<style type="text/css"> .no-show { display: none; } .disable-fade-in{ opacity: 1 !important; transform: none !important; visibility: visible !important; } </style>
Skip to main content
Go to CIA.gov
Explore All Countries

Guyana

South America

Photos of Guyana

view 1 photos
One of the world’s most powerful single-drop waterfalls, Kaieteur Falls, is a major tourist attraction located on the Potaro River in Guyana’s Kaieteur National Park. The falls are 226 m (741 ft) high and 90–105 m (300–350 ft) wide at the top, with a flow rate of 663 cubic m (23,400 cubic ft) per second.
Country Flag

View Details

Arrow Right Icon
Country Map

View Details

Arrow Right Icon
World Factbook Glyph
Special Country Products

Country Factsheet

Arrow Right Icon

Travel Facts

Arrow Right Icon
Locator Map

View Details

Arrow Right Icon
Contents

Introduction

Tip
World Factbook Glyph

Visit the Definitions and Notes page to view a description of each topic.

Definitions and Notes
Arrow Right Icon

Geography

Area

comparison ranking: total 85

Area - comparative

Area comparison map:
<p>slightly smaller than Idaho; almost twice the size of Tennessee</p>

People and Society

Age structure

2024 population pyramid:
This is the population pyramid for Guyana. A population pyramid illustrates the age and sex structure of a country's population and may provide insights about political and social stability, as well as economic development. The population is distributed along the horizontal axis, with males shown on the left and females on the right. The male and female populations are broken down into 5-year age groups represented as horizontal bars along the vertical axis, with the youngest age groups at the bottom and the oldest at the top. The shape of the population pyramid gradually evolves over time based on fertility, mortality, and international migration trends. <br/><br/>For additional information, please see the entry for Population pyramid on the Definitions and Notes page.

Median age

comparison ranking: total 150

Population growth rate

comparison ranking: 164

Birth rate

comparison ranking: 95

Death rate

comparison ranking: 122

Net migration rate

comparison ranking: 214

Maternal mortality ratio

comparison ranking: 76

Infant mortality rate

comparison ranking: total 75

Total fertility rate

comparison ranking: 99

Tobacco use

comparison ranking: total 133

Environment

Government

National coat of arms

Guyana’s coat of arms was adopted in 1966, the year of the country’s independence from the United Kingdom. The jaguars signify strength and resilience, with one holding a pickaxe that stands for labor and the other holding stalks of rice and sugarcane for agriculture. Two national symbols, the Canje pheasant and the Victorian lily, are on the shield, with the national motto underneath. Three wavy blue lines stand for the Essequibo, Demerara, and Berbice rivers, the headdress for the country’s ethnic groups, and the diamonds for the mining industry. The helmet is a symbol of past UK rule in Guyana.

Economy

Real GDP growth rate

comparison ranking: 1

Real GDP per capita

comparison ranking: 20

Labor force

comparison ranking: 167

Unemployment rate

comparison ranking: 148

Current account balance

comparison ranking: 42

Exports

comparison ranking: 102

Imports

comparison ranking: 116

Debt - external

comparison ranking: 97

Energy

Communications

Transportation

Airports

comparison ranking: 82

Merchant marine

comparison ranking: total 99

Military and Security

Transnational Issues

Contents