 |
4.3 |
38.2 |
43.5 |
10.0 |
|
1966 |
5.0 |
30.0 |
50.0 |
|
|
1980 |
5.0 |
30.0 |
51.0 |
10.0 |
|
2002 |
9.1 |
30.2 |
43.5 |
16.7 |
Religion, %
|
|
Christian Protestant |
Christian R C |
Hindu |
Muslim Sunni |
|
1900 |
24.0 |
8.0 |
25.0 |
6.3 |
|
1950 |
60.0 (inc RC) |
See left |
30.0 |
8.0 |
|
1970 |
20.0 |
16.0 |
33.0 |
9.0 |
|
1990 |
34.0 |
18.0 |
34.0 |
9.0 |
|
2002 |
49.3 |
8.1 |
28.2 |
7.3 |
Birth and death rates Below replacement rate = 2.1
|
|
Fertility Rate |
Birth Rate |
Infant Mortality |
Death Rate |
% Aged Under 15 |
% Aged Over 65 |
% Urban |
|
1904 |
|
30.3 (+1.5) |
|
28.8 |
|
|
|
|
1945 |
|
36.2 (+18.4) |
|
17.8 |
|
|
|
|
1952 |
|
|
119.0 |
|
41.1 |
4.5 |
27.9 |
|
1960 |
6.4 |
42.8 (+32.7) |
67.1 |
10.1 |
46.6 |
3.4 |
29.0 |
|
1970 |
5.4 |
35.7 (+26.9) |
55.2 |
8.8 |
47.1 |
3.5 |
29.4 |
|
1980 |
3.8 |
31.0 (+22.6) |
53.0 |
8.4 |
42.4 |
3.8 |
30.5 |
|
1990 |
3.1 |
28.2 (+19.9) |
46.4 |
8.3 |
36.1 |
3.9 |
29.6 |
|
2000 |
3.0 |
25.7 (+17.9) |
37.0 |
7.8 |
36.2 |
4.0 |
28.7 |
|
2010 |
2.7 |
21.1 (+13.3) |
30.7 |
7.9 |
32.7 |
4.6 |
26.6 |
|
2015 |
2.5 |
20.7 (+12.5) |
27.6 |
8.2 |
29.8 |
5.7 |
26.4 |
|
2017 |
2.5 |
20.2 (+11.9) |
25.9 |
8.3 |
|
|
|
|
2018 |
|
|
25.1 |
|
28.2 |
6.5 |
26.6 |
Life expectancy,
52.5 (1952); 51.0 (M), 54.0 (F)
60.3 (1960); 57.7 (M), 62.9 (F)
61.8 (1970); 59.4 (M), 64.4 (F)
62.6 (1980); 59.7 (M), 65.6 (F)
63.4 (1990); 60.0 (M), 66.9 (F)
64.9 (2000); 62.0 (M), 67.9 (F)
66.0 (2010); 63.7 (M), 68.4 (F)
69.9 (2020); 66.9 (M), 73.1 (F)
Population of principal cities
GEORGETOWN,� Founded in 1781, originally called Stabroek..
