Guyana (Co-operative Republic of Guyana)

Guyana Co-operative Republic of Guyana
Status	Independent State
Social and Moral Index	114th best
Capital	Georgetown
Land Area	196 850km21
Location	South America, The Americas
Population	0.8m2
Life Expectancy	65.67yrs (2017)3
GNI	$22 465 (2017)4
ISO3166-1 Codes	GY, GUY, 3285
Internet Domain	.gy6
Currency	Dollar (GYD)7
Telephone	+5928

1. Overview
2. Guyana National and Social Development
3. Guyana's Demographics and Migration
4. Guyana's Human Rights, Equality & Tolerance
5. Guyana's Health
6. Guyana's Responsibility Towards The Environment
7. Guyana's Modernity and Learning
8. Guyana's Culture, Peace and Inequality
9. Religion and Beliefs
10. Links

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1. Overview

#UK

“Originally a Dutch colony in the 17th century, by 1815 Guyana had become a British possession. The abolition of slavery led to black settlement of urban areas and the importation of indentured servants from India to work the sugar plantations. The resulting ethnocultural divide has persisted and has led to turbulent politics. Guyana achieved independence from the UK in 1966, and since then it has been ruled mostly by socialist-oriented governments. In 1992, Cheddi JAGAN was elected president in what is considered the country's first free and fair election since independence. After his death five years later, his wife, Janet JAGAN, became president but resigned in 1999 due to poor health. Her successor, Bharrat JAGDEO, was reelected in 2001 and again in 2006. Donald RAMOTAR was elected president in 2011.”

CIA's The World Factbook (2013)₉

“From towering waterfalls and tropical jungle to caiman-filled rivers, few places on the planet offer raw adventure as authentic as densely forested Guyana. Although the country has a troubled history of political instability and interethnic tension, underneath the headlines of corruption and economic mismanagement is a joyful and motivated mix of people who are turning the country into one of the continent´s premier ecotourism destinations.

Georgetown, the country´s crumbling colonial capital, is distinctly Caribbean with a rocking nightlife, great places to eat and an edgy market. The interior of the country is more Amazonian with its Amerindian communities and unparalleled wildlife-viewing opportunities tucked quietly away from the capital´s hoopla. Meanwhile, the coast is some of the wildest and least developed on the continent. From sea-turtle nesting grounds along the country´s north coast to riding with vaqueros at a ranch in the south or standing in awe watching one of the world´s highest single-drop waterfalls, Guyana is well worth the mud, bumps and sweat it takes to experience it. If you love nature, this promises to be the trip of a lifetime.”

"The World" by Lonely Planet (2014)₁₀

2. Guyana National and Social Development

#economics #human_development #wealth

UN HDI (2021)11
Pos.		Higher is better Value11
1	Switzerland	0.962
2	Norway	0.961
3	Iceland	0.959
	...
105	Paraguay	0.717
106=	Palestine	0.715
106=	St Lucia	0.715
108	Guyana	0.714
109	S. Africa	0.713
110	Jamaica	0.709
111	Samoa	0.707
112=	Gabon	0.706
	The Americas Avg	0.75
	World Avg	0.72
q=191.

Gross National Income Per-Capita (2021)11
Pos.		Higher is better PPP $11
1	Liechtenstein	$146 830
2	Singapore	$90 919
3	Qatar	$87 134
	...
58	Trinidad & Tobago	$23 392
59	St Kitts & Nevis	$23 358
60	Bulgaria	$23 079
61	Guyana	$22 465
62	Mauritius	$22 025
63	Uruguay	$21 269
64	Argentina	$20 925
65	Montenegro	$20 839
	The Americas Avg	$16 628
	World Avg	$20 136
q=193.

Social & Moral Development Index12
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank12
1	Denmark	27.3
2	Norway	30.5
3	Switzerland	32.2
	...
111	Botswana	94.2
112	Nepal	95.7
113	Venezuela	95.8
114	Guyana	96.0
115	Oman	96.6
116	Azerbaijan	97.1
117	Suriname	97.2
118	Palau	97.2
	The Americas Avg	81.5
	World Avg	88.8
q=199.

The United Nations produces an annual Human Development Report which includes the Human Development Index. The factors taken into account include life expectancy, education and schooling and Gross National Income (GNI) amongst many others..

The Social and Moral Development Index concentrates on moral issues and human rights, violence, public health, equality, tolerance, freedom and effectiveness in climate change mitigation and environmentalism, and on some technological issues. A country scores higher for achieving well in those areas, and for sustaining that achievement in the long term. Those countries towards the top of this index can truly said to be setting good examples and leading humankind onwards into a bright, humane, and free future. See: Which are the Best Countries in the World? The Social and Moral Development Index.

