Guyana: Country Profile (as of July 2020)

COVID-19

The socioeconomic impact of COVID-19 will likely not be as severe in Guyana compared to other Caribbean countries. The country is equipped for a swift post COVID-19 economic recovery in the medium to long term, with the IMF forecasting 53 per cent economic growth and a comparable per capita income increase in 2020. Nevertheless, a recent WFP led survey found that food prices were on the rise during the pandemic while people lost their jobs or had their salaries reduced, with households dependent on the informal sector and small businesses expected to be hardest hit.

For the most recent update on the COVID-19 caseload, see the PAHO daily reported COVID-19 data. For the latest information on curfews and other measures, click here.

KEY ISSUES

POLITICAL CRISIS

In December 2018, a no confidence vote broke the fragile majority held by the current multiracial coalition government, triggering early national elections in March of 2020.
The final election results were not released due to alleged discrepancies and allegations of fraud. After a legal challenge delayed a recount, the Guyana Elections Commission launched a full national recount process, which has met several obstacles to its completion.
In the meantime, as of July 2020, the country has now been without a parliament for more than four months, with concerns growing that the present crisis could escalate into a situation of increased inter group violence, criminality and corruption.

GEOGRAPHIC DISPARITIES

There exists extreme inequality between urban-coastal and rural-interior areas in terms of access to education and health services, employment opportunities and income, and food and nutrition security. Regions 1, 7, 8 and 9 have poverty rates two to three times higher than the national average and in the rural hinterlands, where the majority (80 per cent) of indigenous people reside, poverty and extreme poverty affect 74 and 54 per cent of the population, respectively.

CRIME AND VIOLENCE

Crime, security and violence were considered by 22 per cent of the population to be the most serious problem facing Guyana in 2016. Between 2000 and 2013, Guyana saw an almost two-fold increase in homicide rates (from 9.9 to 19.5 per 100,000) which have continued to climb in recent years. There have also been reports alleging an increase in violence in the Guyana-Venezuela border area