Guyana population pyramid 2026
Latin America and the Caribbean · South America
840,890 people in 2026 (projected). Guyana’s pyramid is hollowed above age 35 by emigration, which held the population almost flat from 1975 to 2000 even though births far outnumbered deaths.
- 2026 population
- 840.9Krank 166 of 237
- Median age
- 26.5 yearsoldest rank 160
- Fertility rate
- 2.35births per woman · above replacement
- Structure
- Transitional7.2% age 65+
Guyana population pyramid
2026 · Share of total by five-year age group and sex
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The UN series provides historical estimates through 2023. Figures from 2024 onward—including 2026—are medium-scenario projections, not counts or predictions guaranteed to occur.
Guyana age distribution in 2026
Children under 15 account for 28.7% of the population, while 7.2% are aged 65 or older. The remaining 64.1% are in the conventional working-age range of 15–64. On these shares, the site classifies Guyana’s age structure as transitional; the guide to population pyramid types explains what that shape implies.
The total age dependency ratio is 56.0: about 56 people under 15 or 65+ for every 100 people aged 15–64 (44.8 children and 11.3 older people). This is an age-balance indicator, not a literal count of economic dependants per worker.
What shapes Guyana’s population pyramid
A population held flat by departures
Guyana is a clear case of emigration shaping a population. The country had about 745,000 people in 1975 and about 765,000 in 2000: a quarter-century of almost no growth, even though births far outnumbered deaths throughout. The UN series records a net outflow of about 490,000 people between 1950 and 1999 and a further 200,000 from 2000 to 2023, mainly to the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom and other Caribbean countries. Relative to its size, Guyana has long been among the countries with the highest emigration rates in the world, a pattern that followed economic decline and political tension from the 1970s onward.
Where the missing adults should be
The pyramid shows who left. In 2026 the bands from 40 to 54 are almost the same width instead of tapering, and they are far narrower than the 25–34 bands below them. Women outnumber men in every band from age 30, with about 87 men per 100 women at 40–44 and 85 at 60–64, consistent with somewhat more men than women emigrating and with men’s much lower life expectancy (about 67 years against 74 for women). The sex ratio by country ranking shows how unusual an overall ratio of about 95 is for a country with a young population.
Lower down, fertility has fallen from about 6.3 children per woman in 1960 to about 2.4 in 2023, so the base is no longer expanding: the bands under 15 are of similar size. A bulge at 25–29 (born about 1997–2001) next to a notch at 20–24 is small in absolute terms and may partly reflect migration timing rather than births. The overall outline resembles Nepal and Paraguay.
The large offshore oil discoveries that began production in 2019 have transformed the economy, but the medium scenario still assumes a net outflow, of about 78,000 people from 2026 to 2050, and projects only slow growth to about 940,000 by 2050 and a peak near 960,000 around 2067.
What to notice across the years
Distinctive cohorts and turning points
No five-year band under age 80 is more than 10% larger or smaller than both of its neighbours, so Guyana’s 2026 pyramid has a comparatively smooth profile without sharp bulges or notches.
Births outnumber deaths in 2026; the medium scenario projects deaths to exceed births from 2080. People aged 65 and older are projected to outnumber children under 15 by 2080.
Births, deaths, and migration
A pyramid changes in only three ways: births add to the base, deaths remove people at every age, and migration adds or removes people mainly in young adulthood. In 2026, Guyana is projected to record 16,120 births (about 44 births a day) and 6,416 deaths, a natural increase of 9,704. Net migration adds −4,787 people, ranking #219 in the net migration rate ranking.
Between 2000 and 2023 the UN estimates 411,647 births, 146,310 deaths, and cumulative net migration of −201,515. Over that period the balance of births and deaths moved the total more than migration did. See how migration shapes a pyramid and birth rate versus fertility rate. The medium scenario assumes net migration of −78,088 between 2026 and 2050.
Annual values 1950–2100; dashed lines after 2023 are the UN medium projection. The trend table below lists the values by decade.