3. Guyana's Demographics and Migration

#birth_control #demographics #fertility #health #immigration #life_expectancy #longevity #migration #overpopulation #population #yemen

Population Datasets:

Guyana's population is predicted to rise to 794 743 by 2030. This country has a fertility rate of 2.37. The fertility rate is, in simple terms, the average amount of children that each woman has. The higher the figure, the quicker the population will grow, although, to calculate the rate you also need to take into account morbidity - the rate at which people die. If people live healthy and long lives and morbidity is low, then, 2.0 approximates to the replacement rate (two new children for each set of parents who die), which would keep the population stable. If all countries had such a fertility rate, population growth would end. The actual replacement rate in most developed countries is around 2.1. The highest fertility rate ever detected in a single year was in Yemen in 1985, at 8.86.₁₃

Population2
Pos.		2018 Population2
1	China	1.4b
2	India	1.4b
3	USA	327.1m
	...
158	Djibouti	1.0m
159	Fiji	0.9m
160	Comoros	0.8m
161	Guyana	0.8m
162	Bhutan	0.8m
163	Solomon Islands	0.7m
164	Montenegro	0.6m
165	Luxembourg	0.6m
	World Avg	39.0m
q=195.

Life Expectancy Higher is better11
Pos.		2021 Years11
1	Monaco	85.9
2	Hong Kong	85.5
3	Japan	84.8
	...
143	Rwanda	66.1
144	Palau	66.0
145	Gabon	65.8
146	Guyana	65.7
147	Myanmar	65.7
148	Papua New Guinea	65.4
149	Marshall Islands	65.3
150	Sudan	65.3
	World Avg	71.28
q=195.

Fertility Rate 2.0 is best14
Pos.		202214
1	US Virgin Islands	2.00
2	Ecuador	2.00
3	Nepal	2.01
	...
55	Turks & Caicos Islands	1.66
56	Guatemala	2.35
57	Barbados	1.63
58	Guyana	2.37
59=	Serbia	1.63
59=	Australia	1.63
61	Brazil	1.63
62	Czechia	1.62
	World Avg	2.47
q=208.

Old-Age Dependency Ratio Lower is better15
Pos.		2016 Per 10015
1	Uganda	04.3
2	Mali	04.5
3=	Chad	04.7
	...
93	Samoa	13.7
94	Algeria	14.0
95	Malaysia	14.5
96	Guyana	15.0
97	Fiji	15.3
98	Mexico	15.4
99	Peru	15.5
100=	Dominican Rep.	15.6
	World Avg	18.3
q=185.

• The Population of the Earth
• Abortion, Birth Control and Contraception

Migration Datasets:

Immigrants16
Pos.		2017 %16
1	UAE	88.4%
2	Kuwait	75.5%
3	Qatar	65.2%
	...
127	Liberia	2.1%
128	Mali	2.1%
129	Georgia	2.0%
130	Guyana	2.0%
131	Central African Rep.	1.9%
132	Romania	1.9%
133	Japan	1.8%
134	Sudan	1.8%
	World Avg	9.4%
q=195.

Emigrants17
Pos.		2010 %17
1	Dominica	104.8%
2	Palestine	68.4%
3	Samoa	67.3%
4	Grenada	65.5%
5	St Kitts & Nevis	61.1%
6	Guyana	56.9%
7	Monaco	56.3%
8	Antigua & Barbuda	47.6%
9	Tonga	45.4%
10	Albania	45.4%
11	Barbados	41.0%
12	Suriname	39.0%
	World Avg	11.5%
q=192.

4. Guyana's Human Rights, Equality & Tolerance

#equality #freedom #freethought #gender #gender_equality #homosexuality #human_rights #international_law #mass_media #misogyny #morals #politics #prejudice #religious_tolerance #slavery #tolerance #women

Compared to The Americas (2025)18
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank18
1	Canada	14.9
2	Costa Rica	30.8
3	Uruguay	34.3
	...
26	Paraguay	81.3
27	Honduras	84.5
28	Guatemala	85.4
29	Guyana	85.5
30	Grenada	86.1
31	Antigua & Barbuda	87.1
32	Nicaragua	91.8
33	Venezuela	92.8
34	Haiti	109.8
	The Americas Avg	71.80
q=35.

Human Rights, Equality & Tolerance (2025)18
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank18
1	Sweden	5.9
2	Norway	8.0
3	Denmark	8.1
	...
93	Honduras	84.5
94	Ghana	85.0
95	Guatemala	85.4
96	Guyana	85.5
97	Philippines	86.1
98	Grenada	86.1
99	Singapore	86.3
100	Fiji	86.9
	World Avg	86.35
q=198.

The best countries in the world at ensuring human rights, fostering equality and promoting tolerance, are Sweden, Norway and Denmark₁₉. These countries are displaying the best traits that humanity has to offer. The worst countries are N. Korea, Somalia and Eritrea₁₉.

25 datasets are used to calculate points for each country, including multiple decades of data on supporting press freedom, combatting modern slavery, supporting personal, civil & economic freedoms, its average Freedom in the World rating, commentary in Human Rights Watch reports, its nominal commitment to Human Rights, speed of uptake of HR treaties, opposing gender inequality, the rate of gender bias (from 7 indicators), the year from which women could participate in democracy, its success in fighting anti-semitic prejudice, LGBT equality and freethought. The regions with the best average results per country are Scandinavia, Baltic States and Europe₁₉, whereas the worst are The Middle East, Africa and Asia₁₉.

For more, see:

• " Which are the Best Countries for Human Rights, Equality and Tolerance?" by Vexen Crabtree (2025).

