BULLEN
embassy: 100 Young and Duke Streets, Kingston, Georgetown
mailing address: P. O. Box 10507, Georgetown
telephone: [592] 225–4900 through 4909
FAX: [592] 225–8497
Flag description:
green, with a red isosceles triangle (based on the hoist side)
superimposed on a long, yellow arrowhead; there is a narrow, black
border between the red and yellow, and a narrow, white border
between the yellow and the green
Economy Guyana
Economy - overview:
The Guyanese economy exhibited moderate economic growth in 2001–02,
based on expansion in the agricultural and mining sectors, a more
favorable atmosphere for business initiatives, a more realistic
exchange rate, fairly low inflation, and the continued support of
international organizations. Growth then slowed in 2003. Chronic
problems include a shortage of skilled labor and a deficient
infrastructure. The government is juggling a sizable external debt
against the urgent need for expanded public investment. The bauxite
mining sector should benefit in the near term by restructuring and
partial privatization.
GDP:
purchasing power parity - $2.797 billion (2003 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:
0.5% (2003 est.)
GDP - per capita:
purchasing power parity - $4,000 (2003 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 37.2% industry: 22.7% services: 40.1% (2003 est.)
Investment (gross fixed):
38.5% of GDP (2003)
Population below poverty line:
NA
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: NA
highest 10%: NA
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
5.7% (2003 est.)
Labor force:
418,000 (2001 est.)
Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture NA, industry NA, services NA
Unemployment rate:
9.1% (understated) (2000)
Budget:
revenues: $263.4 million
expenditures: $326.7 million, including capital expenditures of
$93.4 million (2003)
Agriculture - products: sugar, rice, wheat, vegetable oils; beef, pork, poultry, dairy products; fish (shrimp)
Industries:
bauxite, sugar, rice milling, timber, textiles, gold mining
Industrial production growth rate:
7.1% (1997 est.)
Electricity - production:
852 million kWh (2001)
Electricity - consumption:
792.4 million kWh (2001)
Electricity - exports:
0 kWh (2001)
Electricity - imports:
0 kWh (2001)
Oil - production:
0 bbl/day (2001 est.)
Oil - consumption:
11,000 bbl/day (2001 est.)
Oil - exports:
NA (2001)
Oil - imports:
NA (2001)
Current account balance:
$-158 million (2003)
Exports:
$512 million f.o.b. (2003 est.)
Exports - commodities:
sugar, gold, bauxite/alumina, rice, shrimp, molasses, rum, timber
Exports - partners:
Canada 23.2%, US 21.8%, UK 13.5%, Portugal 6.7%, Belgium 6.5%,
Jamaica 6.1% (2003)
Imports:
$612 million f.o.b. (2003 est.)
Imports - commodities:
manufactures, machinery, petroleum, food
Imports - partners:
US 22.6%, Trinidad and Tobago 19.2%, Italy 11.2%, UK 7.2%, Cuba
5.2% (2003)
Reserves of foreign exchange & gold:
$257 million (2003)
Debt - external:
$1.2 billion (2002)
Economic aid - recipient:
$84 million (1995), Heavily Indebted Poor Country Initiative (HIPC)
$253 million (1997) (2000 est.)
Currency:
Guyanese dollar (GYD)
Currency code:
GYD
Exchange rates:
Guyanese dollars per US dollar - NA (2003), 190.665 (2002), 187.321
(2001), 182.43 (2000), 177.995 (1999)
Fiscal year:
calendar year
Communications Guyana
Telephones - main lines in use:
80,400 (2002)
Telephones - mobile cellular:
87,300 (2002)
Telephone system:
general assessment: fair system for long-distance calling
domestic: microwave radio relay network for trunk lines
international: country code - 592; tropospheric scatter to Trinidad;
satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
Radio broadcast stations:
AM 3, FM 3, shortwave 1 (1998)
Radios:
420,000 (1997)
Television broadcast stations: 3 (one public station; two private stations which relay US satellite services) (1997)
Televisions:
46,000 (1997)
Internet country code:
.gy
Internet hosts:
613 (2003)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
3 (2000)
Internet users:
125,000 (2002)
Transportation Guyana
Railways:
total: 187 km
standard gauge: 139 km 1.435-m gauge
note: all dedicated to ore transport (2001 est.)
narrow gauge: 48 km 0.914-m gauge