This article is adapted from AQ’s special report on the Trump Doctrine
Guyana
PRESIDENT
Irfaan Ali
IN OFFICE
Since 2020
Ali continues to navigate Guyana’s oil boom following his reelection for a second five-year term last September, and his People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) is facing a new opposition party, We Invest in Nationhood (WIN). An ally of the Trump administration, Ali posted on social media following the U.S. military operation in neighboring Venezuela that “Guyana supports efforts that uphold democratic norms and ensure that the region remains a Zone of Peace.” His government aims to fully digitize most state services by mid-2026, modernize the public assistance system, establish daycare centers around the country, and launch a $200 million development bank targeting small and medium-sized businesses. The IMF projects an average 14% GDP expansion annually over the next four years, driven by growth in both oil and non-oil sectors. Last year, crude output reached 900,000 barrels per day, up from just 15,000 barrels per day in 2019, after ExxonMobil’s fourth oil project started production.
TRENDS TO WATCH
- Investment in non-energy sectors
- Accelerated oil output
- Political dynamics with opposition WIN party
GDP GROWTH
INFLATION RATE
KEY FIGURES
| Population (2026, millions) | 0.8 |
| Poverty rate (2023, IDB definition, see note below) | 58.0% |
| Unemployment rate (2024) | 10.2% |
| Informal employment rate (2019) | 51.0% |
| Secondary education completion rate (2021) | 56.4% |
ECONOMIC INDICATORS (2026 PROJECTIONS)
| GDP growth (annual % change) | 23.0% |
| Inflation rate (annual % change) | 4.4% |
| Fiscal balance (% GDP) | -4.5% |
| China’s share of total export value (2024) | 0.6% |
| U.S. share of total export value (2024) | 15.0% |
NOTES: Poverty line is $6.85 per day in 2017 PPP. Percentages rounded to nearest decimal point.
SOURCES: GDP growth, inflation, fiscal balance, population: IMF (Oct. 2025); Share of total export value: International Trade Centre; Poverty rate: IDB (2024); Unemployment rate, informal employment rate: ILO; Secondary education completion rate: IDB.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Emilie Sweigart
Reading Time: 2 minutesSweigart is an editor at Americas Quarterly and a policy manager at the Americas Society/Council of the Americas
