Guyana sees improvement in 2017 HDI value, rank
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DPI, Guyana, Tuesday, December 4, 2018
The United Nation’s 2017 Human Development Index (HDI) has ranked Guyana at one hundred and twenty-five (125) out of one hundred and eight-nine (189) countries and territories. This data has put the country in the medium development category.
In its 2018 Statistical Update, the United Nation Development Programme (UNDP) reported that Guyana’s HDI value for 2017 was 0.654, two places up from 2016.
The report said that the 2017 HDI is above the average of 0.645 for countries in the medium human development group and below the average of 0.758 for countries in Latin America and the Caribbean.
From Latin America and the Caribbean, countries which are close to Guyana in 2017 HDI rank and to some extent in population size are Belize and Suriname, which have HDIs ranked 106 and 100 respectively.
Table B: Guyana’s HDI and component indicators for 2017 relative to selected countries and groups
| HDI value | HDI rank | Life expectancy at birth | Expected years of schooling | Mean years of schooling | GNI per capita
(PPP US$) |
|
| Guyana | 0.654 | 125 | 66.8 | 11.4 | 8.4 | 7,447 |
| Belize | 0.708 | 106 | 70.6 | 12.8 | 10.5 | 7,166 |
| Suriname | 0.720 | 100 | 71.5 | 12.7 | 8.5 | 13,306 |
| Latin America and the Caribbean | 0.758 | — | 75.7 | 14.4 | 8.5 | 13,671 |
| Medium HDI | 0.645 | — | 69.1 | 12.0 | 6.7 | 6,849 |
The HDI is a summary measure for assessing long-term progress in three basic dimensions of human development: a long and healthy life, access to knowledge and a decent standard of living. A long and healthy life is measured by life expectancy. Knowledge level is measured by mean years of education among the adult population, and access to learning and knowledge by expected years of schooling for children of school-entry age.
Guyana’s HDI trends based on consistent time series data and new goalposts
| Life expectancy at birth | Expected years of schooling | Mean years of schooling | GNI per capita (2011 PPP$) | HDI value | |
| 1990 | 63.3 | 10.1 | 6.8 | 2,113 | 0.538 |
| 1995 | 64.1 | 10.5 | 7.2 | 3,434 | 0.578 |
| 2000 | 64.9 | 10.9 | 7.7 | 4,323 | 0.604 |
| 2005 | 65.5 | 11.0 | 7.9 | 4,669 | 0.614 |
| 2010 | 66.0 | 10.9 | 8.1 | 5,881 | 0.630 |
| 2015 | 66.5 | 11.4 | 8.4 | 7,286 | 0.651 |
| 2016 | 66.7 | 11.4 | 8.4 | 7,278 | 0.652 |
| 2017 | 66.8 | 11.4 | 8.4 | 7,447 | 0.654 |
The Human Development Indices and Indicators 2018 Statistical update is released to ensure consistency in reporting on key human development indices and statistics. With its comprehensive statistical annex, the data gives an overview of the state of development across the world, looking at long-term trends in human development indicators across multiple dimensions and for every nation, the 2018 Update highlights the considerable progress, but also the persistent deprivations and disparities.