Life expectancy and mortality
- Life expectancy, women
- 74.4 years51.7 in 1950
- Life expectancy, men
- 66.8 years47.0 in 1950
- Further years at 65
- 15.3 yearsboth sexes
- Infant mortality
- 17.5per 1,000 births · 110 in 1950
- Under-five mortality
- 21.4per 1,000 births
- Mother’s mean age at birth
- 27.1 yearssex ratio at birth 103.7
Women in Guyana are projected to live 7.6 years longer than men, which is why the female side of the pyramid widens relative to the other at older ages (see the life expectancy gap ranking). Infant mortality has fallen from 110 to 17.5 deaths per 1,000 live births since 1950, ranking #70 of 237 in the infant mortality ranking (highest first). A mean age at childbearing of 27.1 years sets the spacing between generations, and so how far apart echo cohorts sit in the pyramid.
Median age, fertility rate, and global ranks for Guyana
The median age of 26.5 years splits the population into two equal halves. A total fertility rate of 2.35 births per woman is above the replacement level of roughly 2.1, and life expectancy at birth is 70.6 years.
These ranks compare all 237 countries and areas in this dataset using the same 2026 UN medium projection. Ranks use the stored source precision, so displayed rounding can make adjacent values look identical; small differences should not be overinterpreted.
| Indicator | 2026 value | Global rank | Ranking direction |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 840,890 | #166 | Largest first |
| Median age | 26.5 years | #160 | Oldest first |
| Fertility rate | 2.35 | #85 | Highest first |
| Annual growth | +0.6% | #125 | Fastest first |
| Life expectancy | 70.6 years | #171 | Highest first |
| Population aged 65+ | 7.2% | #143 | Highest share first |
Largest age groups in Guyana
The five largest cohorts identify where the 2026 population is concentrated. They can reflect past birth patterns, survival, and migration; the chart alone does not establish which cause dominates.
| Rank | Age group | Population | Share of total | Male / female |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 5–9 | 81,546 | 9.7% | 41.4K / 40.2K |
| 2 | 0–4 | 79,934 | 9.5% | 40.6K / 39.4K |
| 3 | 10–14 | 79,721 | 9.5% | 40.4K / 39.3K |
| 4 | 15–19 | 74,497 | 8.9% | 37.8K / 36.7K |
| 5 | 25–29 | 73,655 | 8.8% | 37K / 36.6K |
Sex ratio and the balance by age
In the 2026 projection, Guyana has 409,063 males and 431,826 females. That is 94.7 males per 100 females, ranking #182 when the dataset is ordered from the highest male-to-female ratio to the lowest.
Males account for 48.6% of the population and females for 51.4%. There are 22,763 more females than males overall. Among people aged 65 and older, the ratio is 72.6 males per 100 females.
The overall balance can conceal large differences by age; how sex ratios change with age explains the usual pattern. The ratio reflects the male/female categories in the UN source and is not a measure of gender identity. Compare all profiles in the sex-ratio ranking.
At birth, 103.7 boys are projected to be born for every 100 girls in 2026, close to the biological norm of about 105 (compare the sex ratio at birth ranking). The ratio at birth sets the balance at the base of the pyramid; how it changes with age then depends on survival and migration.
How Guyana has changed since 1950
The population has increased from 418,038 in 1950 to 840,890 in 2026, a change of 101%. Over the same span, median age moved from 18.6 to 26.5 years.
The under-15 share changed from 41.5% to 28.7%, while the share aged 65 and older changed from 3.9% to 7.2%. These shifts show why total population growth and age-structure change need to be read separately.
How the population could change by 2050
Under the UN medium scenario, Guyana’s population is projected to grow by about 12%, reaching 940,608 in 2050. The median age changes from 26.5 to 32.3 years.
The 65+ share is projected to rise by 4.0 percentage points to 11.2%. At the same time, the under-15 share is projected at 22.2%. How UN projections work explains the assumptions behind these figures.