Human Rights & Tolerance Datasets:

Press Freedom Higher is better20
Pos.		202520
1	Norway	92.31
2	Estonia	89.46
3	Netherlands	88.64
	...
69	Bulgaria	60.78
70	Congo, (Brazzaville)	60.58
71	Central African Rep.	60.15
72	Guyana	60.12
73	Senegal	59.43
74	Comoros	59.27
75	Malawi	59.20
76	Cyprus	59.04
	The Americas Avg	55.99
	World Avg	54.65
q=179.

Guyana only had Press Freedom data from 2008 onwards, making its average for the 2000s potentially skewed.

Slavery in the 2020s Lower is better21
Pos.		Total Per 100021
1=	Switzerland	0.50
1=	Norway	0.50
3=	Germany	0.60
	...
54=	Angola	4.10
54=	Estonia	4.10
56=	Uganda	4.20
56=	Guyana	4.20
56=	Argentina	4.20
56=	Czechia	4.20
60=	Egypt	4.30
60=	Rwanda	4.30
	The Americas Avg	5.84
	World Avg	7.15
q=160.

Personal, Civil & Economic Freedom Lower is better22
Pos.		2014 Rank22
1	Hong Kong	1
2	Switzerland	2
3	New Zealand	3
	...
124	Mali	124
125	Gambia	125
126=	Cameroon	126
126=	Guyana	126
128=	Vietnam	128
128=	Azerbaijan	128
130	Sri Lanka	130
131	Morocco	131
	The Americas Avg	72.4
	World Avg	79.7
q=159.

Freedom in the World Lower is better
Pos.		2024 Score
1=	Norway	1.0
1=	Canada	1.0
1=	Cape Verde	1.0
	...
49=	Latvia	1.5
49=	Bahamas	1.5
51=	Jamaica	2.0
51=	Guyana	2.0
51=	USA	2.0
51=	Mauritius	2.0
51=	Argentina	2.0
51=	Greece	2.0
	The Americas Avg	2.7
	World Avg	3.7
q=205.

Nominal Commitment to HR Higher is better23
Pos.		2009 Treaties23
1	Argentina	24
2=	Chile	23
2=	Costa Rica	23
	...
149=	Barbados	11
149=	Bahamas	11
149=	Cuba	11
149=	Guyana	11
149=	Swaziland	11
149=	Zimbabwe	11
155=	Saudi Arabia	10
155=	Laos	10
	The Americas Avg	16.5
	World Avg	15.1
q=194.

HR Treaties Lag Lower is better24
Pos.		2019 Avg Yrs/Treaty24
1	Ecuador	2.15
2	Uruguay	2.25
3	Tunisia	3.65
	...
60	Jordan	7.75
61	Madagascar	7.75
62	Cuba	7.80
63	Guyana	7.85
64	Tanzania	8.05
65	Nicaragua	8.10
66	Guatemala	8.10
67	Netherlands	8.29
	The Americas Avg	8.45
	World Avg	10.02
q=195.

Gender Equality Datasets:

The 1950s saw a late rush of 43 countries, including Guyana and many developing nations, move to cease preventing women from voting. Guyana has made some steps towards ending gender inequality but much more needs to be done.

See:

• "Religion Versus Womankind" by Vexen Crabtree (2007)
• "Christianity and Women: Biblical Misogyny and Male Dominance" by Vexen Crabtree (2019)

Gender Inequality Lower is better25
Pos.		202225
1	Denmark	0.01
2	Norway	0.01
3	Switzerland	0.02
	...
100	Colombia	0.41
101	Honduras	0.42
102	Timor-Leste (E. Timor)	0.42
103	Guyana	0.42
104	Samoa	0.42
105	Bolivia	0.42
106	Paraguay	0.43
107	Dominican Rep.	0.44
	The Americas Avg	0.36
	World Avg	0.34
q=166.

Data starts in 2018, so the 2010s average may be a little skewed due to too few datapoints.

Year Women Can Vote Lower is better
Pos.		Total Year
1	New Zealand	1893
2	Australia	1902
3	Finland	1906
	...
92=	Ivory Coast	1952
92=	Greece	1952
92=	Lebanon	1952
95=	Guyana	1953
95=	Mexico	1953
95=	Bhutan	1953
95=	Syria	1953
99=	Colombia	1954
	The Americas Avg	1947
	World Avg	1930
q=189.

Prejudice Datasets:

LGBT Equality Higher is better26
Pos.		2017 Score26
1	Netherlands	103
2	Belgium	90
3	Sweden	86
	...
128=	Kiribati	-5
128=	Jamaica	-5
128=	Cook Islands	-5
128=	Guyana	-5
132	St Lucia	-9
133=	India	-10
133=	Samoa	-10
133=	Trinidad & Tobago	-10
	The Americas Avg	26.1
	World Avg	12.6
q=196.

Freedom of Thought Lower is better27
Pos.		202127
1=	Belgium	1.0
1=	Taiwan	1.0
1=	Netherlands	1.0
	...
137=	Turkmenistan	3.5
137=	Togo	3.5
137=	Poland	3.5
137=	Guyana	3.5
137=	Nicaragua	3.5
137=	Papua New Guinea	3.5
137=	Solomon Islands	3.5
137=	Kazakhstan	3.5
	The Americas Avg	2.7
	World Avg	3.0
q=196.

