Demographics of Guyana
Encyclopedia
This article is about the demographic
features of the population
of Guyana
, including population density
, ethnicity
, education level, health of the populace, economic status, religious affiliations and other aspects of the population.
Guyana
's population (Guyanese people
) is made up of five main ethnic groups: Amerindians
, Africans
, Indians
, Europeans
, and Chinese
. Ninety percent of the inhabitants live on the narrow coastal plain, where population density is more than 115 persons per square kilometer (380/mile²). The population density for Guyana as a whole is low—less than four persons per square kilometer.
Although the government has provided free education from nursery school to the university level since 1975, it has not allocated sufficient funds to maintain the standards of what had been considered the best educational system in the region. Many school buildings are in poor condition, there is a shortage of text and exercise books, the number of teachers has declined, and fees are being charged at the university level for some courses of study for the first time.
Guyana continues to be influenced by British culture as well distantly with the cultures of the United States
, Europe, Africa, the Islamic world, East and South Asian countries, and Latin America, esp. with neighboring countries of Venezuela
and Brazil
. It is one of three countries and two territories to form The Guianas
, such as Suriname
and the island of Trinidad and Tobago
; and territories like the French Guiana
and parts of neighboring countries named for Guayana (Venezuela) and Amapa
of Brazil.
There is an organization dedicated to the integration of Guyana with the United States, GuyanaUSA. Their claim is based on the idea that Guyana has strong connections with the United States in terms of people (100,000 people have joint Guyanese American
citizenship and 350,000 Guyanese live in the U.S., half as many as remain in Guyana).
748,486
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 and death rates, lower population and growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2000 est.)
Age structure:
0–14 years:
35.5% (male 135,629; female 131,518; total 267,147)
15–64 years:
66% (male 226,058; female 226,551; total 452,609)
65 years and over:
4.2% (male 14,347; female 17,120; total 31,467) (2002 census)
0.234% (2007 est.)
Birth rate:
18.09 births/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Death rate:
8.28 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Net migration rate:
-7.47 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth:
1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years:
1.04 male(s)/female
15–64 years:
1.01 male(s)/female
65 years and over:
0.81 male(s)/female
total population:
1.01 male(s)/female (2000 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
31.35 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population:
64.04 years
male:
61.08 years
female:
67.15 years (2000 est.)
Total fertility rate:
2.11 children born/woman (2000 est.)
noun:
Guyanese (singular and plural)
adjective:
Guyanese
Ethnic groups:
East Indian 43.5%, Black African 30.2%, mixed heritage 16.7%, Amerindian 9.2%, other 0.46% and an estimated 100,000 United States
/American expatriates.
Religions:
Hindu 28.4%, Pentecostal 16.9%, Roman Catholic 8.1%, Muslim 7.2%, Anglican 6.9%,
Seventh Day Adventist 5%, Other Christian denominations 20.5%, no religion 4.3%, Rastafarian 0.5%, Bahá'í 0.1%, other religions 2.2% and a small Jewish community.
English
(official), Guyanese Creole, Amerindian (Cariban) languages, a smaller number speak Hindi, Chinese languages and a Portuguese
-speaking community.
Literacy:
definition:
age 15 and over has ever attended school
total population:
97.1%
male:
98.6%
female:
96.5% (1995 est.)
Demographics
Demographics are the most recent statistical characteristics of a population. These types of data are used widely in sociology , public policy, and marketing. Commonly examined demographics include gender, race, age, disabilities, mobility, home ownership, employment status, and even location...
features of the population
Population
A population is all the organisms that both belong to the same group or species and live in the same geographical area. The area that is used to define a sexual population is such that inter-breeding is possible between any pair within the area and more probable than cross-breeding with individuals...
of Guyana
Guyana
Guyana , officially the Co-operative Republic of Guyana, previously the colony of British Guiana, is a sovereign state on the northern coast of South America that is culturally part of the Anglophone Caribbean. Guyana was a former colony of the Dutch and of the British...
, including population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
, ethnicity
Ethnic group
An ethnic group is a group of people whose members identify with each other, through a common heritage, often consisting of a common language, a common culture and/or an ideology that stresses common ancestry or endogamy...
, education level, health of the populace, economic status, religious affiliations and other aspects of the population.
Guyana
Guyana
Guyana , officially the Co-operative Republic of Guyana, previously the colony of British Guiana, is a sovereign state on the northern coast of South America that is culturally part of the Anglophone Caribbean. Guyana was a former colony of the Dutch and of the British...
's population (Guyanese people
Guyanese people
Guyanese people are people originating in the South American nation of Guyana. Geographically Guyana is not an island in the Caribbean but a nearby mainland land mass associated with the English Caribbean through history and culture first as a Dutch, then British colony, and as a founding member of...
) is made up of five main ethnic groups: Amerindians
Indigenous peoples of the Americas
The indigenous peoples of the Americas are the pre-Columbian inhabitants of North and South America, their descendants and other ethnic groups who are identified with those peoples. Indigenous peoples are known in Canada as Aboriginal peoples, and in the United States as Native Americans...
, Africans
African people
African people refers to natives, inhabitants, or citizen of Africa and to people of African descent.-Etymology:Many etymological hypotheses that have been postulated for the ancient name "Africa":...
