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: Age structure:
Dependency ratios:
Median age:
Population growth rate: Birth rate: Death rate: Net migration rate: Urbanization:
Major urban areas - population: Sex ratio:
Mother's mean age at first birth: Maternal mortality rate: Infant mortality rate:
Life expectancy at birth:
Total fertility rate: Contraceptive prevalence rate: Health expenditures: Physicians density: Hospital bed density: Drinking water source:
Sanitation facility access:
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: HIV/AIDS - deaths: Major infectious diseases:
Obesity - adult prevalence rate: Children under the age of 5 years underweight: Education expenditures: Literacy:
School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):
Child labor - children ages 5-14:
Unemployment, youth ages 15-24
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 ]
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:
total dependency ratio:
63.5 %
youth dependency ratio:
57.7 %
elderly dependency ratio:
5.7 %
potential support ratio:
17.5 (2014 est.)
total:
25 years
male:
24.6 years
female:
25.4 years (2014 est.)
-0.11% (2014 est.)
country comparison to the world: 204
[see also: Population growth rate country ranks ]
15.9 births/1,000 population (2014 est.)
country comparison to the world: 125
[see also: Birth rate country ranks ]
7.3 deaths/1,000 population (2014 est.)
country comparison to the world: 122
[see also: Death rate country ranks ]
-9.67 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2014 est.)
country comparison to the world: 214
[see also: Net migration rate country ranks ]
urban population:
28.4% of total population (2011)
rate of urbanization:
0.53% annual rate of change (2010-15 est.)
GEORGETOWN (capital) 127,000 (2011)
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.)
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 ]
280 deaths/100,000 live births (2010)
country comparison to the world: 43
[see also: Maternal mortality rate country ranks ]
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.)
total population:
67.81 years
country comparison to the world: 162
male:
64.82 years
female:
70.96 years (2014 est.)
2.14 children born/woman (2014 est.)
country comparison to the world: 106
[see also: Total fertility rate country ranks ]
42.5% (2009)
[see also: Contraceptive prevalence rate country ranks ]
5.9% of GDP (2011)
country comparison to the world: 114
[see also: Health expenditures country ranks ]
0.21 physicians/1,000 population (2010)
[see also: Physicians density country ranks ]
2 beds/1,000 population (2009)
[see also: Hospital bed density country ranks ]
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.)
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.)
1.3% (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 37
[see also: HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate country ranks ]
7,200 (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 116
[see also: HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS country ranks ]
100 (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 134
[see also: HIV/AIDS - deaths country ranks ]
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)
17.2% (2008)
country comparison to the world: 113
[see also: Obesity - adult prevalence rate country ranks ]
11.1% (2009)
country comparison to the world: 66
[see also: Children under the age of 5 years underweight country ranks ]
3.2% of GDP (2012)
country comparison to the world: 136
[see also: Education expenditures - percent of GDP country ranks ]
definition:
age 15 and over has ever attended school
total population:
91.8%
male:
92%
female:
91.6% (2002 Census)
total:
10 years
male:
9 years
female:
11 years (2012)
total number:
30,255
percentage:
16 % (2006 est.)
total:
46.05%
country comparison to the world: 8
male:
43.59%
female:
50% (2011)