1789 (780)
8,500 (1807)
25,508 (1851)
53,176 (1901)
73,171 (1943)
63,184 (1970)
34,179 (2002)
Metropolitan area,
85,000 (1950)
148,000 (1960)
167,078 (1976)
188,000� (1983)
195,000 (1986)
134,497 (2002)
118,363 (2012)
Wealth; Gross Domestic Product (nominal values)
|
|
GDP, US$ million |
Total GDP, % of USA |
GDP per capita, US$ |
GDP per capita % of USA |
|
1960 |
170 |
0.03 |
297 |
9.88 |
|
1965 |
213 |
0.03 |
327 |
8.54 |
|
1970 |
268 |
0.03 |
380 |
7.24 |
|
1975 |
495 |
0.03 |
663 |
8.48 |
|
1980 |
603 |
0.02 |
773 |
6.14 |
|
1985 |
453 |
0.01 |
590 |
3.23 |
|
1990 |
396 |
0.01 |
533 |
2.23 |
|
1995 |
630 |
0.01 |
816 |
2.71 |
|
2000 |
710 |
0.01 |
931 |
2.55 |
|
2005 |
800 |
0.01 |
1,100 |
2.48 |
|
2010 |
2,500 |
0.02 |
3,026 |
6.26 |
|
2015 |
3,179 |
0.02 |
4,136 |
7.36 |
|
2016 |
3,446 |
0.02 |
4,456 |
7.75 |
GDP by primary sector
|
|
Agriculture % GDP |
Agriculture % employed |
Industry % GDP |
Industry % employed |
Services % GDP |
Services % employed |
|
1980 |
26.0 |
33.8 |
11.1 |
18.6 |
|
|
|
1990 |
24.0 |
27.0 |
26.3 |
26.0 |
48.9 |
47.0 |
|
2010 |
24.4 |
|
24.7 |
|
51.0 |
|
|
2016 |
17.4 |
|
35.9 |
|
46.8 |
|
Communications
Language Official; English
Literacy
76.0% (1946)
87.0% (1960)
91.6% (1980); 94.3% (M), 89.0% (F)
96.0% (1985); 97.0% (M), 95.0% (F)
98.1% (1995); 98.6% (M), 97.5% (F)
98.6% (2000); 99.0% (M), 98.2% (F)
98.8% (2009); 99.1% (M), 98.5% (F)
Physical communications � roads
|
|
Roads (km) |
Surfaced (km) |
Motor vehicles |
Cars |
Commercial Vehicles |
|
1956 |
|
|
9,000 |
|
|
|
1964 |
|
|
12,000 |
|
|
|
1968 |
|
|
32,997 |
14,380 |
3,528 |
|
1976 |
2,915 |
|
64,272 |
26,599 |
6,979 |
|
1980 |
|
550 |
|
28,400 |
|
|
1987 |
|
|
53,446 |
|
|
|
1988 |
5,700 |
|
|
|
|
|
1995 |
|
571 |
|
|
9,200 |
|
2000 |
7,970 |
590 |
|
|
|
|
2002 |
|
|
|
|
10,600 |
|
2008 |
|
|
|
44,700 |
28,100 |
Railways; First railway, Georgetown to Plaisance, opened 1848; the first railway in South America. Passenger services in Guyana ceased in the 1970s; rail lines remained in use for� bauxite quarry traffic.
Length, kilometres
26 (1850)
26 (1860)
35 (1870)
35 (1880)
35 (1890)
159 (1900)
159 (1910)
166 (1920)
135 (1930)
127 (1940)
127 (1950)
151 (1964)
133 (2002)
Electronic communications, TV broadcasting began 1991
|
|
Telephones (landlines) |
Mobile Telephones |
Radios |
Televisions |
PCs |
Internet Users |
|
1938 |
2,352 |
|
2,097 |
|
|
|
|
1945 |
2,900 |
|
5,035 |
|
|
|
|
1950 |
|
|
9,400 |
|
|
|
|
1960 |
|
|
37,000 |
|
|
|
|
1968 |
12,815 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
1980 |
15,500 |
|
300,000 |
|
|
|
|
1990 |
16,000 |
|
387,000 |
28,000 |
|
|
|
1992 |
|
841 |
|
|
|
|
|
1995 |
|
1,243 |
410,000 |
40,000 |
|
|
|
1997 |
|
|
420,000 |
46,000 |
|
|
|
1998 |
|
|
|
|
20,000 |
|
|
2000 |
68,400 |
39,830 |
|
80,000 |
22,000 |
|
|
2002 |
|
|
|
110,000 |
|
125,000 |
|
2005 |
|
281,400 |
|
|
29,000 |
160,000 |
|
2010 |
150,000 |
|
|
|
|
200,000 |
|
2016 |
153,000 |
539,000 |
|
|
|
262,400 |
Tourism: Visitors to Guyana,
60,000 (1987)
64,000 (1990)
106,000 (1995)
105,000 (2000)
117,000 (2005)
152,000 (2010)
207,000 (2015)