5. Guyana's Health

#alcohol #birth_control #demographics #health #life_expectancy #longevity #mental_health #obesity #overpopulation #parenting #population #smoking #suicide #vaccines

Compared to The Americas (2025)28
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank28
1	Canada	57.4
2	Turks & Caicos Islands	62.6
3	St Martin	66.7
	...
28=	Mexico	100.7
29	St Kitts & Nevis	101.0
30	Venezuela	101.7
31	Guyana	104.5
32	Dominican Rep.	104.6
33	Paraguay	105.5
34	Belize	106.7
35	Puerto Rico	109.9
36	Suriname	110.1
	The Americas Avg	92.66
q=41.

Health (2025)28
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank28
1	Monaco	12.4
2	Liechtenstein	30.1
3	San Marino	30.6
	...
118	Libya	103.8
119	Cambodia	104.0
120	Myanmar	104.2
121	Guyana	104.5
122	Dominican Rep.	104.6
123	Paraguay	105.5
124	Palau	105.6
125	Belize	106.7
	World Avg	96.86
q=204.

The countries with the best overall approach to public health, in terms of both public policy and individual lifestyle choices, are Monaco, Liechtenstein and San Marino₂₉. These countries are worth emulating. And, although often through no fault of the average citizen, the worst countries are Angola, Somalia and S. Sudan₂₉.

36 datasets are used to calculate points for each country, including multiple decades of data on its average life expectancy, its alcohol consumption rate, its fertility rate, its smoking rate, its suicide rate, its food aid and health contributions and WHO compliance, the prevalence of overweight adults, obesity rate, its adolescent birth rate, its immunizations take-up and childhood mortality in the 2020s (so far). The regions with the best average results per country are Scandinavia, Europe and The Mediterranean₂₉, whereas the worst are Micronesia, Africa and Melanesia₂₉.

For more, see:

• "Countries With the Healthiest Cultures and Health Policies" by Vexen Crabtree (2025).

Health Datasets:

Guyana has some poor policies and cultural issues which cause some public health problems. Guyana does better than average for its immunizations take-up₃₀, its smoking rate₃₁, its fertility rate₁₄ and in the prevalence of overweight adults₃₂. Guyana doesn't do so well in other areas. Guyana does worse than average in its alcohol consumption rate₃₃, its food aid and health contributions and WHO compliance₃₄, childhood mortality in the 2020s (so far)₃₅, its average life expectancy₁₁ (one of the worst in The Americas) and in its adolescent birth rate₃₆. And finally, it falls into the worst 20 when it comes to its suicide rate₃₇ (amongst the highest in The Americas). The prevalence of overweight adults has increased by 14% between 1976 and 2016. Life expectancy in Guyana improved by +6.7yrs in the 30 years from 1990, less than the global average of +7.9yrs. Guyana's peak fertility rate was 6.37 in 1960.

Life Expectancy Higher is better11
Pos.		2021 Years11
1	Monaco	85.9
2	Hong Kong	85.5
3	Japan	84.8
	...
143	Rwanda	66.1
144	Palau	66.0
145	Gabon	65.8
146	Guyana	65.7
147	Myanmar	65.7
148	Papua New Guinea	65.4
149	Marshall Islands	65.3
150	Sudan	65.3
	The Americas Avg	72.58
	World Avg	71.28
q=195.

Alcohol Consumption Lower is better33
Pos.		2016 Per Capita33
1	Bangladesh	0.0
2	Kuwait	0.0
3	Libya	0.0
	...
92	Nauru	6.0
93	Cuba	6.1
94	Kyrgyzstan	6.2
95=	Guyana	6.3
95=	Peru	6.3
97=	Bosnia & Herzegovina	6.4
97=	Angola	6.4
99	Mexico	6.5
	The Americas Avg	6.9
	World Avg	6.2
q=189.

Fertility Rate 2.0 is best14
Pos.		202214
1	US Virgin Islands	2.00
2	Ecuador	2.00
3	Nepal	2.01
	...
55	Turks & Caicos Islands	1.66
56	Guatemala	2.35
57	Barbados	1.63
58	Guyana	2.37
59=	Serbia	1.63
59=	Australia	1.63
61	Brazil	1.63
62	Czechia	1.62
	The Americas Avg	1.80
	World Avg	2.47
q=208.

Smoking in the 2020s Lower is better31
Pos.		Total %31
1	Nigeria	3.3%
2	Ghana	3.4%
3	Panama	5.2%
	...
36	Kenya	10.7%
37	Paraguay	10.8%
38	Cape Verde	11.0%
39	Guyana	11.2%
40	Burundi	11.2%
41=	Zimbabwe	11.3%
41=	Bahamas	11.3%
43	Guatemala	12.0%
	The Americas Avg	12.7%
	World Avg	20.0%
q=165.