, Indians
Non-resident Indian and Person of Indian Origin
A Non-Resident Indian is an Indian citizen who has migrated to another country, a person of Indian origin who is born outside India, or a person of Indian origin who resides permanently outside India. Other terms with the same meaning are overseas Indian and expatriate Indian...
, Europeans
European ethnic groups
The ethnic groups in Europe are the various ethnic groups that reside in the nations of Europe. European ethnology is the field of anthropology focusing on Europe....
, and Chinese
Chinese people
The term Chinese people may refer to any of the following:*People with Han Chinese ethnicity ....
. Ninety percent of the inhabitants live on the narrow coastal plain, where population density is more than 115 persons per square kilometer (380/mile²). The population density for Guyana as a whole is low—less than four persons per square kilometer.
Although the government has provided free education from nursery school to the university level since 1975, it has not allocated sufficient funds to maintain the standards of what had been considered the best educational system in the region. Many school buildings are in poor condition, there is a shortage of text and exercise books, the number of teachers has declined, and fees are being charged at the university level for some courses of study for the first time.
Guyana continues to be influenced by British culture as well distantly with the cultures of the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, Europe, Africa, the Islamic world, East and South Asian countries, and Latin America, esp. with neighboring countries of Venezuela
Venezuela
Venezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...
and Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
. It is one of three countries and two territories to form The Guianas
The Guianas
The Guyanas or the Guianas refers to a region in north-eastern South America which includes the following three territories:* French Guiana, an overseas department of France;...
, such as Suriname
Suriname
Suriname , officially the Republic of Suriname , is a country in northern South America. It borders French Guiana to the east, Guyana to the west, Brazil to the south, and on the north by the Atlantic Ocean. Suriname was a former colony of the British and of the Dutch, and was previously known as...
and the island of Trinidad and Tobago
Trinidad and Tobago
Trinidad and Tobago officially the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago is an archipelagic state in the southern Caribbean, lying just off the coast of northeastern Venezuela and south of Grenada in the Lesser Antilles...
; and territories like the French Guiana
French Guiana
French Guiana is an overseas region of France, consisting of a single overseas department located on the northern Atlantic coast of South America. It has borders with two nations, Brazil to the east and south, and Suriname to the west...
and parts of neighboring countries named for Guayana (Venezuela) and Amapa
Amapa
Amapa can refer to:*Amapá is one of the states of Brazil.*Amapá , a municipality in that Brazilian state.*Amapa, Nayarit, a town in the Mexican state of Nayarit....
of Brazil.
There is an organization dedicated to the integration of Guyana with the United States, GuyanaUSA. Their claim is based on the idea that Guyana has strong connections with the United States in terms of people (100,000 people have joint Guyanese American
Guyanese American
Guyanese Americans are citizens and residents of the United States who can trace their ancestry back to the South American and Caribbean nation of Guyana, or a Guyanese who emigrated to the United States but has American citizenship.- History :...
citizenship and 350,000 Guyanese live in the U.S., half as many as remain in Guyana).
CIA World Factbook demographic statistics
The following demographic statistics are from the CIA World Factbook, unless otherwise indicated.Population statistics
Population:748,486
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 and death rates, lower population and growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2000 est.)
Age structure:
0–14 years:
35.5% (male 135,629; female 131,518; total 267,147)
15–64 years:
66% (male 226,058; female 226,551; total 452,609)
65 years and over:
4.2% (male 14,347; female 17,120; total 31,467) (2002 census)
Health Data
Population growth rate:0.234% (2007 est.)
Birth rate:
18.09 births/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Death rate:
8.28 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Net migration rate:
-7.47 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth:
1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years:
1.04 male(s)/female
15–64 years:
1.01 male(s)/female
65 years and over:
0.81 male(s)/female
total population:
1.01 male(s)/female (2000 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
31.35 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population:
64.04 years
male:
61.08 years
female:
67.15 years (2000 est.)
Total fertility rate:
2.11 children born/woman (2000 est.)
Ethnicity and Religion
Nationality:noun:
Guyanese (singular and plural)
adjective:
Guyanese
Ethnic groups:
East Indian 43.5%, Black African 30.2%, mixed heritage 16.7%, Amerindian 9.2%, other 0.46% and an estimated 100,000 United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
/American expatriates.
Religions:
Hindu 28.4%, Pentecostal 16.9%, Roman Catholic 8.1%, Muslim 7.2%, Anglican 6.9%,
Seventh Day Adventist 5%, Other Christian denominations 20.5%, no religion 4.3%, Rastafarian 0.5%, Bahá'í 0.1%, other religions 2.2% and a small Jewish community.
Language and Literacy
Languages:English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
(official), Guyanese Creole, Amerindian (Cariban) languages, a smaller number speak Hindi, Chinese languages and a Portuguese
Portuguese language
Portuguese is a Romance language that arose in the medieval Kingdom of Galicia, nowadays Galicia and Northern Portugal. The southern part of the Kingdom of Galicia became independent as the County of Portugal in 1095...
-speaking community.
Literacy:
definition:
age 15 and over has ever attended school
total population:
97.1%
male:
98.6%
female:
96.5% (1995 est.)