About Us

The Bureau of Statistics, Guyana was established as a department in 1957, but prior to this, the collection and publication of statistics was decentralised and assigned to a few key government departments. In the early 1940s the then Sugar Producer’s Association was responsible for the compilation of sugar statistics, the Agriculture Department for statistics on rice and the remainder of the agricultural sector, the then Public Works Department was responsible for statistics on wages and the Customs Department was in charge of Trade Statistics.

An Act of Parliament in October 1990 incorporated the Bureau of Statistics, Guyana as a semi-autonomous body, outside the purview of the traditional Public Service. The functions of the Bureau, which has since 1965 become systemised, are set out in section 4 (1) of the Bureau of Statistics Act No 25 of 1991 and the Statistical Bureau Act Cap 19.09 and can be summed up as follows:

• Conduct censuses;
• Collect, compile, analyse, and publish socio-economic and other statistical data;
• Collaborate with other Government departments in collecting, compiling, analysing and publishing statistics derived from administrative records;
• Organise a co-ordinated scheme of social and economic statistics for Guyana.