Suicide Rate37
Pos.		2013 Per 100k37
1	Haiti	0
2	Grenada	0
3	Egypt	0.1
	...
84	Japan	49.4
85	Hungary	50.6
86=	Kazakhstan	52.4
86=	Guyana	52.4
88	Belarus	57.5
89	S. Korea	62
90	Russia	63.4
91	Lithuania	71.7
	The Americas Avg	13.57
	World Avg	20.93
q=91.

Food Aid, Health Contributions & WHO Compliance Lower is better34
Pos.		2017 Rank34
1	Sweden	1
2	Ireland	2
3	Denmark	3
	...
94	Philippines	94
95	Bosnia & Herzegovina	95
96	Namibia	96
97	Guyana	97
98	Colombia	98
99	Vietnam	99
100	Lesotho	100
101	Tanzania	101
	The Americas Avg	94.3
	World Avg	82.0
q=163.

Overweight Adults Lower is better32
Pos.		1976 %32
1	Bangladesh	4.7
2	Vietnam	5.1
3	Nepal	5.4
	...
72	Trinidad & Tobago	20.6
73	Singapore	22.8
74	St Lucia	24.0
75	Guyana	24.3
76	Paraguay	25.1
77	Honduras	25.5
78	Antigua & Barbuda	25.8
79=	St Vincent & Grenadines	25.9
	The Americas Avg	30.7
	World Avg	27.1
q=191.

Adult Obesity Lower is better38
Pos.		2022 %38
1	Vietnam	2.1%
2	Timor-Leste (E. Timor)	2.2%
3	Ethiopia	2.4%
	...
117	Azerbaijan	27.5%
118	Bolivia	27.8%
119	Armenia	27.9%
120	Guyana	28.0%
121	Russia	28.0%
122	Greenland	28.2%
123	Tunisia	28.3%
124	Uzbekistan	28.5%
	The Americas Avg	32.0%
	World Avg	24.7%
q=199.

Children's Health Datasets:

Adolescent Birth Rate Lower is better36
Pos.		2022 Per 100036
1	Hong Kong	1.6
2	Denmark	1.8
3	S. Korea	2.1
	...
149	Ghana	63.4
150	Eritrea	63.6
151	Senegal	64.6
152	Guyana	64.6
153	Ethiopia	66.5
154	Swaziland	68.4
155	Panama	68.5
156	Paraguay	69.9
	The Americas Avg	48.1
	World Avg	43.8
q=195.

Infant Immunizations 2011-2015 Higher is better30
Pos.		2015 Avg %30
1=	Hungary	99.0
1=	China	99.0
3	Uzbekistan	98.9
	...
32	Albania	97.1
33	Andorra	97.1
34	Russia	97.0
35	Guyana	97.0
36	Slovakia	97.0
37	Kyrgyzstan	96.7
38	Brazil	96.7
39=	Jordan	96.6
	The Americas Avg	91.3
	World Avg	88.3
q=194.

Infant Mortality (2020s) Lower is better35
Pos.		Total Per 100035
1	San Marino	2.11
2	Finland	2.59
3	Luxembourg	2.60
	...
131	Tajikistan	31.41
132	Bhutan	32.24
133	Bolivia	33.37
134	Guyana	33.43
135	Cambodia	33.56
136	Dominican Rep.	34.90
137	Marshall Islands	35.97
138	Nepal	39.44
	The Americas Avg	18.99
	World Avg	32.19
q=195.

Guyana was amongst 49 countries in the 1990s who had an adolescent birth rate of over 100 (per 1000 girls aged 15-19).

6. Guyana's Responsibility Towards The Environment

#biodiversity #climate_change #deforestation #environmentalism #food #internationalism #meat #over-exploitation #the_environment #veganism #vegetarianism

Compared to The Americas (2025)39
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank39
1	Uruguay	43.2
2	Puerto Rico	47.1
3	Costa Rica	49.7
	...
19	Honduras	84.6
20	Venezuela	86.1
21	Canada	87.2
22	Guyana	87.4
23	Jamaica	88.6
24	Paraguay	91.0
25	Belize	91.3
26	St Vincent & Grenadines	92.0
27	Trinidad & Tobago	94.5
	The Americas Avg	92.66
q=36.

Responsibility Towards The Environment (2025)39
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank39
1	Sri Lanka	34.9
2	Uruguay	43.2
3	Switzerland	45.0
	...
111	Taiwan	86.1
112	Macedonia	86.9
113	Canada	87.2
114	Guyana	87.4
115	Gabon	87.9
116	Croatia	88.5
117	Jamaica	88.6
118	Fiji	89.1
	World Avg	84.93
q=199.

We have known for a long term that we must protect the environment from habitation destruction, over-exploitation, pollution, and the emissions that cause climate change. In 1998, Greenpeace wrote that "Environment can no longer be meaningfully separated from health, quality of life, democracy, education, economy or trade"₄₀. What countries have been doing the right thing, via legislation and national culture? All countries' current and historical approach towards the environment is gauged via 21 datasets, including multiple decades of data on its forested percent change 2000-2020, its environmental performance, energy to GDP efficiency, its sign-up rate to major international accords on protecting the environment, the rate of rational beliefs on the environment in the population, reducing annual meat consumption per person and its score on the Green Future Index.

