Here, let us take a look at the Geography of Guyana. The third-smallest country in South America after Suriname and Uruguay; substantial portions of its western and eastern territories are claimed by Venezuela and Suriname respectively; contains some of the largest unspoiled rainforests on the continent. Mother's mean age at first birth is 20.8 years (2009 est.) (Note: data represents median age at first birth among women 25-29), whereas, the Maternal mortality ratio is 112 deaths/100,000 live births (2020 est.)
Location | Northern South America, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Suriname and Venezuela |
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Geographic coordinates | 5 00 N, 59 00 W |
Map references | South America |
Tarrain | mostly rolling highlands; low coastal plain; savanna in south |
Natural Resources | bauxite, gold, diamonds, hardwood timber, shrimp, fish |
Natural Hazards | flash flood threat during rainy seasons |
Irrigated Land | 1,430 sq km (2012) |
Major rivers (by length in km) | |
Major aquifers | |
Land Boundaries | 2,933 km |
Border Countries | Brazil 1,308 km; Suriname 836 km; Venezuela 789 km |
Coastline | 459 km |
Climate | tropical; hot, humid, moderated by northeast trade winds; two rainy seasons (May to August, November to January) |
Area | |
Total Area | |
Land Area | 196,849 sq km |
Water Area | 18,120 sq km |
comparative Area | slightly smaller than Idaho; almost twice the size of Tennessee |
Maritime Claims | |
Territorial sea | 12 nm |
Exclusive economic zone | 200 nm |
Continental shelf | 200 nm or to the outer edge of the continental margin |
Elevations | |
Highest point | Laberintos del Norte on Mount Roraima 2,775 m |
Lowest point | Atlantic Ocean 0 m |
Mean elevation | 207 m |
Land Use | |
Agricultural land | 5.3% (2022 est.) |
Agricultural land: arable land | arable land: 2.1% (2022 est.) |
Agricultural land: permanent crops | permanent crops: 0.1% (2022 est.) |
Agricultural land: permanent pasture | permanent pasture: 3% (2022 est.) |
Forest | 93.5% (2022 est.) |
Other | 1.2% (2022 est.) |
Population 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
In Guyana, the different Ethnic groups are such that we have: East Indian 39.8%, African descent 29.3%, mixed 19.9%, Indigenous 10.5%, other 0.5% (includes Portuguese, Chinese, White) (2012 est.)
Population | |
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Pop growth rate | 0.32% (2024 est.) |
Birth rate | 16.7 births/1,000 population (2024 est.) |
Death rate | 7 deaths/1,000 population (2024 est.) |
Health expenditure | 4.9% of GDP (2021) |
Physicians Density | |
Hospital bed Density | 1.7 beds/1,000 population (2016) |
Total fertility rate | 2.05 children born/woman (2024 est.) |
Gross reproduction rate | 1 (2024 est.) |
Contraceptive prevalence rate | 29.9% (2019/20) |
Est married women (ages 15-49) | 62.6% (2023 est.) |
Literacy | age 15 and over has ever attended school |
Education expenditures | 4.5% of GDP (2018 est.) |
Net Migration rate | -6.6 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2024 est.) |
Nationality | Guyanese | Guyanese (singular and plural) |
Languages | English (official), Guyanese Creole, Amerindian languages (including Caribbean and Arawak languages), Indian languages (including Caribbean Hindustani, a dialect of Hindi), Chinese (2014 est.) |
Religions | Protestant 34.8% (Pentecostal 22.8%, Seventh Day Adventist 5.4%, Anglican 5.2%, Methodist 1.4%), Hindu 24.8%, other Christian 20.8%, Roman Catholic 7.1%, Muslim 6.8%, Jehovah's Witness 1.3%, Rastafarian 0.5%, other 0.9%, none 3.1% (2012 est.) |
Age Structure | |
0-14 years | 23.5% (male 95,223/female 91,272) |
15-64 years | 68.4% (male 281,669/female 261,261) |
65 years and over | 8.1% (2024 est.) (male 28,352/female 36,322) |
Dependency Ratios | |
Total dependency ratio | 53.6 |
Youth dependency ratio | 44.1 |
Elderly dependency ratio | 9.5 |
Potential support ratio | 10.6 (2021 est.) |
Median Age | |
Total | 28.3 years (2024 est.) |
Male | 28.2 years |
Female | 28.4 years |
Urbanization | |
Urban population | 27.2% of total population (2023) |
Rate of urbanization | 1.01% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.) |
Major urban areas (Pop) | 110,000 GEORGETOWN (capital) (2018). |
Sex Ratio | |
At birth | 1.05 male(s)/female |
0-14 years | 1.04 male(s)/female |
15-64 years | 1.08 male(s)/female |
65 years and over | 0.78 male(s)/female |
Total population | 1.04 male(s)/female (2024 est.) |
Infant Motality | |
Total | 21.1 deaths/1,000 live births (2024 est.) |
Male | 23.9 deaths/1,000 live births |
Female | 18.3 deaths/1,000 live births |
Life Expectancy at birth | |
Total population | 72.4 years (2024 est.) |
Male | 70.6 years |
Female | 74.3 years |
Drinking Water Sources | |
Improved: urban | urban: 100% of population |
Improved: rural | rural: 95.6% of population |
Improved: total | total: 96.8% of population |
Unimproved: urban | urban: 0% of population |
Unimproved: rural | rural: 4.4% of population |
Unimproved: total | total: 3.2% of population (2020 est.) |
Sanitation facility acess | |
Improved: urban | urban: 97.8% of population |
Improved: rural | rural: 95.4% of population |
Improved: total | total: 96% of population |
Unimproved: urban | urban: 2.2% of population |
Unimproved: rural | rural: 4.6% of population |
Unimproved: total | total: 4% of population (2020 est.) |
Alcohol consumption per capita | |
Total | 5.11 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.) |
Beer | 2.75 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.) |
Wine | 0.04 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.) |
Spirits | 2.3 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.) |
Other alcohols | 0.02 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.) |
Tobacco use | |
Total | 12.1% (2020 est.) |
Male | 21.7% (2020 est.) |
Female | 2.4% (2020 est.) |
Want to know more about Guyana? Check all different factbooks for Guyana below.