The annual UN series reaches its highest projected population of 960,222 in 2067. That turning point depends on the medium scenario and may move in later revisions. Compare timing across countries in the population peak ranking.
Population trend: 1950–2100
Mid-year population for every year. Estimates through 2023; dashed line shows the UN medium projection.
| Year | Population | Median age | Fertility | Life exp. | Births | Deaths | Net migration | Growth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 418,038 | 18.6 | 5.83 | 49.2 | 18,137 | 7,771 | +205 | +2.5% |
| 1960 | 569,143 | 15.6 | 6.33 | 57.5 | 24,305 | 6,438 | −3,837 | +2.5% |
| 1970 | 702,705 | 15.3 | 5.41 | 60.0 | 25,969 | 6,736 | −8,439 | +1.5% |
| 1980 | 774,367 | 17.1 | 3.77 | 60.8 | 24,306 | 7,007 | −13,952 | +0.4% |
| 1990 | 749,894 | 19.9 | 3.18 | 62.3 | 22,376 | 6,460 | −20,930 | -0.7% |
| 2000 | 764,832 | 21.2 | 3.06 | 64.1 | 20,062 | 5,935 | −14,090 | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 749,256 | 23.2 | 2.68 | 66.2 | 16,527 | 5,876 | −13,655 | -0.4% |
| 2020 | 807,482 | 24.8 | 2.49 | 67.8 | 17,163 | 6,856 | −1,743 | +1.1% |
| 2023 | 826,353 | 25.6 | 2.41 | 70.2 | 16,764 | 6,049 | −6,161 | +0.6% |
| 2024* | 831,086 | 25.9 | 2.39 | 70.3 | 16,525 | 6,214 | −5,407 | +0.6% |
| 2026* | 840,890 | 26.5 | 2.35 | 70.6 | 16,120 | 6,416 | −4,787 | +0.6% |
| 2030* | 861,038 | 27.6 | 2.26 | 71.1 | 15,448 | 6,826 | −3,482 | +0.6% |
| 2040* | 907,506 | 29.6 | 2.10 | 72.4 | 14,796 | 7,858 | −2,833 | +0.5% |
| 2050* | 940,608 | 32.3 | 1.98 | 73.7 | 13,840 | 8,752 | −2,634 | +0.3% |
| 2060* | 956,825 | 35.2 | 1.90 | 75.1 | 12,580 | 9,396 | −1,923 | +0.1% |
| 2070* | 959,122 | 37.7 | 1.85 | 76.4 | 11,674 | 10,035 | −2,175 | -0.1% |
| 2080* | 945,878 | 39.8 | 1.81 | 77.8 | 10,723 | 10,880 | −1,975 | -0.2% |
| 2090* | 921,258 | 41.7 | 1.79 | 79.1 | 9,813 | 11,287 | −1,303 | -0.3% |
| 2100* | 888,952 | 43.4 | 1.78 | 80.4 | 9,077 | 11,379 | −1,377 | -0.4% |
* 2024 onward is the UN medium projection. Fertility is births per woman; life expectancy is years at birth; births, deaths, and net migration are counts for that calendar year.
Download every year, 1950–2100 (CSV)
2026 population by age and sex
The table provides the counts behind the chart. Age groups are five-year bands, with everyone aged 100 or older combined.