The countries that do the best (Sri Lanka, Uruguay and Switzerland) tend to have avoided the excesses of early industrial countries, and have not yet repeated the same mistakes of environmental destruction - at least, not on the same scale. The regions with the best average results per country are Central America, South America and Scandinavia. The worst are Eritrea, The Vatican City and Timor-Leste (E. Timor), and the worst regions Micronesia, Australasia and Melanesia.

For more, see:

• " Countries With the Best Environmental Records" by Vexen Crabtree (2025).

Guyana ranks 114th in the world with regard to its responsibility towards the environment. This rank is computed from 21 data sets. Guyana does better than average when it comes to its sign-up rate to major international accords on protecting the environment. However Guyana performs less well in most areas. It does worse than average in the rate of rational beliefs on the environment in the population₄₁ (amongst the lowest in The Americas), its environmental performance₄₂ (amongst the worst in The Americas), reducing annual meat consumption per person₄₃ and in its forested percent change 2000-2020₄₄.

Forest Area Change 2000-2020 Higher is better44
Pos.		Total44
1	Guernsey	82.6%
2	Bahrain	75.2%
3	Iceland	64.7%
	...
143	Mongolia	-0.6%
144	Sweden	-0.7%
145	Gabon	-0.7%
146	Guyana	-0.8%
147	Suriname	-0.9%
148	French Guiana	-1.0%
149	Congo, (Brazzaville)	-1.1%
150	St Lucia	-1.1%
	The Americas Avg	-2.1%
	World Avg	-0.1%
q=234.

Environmental Performance Higher is better42
Pos.		201842
1	Switzerland	87.4
2	France	84.0
3	Denmark	81.6
	...
125	Timor-Leste (E. Timor)	49.5
126	Senegal	49.5
127	Malawi	49.2
128	Guyana	47.9
129	Tajikistan	47.9
130	Kenya	47.3
131	Bhutan	47.2
132	Vietnam	47.0
	The Americas Avg	58.8
	World Avg	56.4
q=180.

International Accords on the Environment Higher is better
Pos.		Total Avg Rate
1	Sweden	83%
2	Canada	82%
3	Norway	81%
	...
70	Nicaragua	64%
71	Trinidad & Tobago	63%
72	Egypt	63%
73	Guyana	63%
74	Uganda	62%
75	Singapore	62%
76	Bolivia	62%
77	Guinea	62%
	The Americas Avg	60.7%
	World Avg	57.5%
q=197.

Guyana was one of 19 countries that signed the Paris Agreement within the first few months in Q2 2016.

Rational Beliefs on the Environment Higher is better41
Pos.		2011 %41
1	Argentina	78.3%
2	Greece	77.6%
3	Brazil	77.1%
	...
91	Azerbaijan	31.7%
92	Guinea	31.2%
93	Slovakia	31.1%
94	Guyana	30.1%
95	Egypt	30.1%
96	Macedonia	30.1%
97	Senegal	29.6%
98	Comoros	28.3%
	The Americas Avg	58.6%
	World Avg	39.9%
q=145.

Meat Consumption Lower is better43
Pos.		2021 kg43
1	Congo, DR	03.0
2	Burundi	03.5
3	Bangladesh	04.3
	...
127	S. Africa	71.6
128	Kazakhstan	71.8
129	Estonia	72.1
130	Guyana	72.4
131	Latvia	74.0
132	Finland	74.0
133	Italy	74.3
134	Norway	74.7
	The Americas Avg	70.3
	World Avg	52.5
q=185.

In the 2010s, Guyana increased its meat consumption by over 20kgs per person per year, one of only 11 countries to do so, and putting unnecessary strain on water supplies and the environment.₄₃

7. Guyana's Modernity and Learning

#education #modernity #technology #the_internet

Compared to The Americas (2020)45
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank45
1=	Canada	21.8
2	USA	26.4
3	Argentina	38.2
	...
27	Jamaica	94.6
28	Paraguay	103.1
29	Suriname	106.6
30	El Salvador	109.2
31	Nicaragua	121.4
32	Guatemala	121.5
33	Guyana	122.5
34	Honduras	132.2
35=	Haiti	155.6
	The Americas Avg	81.34
q=35.

Modernity & Learning (2020)45
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank45
1	Finland	7.1
2	Belgium	12.9
3	Denmark	13.6
	...
137	Bangladesh	121.2
138	Nicaragua	121.4
139	Guatemala	121.5
140	Guyana	122.5
141	Rwanda	123.0
142	Bhutan	123.9
143	Guinea-Bissau	124.4
144	Laos	124.4
	World Avg	86.31
q=190.

The most modern countries, with the best results from education, the highest levels of research, and with the easiest access to information on the Internet, are Finland, Belgium and Denmark₄₆. The worst countries are Eritrea, S. Sudan and Sierra Leone₄₆. Despite improves in global education, access to tertiary (adult) education is becoming increasingly unequal between the rich haves and the poor have-nots₄₇.

“Education, at all levels and ages, is the single most vital support for equality as well as being a country's most vital economic and social resource. [...] Every successful aspirant to modernisation and economic development, from Japan to South Korea, China to Chile, has got there with a big emphasis on education.”

