Nationality:
noun: Guyanese (singular and plural)
adjective: Guyanese

Ethnic groups:
East Indian 43.5%, black (African) 30.2%, mixed 16.7%, Amerindian 9.1%, other 0.5% (2002 census)

Languages:
English, Amerindian dialects, Creole, Caribbean Hindustani (a dialect of Hindi), Urdu

Religions:
Protestant 30.5% (Pentecostal 16.9%, Anglican 6.9%, Seventh Day Adventist 5%, Methodist 1.7%), Hindu 28.4%, Roman Catholic 8.1%, Muslim 7.2%, Jehovah's Witnesses 1.1%, other Christian 17.7%, other 1.9%, none 4.3%, unspecified 0.9% (2002 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.
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.

Population:
735,554
country comparison to the world: 165
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 (July 2014 est.)
[see also: Population country ranks ]

Age structure:
0-14 years: 29% (male 108,703/female 104,793)
15-24 years: 21% (male 79,354/female 74,921)
25-54 years: 37.2% (male 142,348/female 131,108)
55-64 years: 7.5% (male 24,677/female 30,562)
65 years and over: 5.1% (male 16,318/female 22,770) (2014 est.)
population pyramid:

Dependency ratios:
total dependency ratio: 63.5 %
youth dependency ratio: 57.7 %
elderly dependency ratio: 5.7 %
potential support ratio: 17.5 (2014 est.)

Median age:
total: 25 years
male: 24.6 years
female: 25.4 years (2014 est.)

Population growth rate:
-0.11% (2014 est.)
country comparison to the world: 204
[see also: Population growth rate country ranks ]

Birth rate:
15.9 births/1,000 population (2014 est.)
country comparison to the world: 125
[see also: Birth rate country ranks ]

Death rate:
7.3 deaths/1,000 population (2014 est.)
country comparison to the world: 122
[see also: Death rate country ranks ]

Net migration rate:
-9.67 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2014 est.)
country comparison to the world: 214
[see also: Net migration rate country ranks ]

Urbanization:
urban population: 28.4% of total population (2011)
rate of urbanization: 0.53% annual rate of change (2010-15 est.)

Major urban areas - population:
GEORGETOWN (capital) 127,000 (2011)

Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
0-14 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-24 years: 1.06 male(s)/female
25-54 years: 1.09 male(s)/female
55-64 years: 1.02 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.69 male(s)/female
total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2014 est.)

Mother's mean age at first birth:
20.8
note: median age at first birth among women 25-29 (2009 est.)
[see also: Mother's mean age at first birth country ranks ]

Maternal mortality rate:
280 deaths/100,000 live births (2010)
country comparison to the world: 43
[see also: Maternal mortality rate country ranks ]

Infant mortality rate:
total: 33.56 deaths/1,000 live births
country comparison to the world: 65
male: 37.57 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 29.36 deaths/1,000 live births (2014 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 67.81 years
country comparison to the world: 162
male: 64.82 years
female: 70.96 years (2014 est.)

Total fertility rate:
2.14 children born/woman (2014 est.)
country comparison to the world: 106
[see also: Total fertility rate country ranks ]

Contraceptive prevalence rate:
42.5% (2009)
[see also: Contraceptive prevalence rate country ranks ]

Health expenditures:
5.9% of GDP (2011)
country comparison to the world: 114
[see also: Health expenditures country ranks ]

Physicians density:
0.21 physicians/1,000 population (2010)
[see also: Physicians density country ranks ]

Hospital bed density:
2 beds/1,000 population (2009)
[see also: Hospital bed density country ranks ]

Drinking water source:
improved:
urban: 96.6% of population
rural: 97.9% of population
total: 97.6% of population
unimproved:
urban: 3.4% of population
rural: 2.1% of population
total: 2.4% of population (2012 est.)

Sanitation facility access:
improved:
urban: 87.9% of population
rural: 82% of population
total: 83.6% of population
unimproved:
urban: 12.1% of population
rural: 18% of population
total: 16.4% of population (2012 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
1.3% (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 37
[see also: HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate country ranks ]

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
7,200 (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 116
[see also: HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS country ranks ]

HIV/AIDS - deaths:
100 (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 134
[see also: HIV/AIDS - deaths country ranks ]

Major infectious diseases:
degree of risk: very high
food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever
vectorborne diseases: dengue fever and malaria (2013)

Obesity - adult prevalence rate:
17.2% (2008)
country comparison to the world: 113
[see also: Obesity - adult prevalence rate country ranks ]

Children under the age of 5 years underweight:
11.1% (2009)
country comparison to the world: 66
[see also: Children under the age of 5 years underweight country ranks ]

Education expenditures:
3.2% of GDP (2012)
country comparison to the world: 136
[see also: Education expenditures - percent of GDP country ranks ]

Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over has ever attended school
total population: 91.8%
male: 92%
female: 91.6% (2002 Census)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):
total: 10 years
male: 9 years
female: 11 years (2012)

Child labor - children ages 5-14:
total number: 30,255
percentage: 16 % (2006 est.)

Unemployment, youth ages 15-24
total: 46.05%
country comparison to the world: 8
male: 43.59%
female: 50% (2011)