| Age group | Male | Female | Total | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0–4 | 40,577 | 39,357 | 79,934 | 9.5% |
| 5–9 | 41,382 | 40,164 | 81,546 | 9.7% |
| 10–14 | 40,446 | 39,275 | 79,721 | 9.5% |
| 15–19 | 37,846 | 36,651 | 74,497 | 8.9% |
| 20–24 | 34,559 | 33,338 | 67,897 | 8.1% |
| 25–29 | 37,010 | 36,645 | 73,655 | 8.8% |
| 30–34 | 33,239 | 35,178 | 68,417 | 8.1% |
| 35–39 | 24,634 | 27,841 | 52,475 | 6.2% |
| 40–44 | 20,800 | 23,837 | 44,637 | 5.3% |
| 45–49 | 20,512 | 23,566 | 44,078 | 5.2% |
| 50–54 | 19,849 | 22,645 | 42,494 | 5.1% |
| 55–59 | 17,723 | 20,567 | 38,290 | 4.6% |
| 60–64 | 14,932 | 17,552 | 32,484 | 3.9% |
| 65–69 | 11,184 | 13,860 | 25,044 | 3.0% |
| 70–74 | 6,880 | 9,437 | 16,317 | 1.9% |
| 75–79 | 4,184 | 6,048 | 10,232 | 1.2% |
| 80–84 | 2,093 | 3,336 | 5,429 | 0.6% |
| 85–89 | 885 | 1,633 | 2,518 | 0.3% |
| 90–94 | 267 | 679 | 946 | 0.1% |
| 95–99 | 55 | 171 | 226 | 0.0% |
| 100+ | 7 | 49 | 56 | 0.0% |
Countries with the most similar age structure
These profiles have the 2026 age distributions closest to Guyana’s, measured by the total difference in the share of the population in each five-year band. Similar shapes can arise from very different histories, so the match is a starting point for comparison, not an explanation.
- Paraguay97% overlap · median age 27.3
- Nepal96% overlap · median age 25.7
- Bolivia96% overlap · median age 25.5
- Fiji96% overlap · median age 28.3
- Nicaragua96% overlap · median age 26.3
- Dominican Republic96% overlap · median age 28.7
To calculate school-age, working-age, or older groups with other boundaries, use the age-group calculator for Guyana.
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APA
World Population Pyramid. (2026, October 19). Guyana Population Pyramid 2026. https://worldpopulationpyramid.com/countries/guyana/
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“Guyana Population Pyramid 2026.” World Population Pyramid, 19 Oct. 2026, worldpopulationpyramid.com/countries/guyana/.
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World Population Pyramid. “Guyana Population Pyramid 2026.” Last modified October 19, 2026. https://worldpopulationpyramid.com/countries/guyana/.
Underlying data: United Nations, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division (2024). World Population Prospects 2024.
Frequently asked questions
What is the population of Guyana in 2026?
Under the UN World Population Prospects 2024 medium scenario, Guyana's population in 2026 is projected at 840,890.
What is the median age in Guyana?
The projected median age in Guyana in 2026 is 26.5 years: half the population is younger and half is older.
What is the fertility rate in Guyana?
The projected total fertility rate in 2026 is 2.35 births per woman, above the replacement level of about 2.1 in low-mortality populations.
Is Guyana's population projected to grow?
Between 2026 and 2050, the UN medium scenario indicates the population will grow by about 12%, from 840.9K to 940.6K.
What share of Guyana is aged 65 or older?
In 2026, 7.2% of the projected population is aged 65 or older. By 2050, the medium scenario places the share at 11.2%.
How many babies are born in Guyana each year?
The UN medium scenario projects 16,120 births and 6,416 deaths in 2026, about 44 births a day. Births exceed deaths by 9,704.
What is life expectancy in Guyana for men and women?
Life expectancy at birth in 2026 is projected at 74.4 years for women and 66.8 years for men, a gap of 7.6 years in favour of women.
Does Guyana have more immigrants or emigrants?
Guyana is projected to lose about 4,787 more people through emigration than it gains in 2026. Between 2000 and 2023 the UN estimates cumulative net migration of −201,515.
What is the sex ratio in Guyana?
The projected 2026 population sex ratio is 94.7 males per 100 females. This all-age ratio is different from the sex ratio at birth and can vary substantially by age.
Sources and notes
- United Nations, DESA, Population Division: World Population Prospects 2024, medium scenario.
- Population values are mid-year figures. Source values published in thousands are converted to people; displayed figures may imply more precision than is appropriate for planning.
- Historical values through 2023 are estimates. Values from 2024 onward are projections.
- Calculations follow the site methodology.