What is the Census?
The Population & Housing Census is Guyana’s largest national data collection exercise, which is conducted every ten years. During the Census exercise, enumerators (census field staff) visit every household in every part of the country to administer the questionnaires that is used to collect social, demographic and economic data on the population.
The Population & Housing Census is an extremely important national exercise and it is every citizen’s duty to cooperate according to the laws of Guyana, as the Census produces a large amount of data and information that is used for planning and national development.
Publications
Census Timeline
Census Timeline
Snapshot of Guyana
Key preliminary findings of the Guyana National Population and Housing Census 2022
The population count of Guyana was 878,674 on Census night (midnight to 6 am on September 15, 2022), 131,719 more than the 2012 Census count of 746,955. This represents a 17.63 percent increase in the population size from 2012 to 2022. The Bureau also estimates the population to have further increased to 956,044 persons at the end of 2024 after accounting for natural growth and net migration since 2022
Regional Population
- The preliminary population count in coastal regions is 765,852, accounting for 87.16 percent of the total population, while the population in
Hinterland regions is 112,822, accounting for 12.84 percent of the total population. - All regions experienced a growth in population between 2012 and 2022.
- Region 4 (Demerara/Mahaica) continues to have the largest population share, 39.58 percent with 347,759 people.
- Region 3 (Essequibo Islands-West Demerara) replaced Region 6, as the second-highest populated region, accounting for 16.38 percent of
the total population with 143,884 people. - Region 8 (Potaro-Siparuni) continues to be the least populated with 1.55 percent of the population share and 13,598 people.
- Region 7 (Cuyuni-Mazaruni) recorded the highest intercensal annual growth rate of 5.14 percent followed by Region 1 (Barima-Waini) with
3.49 percent and Region 3 with 2.93 percent.
Population Distribution of Townships
- The preliminary count of the population living in townships increased from 192,861 in 2012 to 225,814 in 2022.
- The Urban townships are: Mabaruma, Anna Regina, Georgetown, New Amsterdam, Rose Hall, Corriverton, Bartica, Mahdia, Lethem and Linden.
- In the 2012 Census, Mabaruma, Bartica, Mahdia and Lethem had not yet attained township status.
- The township with the highest population count was Georgetown with 125,683, while Mahdia recorded the lowest population count of 2,575.
Note: The township population distribution does not include the “institutional population”, which represents persons in nursing homes, military barracks, prisons or similar institutions.
Population Density
Population density is an average measure of how many people live within a given unit of area (such as a square kilometre).
- The National population Density increased from 3.47 persons per square kilometre in 2012 to 4.09 persons in 2022.
- Region 4 continues to be the most densely populated region with 155.81 persons per square kilometre.
- Region 3, with a population density of 38.32 persons per square kilometre, was the second most densely populated region.
- Region 9 was the least densely populated, with 0.52 persons per square kilometre.
Note: Guyana has a landmass of approximately 214,999 km2 or about 83,000 mi2
Population by sex
- Guyana’s preliminary population of 878,674 consisted of 50.18 percent (440,882) males and 49.82 percent (437,792) females, thus giving a
sex ratio of 101 males per 100 females compared to 99 males per 100 females in 2012. - In the hinterland regions, the overall sex ratio was higher (113 males per 100 females) than in coastal regions, with 99 males per 100
females, an increase in males in both geographic areas from the 2012 census.
Local and foreign-born population
The foreign-born population comprises anyone who is not a Guyanese at birth but resides in Guyana and includes persons who have become Guyanese through naturalisation. Conversely, locals (natives) are those born in Guyana or abroad to Guyanese parents. The foreign-born and local populations together comprise the resident population.
- In 2022, Guyana’s local population stood at 96.93 percent of the resident population, while the foreign-born represented 3.07 percent. This compares to 98.90 percent and 1.10 percent respectively in 2012. It should be noted that the analysis of total resident population does not include estimated “no-contact persons” and the “institutional population.”
Note: The resident population refers to persons who usually live in the country while the total population count comprises everyone physically present in the country on Census Day. The Bureau also acknowledge that the foreign-born population may be understated in the census count, given the reluctance of some segments of this population to be enumerated and also registered in administrative records. Further study is needed in this area to achieve a more accurate count of the migrant population.
Household count and size
- Preliminary findings of the Census show a total of 271,946 households countrywide, compared to 204,625 households in 2012, with region
4 recording the highest number of households at 112,876. - The national average household size is estimated to be 3.23 persons per household, compared to 3.65 in 2012. The average household
size refers to the number of persons per household. - The results show a general decline in the average household size across the regions when compared to 2012 household sizes
Building Stock
- Compared to 2012, the national building stock grew by 42.02 percent from 219,509 in 2012 to 311,742 in 2022. In 2022, the hinterland regions (1, 7, 8 and 9) constituted 11.42 percent of the building stock while the coastal region was 88.58 percent.
- Of the 311,742 buildings nationwide, about 80.99 percent (252,474) were occupied buildings, buildings under construction accounted for 4.47 percent (13,942) and dilapidated buildings accounted for 1.41 percent (4,381) of the building stock. The remaining 13.13 percent or about 40,945 buildings numerically were reported as vacant, closed or not stated. They were identified either as vacant buildings (8.47 percent) or closed buildings (4.45 percent) or not stated (0.21 percent).
- Region 4 had the most unoccupied buildings (21,319), followed by Region 6 (9,377), while Region 8 had the least number of unoccupied buildings (817).
- Building stock grew across the regions, with the most notable growth (105.17 percent) in Region 7 followed by 92.88 percent in Region 1, and 88.5 percent in Region 8. The Region with the least growth (22.89 percent) is Region 6.
Note: Note: Buildings are classified as Occupied, Vacant, Closed, Under construction, Dilapidated or “Not stated”.