Bill Emmott (2017)₄₈

15 datasets are used to calculate points for each country, including multiple decades of data on Research and Development, Secondary Education, Length of Schooling, Intellectual Endeavours, Maths, Science & Reading, Religiosity, IQ, the percent of citizens with access to the internet, Freedom On The Internet, IT Security, IPv6 Uptake and digital quality of life. The regions with the best average results per country are Scandinavia, Baltic States and Europe₄₆, whereas the worst are Melanesia, Africa and Micronesia₄₆.

For more, see:

• "Which Countries are Most Modern, With the Best Education and Internet Access?" by Vexen Crabtree (2025).

Modernity and Education Datasets:

Secondary Education Higher is better49
Pos.		201849
1=	Luxembourg	100.0%
1=	Estonia	100.0%
1=	Austria	100.0%
	...
85	Egypt	65.3%
86	Argentina	64.8%
87	Greece	64.8%
88	Guyana	63.3%
89	Ghana	63.1%
90	Peru	62.2%
91	Palestine	61.1%
92	Suriname	60.5%
	The Americas Avg	63.0%
	World Avg	63.0%
q=169.

Length of Schooling Higher is better50
Pos.		2021 Years50
1	Australia	21.1
2	New Zealand	20.3
3	Greece	20.0
	...
124	Maldives	12.6
125	Timor-Leste (E. Timor)	12.6
126	Cape Verde	12.6
127	Guyana	12.5
128	Uzbekistan	12.5
129	Bangladesh	12.4
130	Samoa	12.4
131	Congo, (Brazzaville)	12.3
	The Americas Avg	14.2
	World Avg	13.5
q=193.

Intellectual Endeavours Lower is better34
Pos.		2017 Rank34
1	Ukraine	1
2	Czechia	2
3	Hungary	3
	...
155	Paraguay	155
156	Tanzania	156
157	Equatorial Guinea	157
158	Guyana	158
159	Afghanistan	159
160	Indonesia	160
161	Bolivia	161
162	Iraq	162
	The Americas Avg	99.8
	World Avg	82.0
q=163.

Technology and Information Datasets:

Internet Users Higher is better51
Pos.		201651
1	Iceland	100%
2	Faroe Islands	99%
3	Norway	98%
	...
119	Suriname	42%
120	Bolivia	41%
121	Peru	41%
122	Guyana	40%
123	Grenada	39%
124	El Salvador	38%
125	Bhutan	37%
126	Mongolia	36%
	The Americas Avg	56.4%
	World Avg	48.1%
q=201.

IPv6 Uptake Higher is better52
Pos.		2017 Ratio52
1	Belgium	55.4
2	Germany	41.8
3	Switzerland	35.1
	...
126=	Micronesia	0.0
126=	Algeria	0.0
126=	Djibouti	0.0
126=	Guyana	0.0
126=	Namibia	0.0
126=	Tonga	0.0
126=	Myanmar	0.0
126=	Morocco	0.0
	The Americas Avg	3.36
	World Avg	3.82
q=176.

8. Guyana's Culture, Peace and Inequality

#capitalism #charitability #corruption #culture #economics #equality #extremism #health #human_development #inequality #internationalism #life_expectancy #peace #politics #poverty #religious_violence #social_development #terrorism

Compared to The Americas (2020)53
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank53
1	Canada	22.3
2	USA	46.3
3	Uruguay	47.8
	...
18	St Vincent & Grenadines	80.7
19	Grenada	81.6
20	El Salvador	81.7
21	Guyana	84.8
22	Dominican Rep.	85.8
23	Suriname	85.9
24	Peru	86.0
25	Paraguay	86.6
26	Bolivia	86.8
	The Americas Avg	79.19
q=33.

Culture, Peace & Inequality (2020)53
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank53
1	Denmark	11.3
2	Netherlands	13.7
3	Finland	13.7
	...
91	Morocco	81.8
92	China	82.8
93	Philippines	83.9
94	Guyana	84.8
95	Armenia	85.2
96	Ghana	85.3
97	Dominican Rep.	85.8
98	Suriname	85.9
	World Avg	80.34
q=186.

This is the final pillar of the Social and Moral Development Index; it has 32 datasets, including multiple decades of data on World Giving Index, resisting corruption, overall happiness, Creativity and Culture, passport utility in the 2020s (so far), Open Trading, Aid and Development, its Global Peace Index rating, Peacekeeping and Security, Refugees and UN Treaties, the impact of terrorism, poverty in the 2020s (so far), Inequality in Life Expectancy, Income Inequality (Gini Coefficient) and Multidimensional Poverty.

For more, see:

• "Which are the Countries for International Contributions, Creativity, Peace and Inequality?" by Vexen Crabtree (2025).

National Culture Datasets:

Corruption Higher is better54
Pos.		2022 Points54
1	Denmark	90.0
2=	Finland	87.0
2=	New Zealand	87.0
	...
87=	Macedonia	40.0
87=	Maldives	40.0
87=	India	40.0
87=	Guyana	40.0
91=	Belarus	39.0
91=	Moldova	39.0
91=	Colombia	39.0
94=	Ethiopia	38.0
	The Americas Avg	42.97
	World Avg	42.98
q=180.

Thoughout the 2010s, Guyana made serious improvements to its Corruption Perception Index score (+12), sitting amongst the top 10 best-improvers that decade.

Creativity & Culture Lower is better34
Pos.		2017 Rank34
1	Belgium	1
2	Netherlands	2
3	Estonia	3
	...
65	S. Africa	65
66	Lebanon	66
67	USA	67
68	Guyana	68
69	Bosnia & Herzegovina	69
70	Tonga	70
71	Trinidad & Tobago	71
72	Botswana	72
	The Americas Avg	80.2
	World Avg	82.0
q=163.

Passport Reach (2020s) Higher is better55
Pos.		Total Q55
1	Singapore	192.2
2	Japan	192.0
3	S. Korea	190.7
	...
99	Ecuador	92.3
100	Maldives	89.7
101	Nauru	89.3
102	Guyana	88.7
103	Fiji	88.5
104=	Botswana	86.8
104=	Jamaica	86.8
106	Bahrain	85.8
	The Americas Avg	132.4
	World Avg	108.8
q=195.

Open Trading, Aid & Development Lower is better34
Pos.		2017 Rank34
1	Ireland	1
2	Denmark	2
3	Sweden	3
	...
115	Cape Verde	115
116	Russia	116
117	Angola	117
118	Guyana	118
119	Colombia	119
120	Congo, (Brazzaville)	120
121	Zambia	121
122	Nigeria	122
	The Americas Avg	100.5
	World Avg	82.0
q=163.

Peace Versus Instability Datasets:

Global Peace Index Lower is better56
Pos.		2023 Score56
1	Iceland	1.12
2	Denmark	1.31
3	Ireland	1.31
	...
103=	Peru	2.13
103=	Guatemala	2.13
103=	Togo	2.13
106	Guyana	2.13
107	Sri Lanka	2.14
108	Bahrain	2.15
109	Swaziland	2.17
110	Benin	2.18
	The Americas Avg	2.13
	World Avg	2.07
q=163.

Peacekeeping & Security Lower is better34
Pos.		2017 Rank34
1	Samoa	1
2	S. Africa	2
3	Tunisia	3
	...
72	USA	72
73	Cyprus	73
74	Jamaica	74
75	Guyana	75
76	Fiji	76
77	Iceland	77
78	Turkey	78
79	Georgia	79
	The Americas Avg	82.3
	World Avg	82.0
q=163.

Refugees & UN Treaties Lower is better34
Pos.		2017 Rank34
1	Austria	1
2	Germany	2
3	Netherlands	3
	...
151	Zimbabwe	151
152	Grenada	152
153	Angola	153
154	Guyana	154
155	Congo, DR	155
156	Ivory Coast	156
157	St Lucia	157
158	Vietnam	158
	The Americas Avg	91.5
	World Avg	82.0
q=163.

Impact of Terrorism Lower is better57
Pos.		2019 Score57
1	Togo	0.00
2	Mongolia	0.00
3	Swaziland	0.00
	...
17=	Qatar	0.03
17=	Iceland	0.03
19=	Panama	0.04
19=	Guyana	0.04
21	UAE	0.05
22	Slovakia	0.06
23	Norway	0.08
24	Lesotho	0.10
	The Americas Avg	2.16
	World Avg	2.78
q=150.

Economic Inequality and Poverty Datasets:

Inequality in Life Expectancy Lower is better58
Pos.		201958
1	Iceland	2.40
2=	Singapore	2.50
2=	Hong Kong	2.50
	...
124	Bangladesh	17.30
125	Nepal	17.50
126	Cambodia	18.10
127	Guyana	19.00
128	S. Africa	19.20
129	Botswana	19.40
130	Rwanda	19.50
131	India	19.70
	The Americas Avg	12.03
	World Avg	14.59
q=184.

Multidimensional Poverty Lower is better59
Pos.		2018 Severity59
1	Armenia	.001
2	Ukraine	.001
3	Serbia	.001
	...
19	Bosnia & Herzegovina	.008
20	Barbados	.009
21	Macedonia	.010
22	Guyana	.014
23	Dominican Rep.	.015
24	China	.016
25	Brazil	.01660
26	Belize	.017
	The Americas Avg	.045
	World Avg	.154
q=101.

9. Religion and Beliefs

#buddhism #christianity #hinduism #islam #judaism

Pew Forum polling over the decades has found the following adherency rates:₆₁:

	2010	2020
Christian	63.9%	65.9%
Hindu	24.8%	23.4%
Muslim	6.77%	6.5%
Unaffiliated	3.13%	2.91%
Other	1.33%	1.24%
Jewish	<0.1%	<0.1%
Buddhist	<0.1%	<0.1%

The CIA World Factbook has slightly different data, and states: Protestant 30.5% (Pentecostal 16.9%, Anglican 6.9%, Seventh-Day Adventist 5%, Methodist 1.7%), Hindu 28.4%, Roman Catholic 8.1%, Jehovah's Witnesses 1.1%, Muslim 7.2%, other Christian 17.7%, other 4.3%, none 4.3% (2002 census)₆₂.

Links:

• A List of All Religions and Belief Systems