Share of the population with at least some formal education in Guyana
Guyana: Share of the population with at least some formal education was 93.1% in 2020. ▲ Rising
Share of the population with at least some formal education in Guyana, 1870–2020
Source: Barro and Lee (2015); Lee and Lee (2016) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2020, share of the population with at least some formal education in Guyana stood at 93.1%.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 2.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of the population with at least some formal education in Guyana peaked at 95.8% in 2010 and was at its lowest, 6.7%, in 1870.
That places Guyana 73rd out of 111 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 31 years of available data.
Share of the population with at least some formal education in Guyana, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1870 | 6.7% | — |
| 1875 | 10.1% | +50.7% |
| 1880 | 16.7% | +65.3% |
| 1885 | 23.2% | +38.9% |
| 1890 | 29.5% | +27.2% |
| 1895 | 34.5% | +16.9% |
| 1900 | 41.3% | +19.7% |
| 1905 | 47.1% | +14.0% |
| 1910 | 51.8% | +10.0% |
| 1915 | 58.8% | +13.5% |
| 1920 | 64.9% | +10.4% |
| 1925 | 67.9% | +4.6% |
| 1930 | 69.8% | +2.8% |
| 1935 | 73.8% | +5.7% |
| 1940 | 77.9% | +5.6% |
| 1945 | 79.6% | +2.2% |
| 1950 | 81.9% | +2.9% |
| 1955 | 84.5% | +3.2% |
| 1960 | 87.2% | +3.2% |
| 1965 | 89.8% | +3.0% |
| 1970 | 92.5% | +3.0% |
| 1975 | 94.1% | +1.7% |
| 1980 | 95.4% | +1.4% |
| 1985 | 95.1% | -0.3% |
| 1990 | 94.9% | -0.2% |
| 1995 | 94.7% | -0.2% |
| 2000 | 94.8% | +0.1% |
| 2005 | 94.8% | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 95.8% | +1.1% |
| 2015 | 95.6% | -0.2% |
| 2020 | 93.1% | -2.6% |
Guyana compared with similar countries
- Guyana's 93.1% is below the median for high income countries, which is 99.0%, 94% of the median. (41 countries reporting)
- Guyana's 93.1% is below the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 97.1%, 96% of the median. (25 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Share of the population with at least some formal education in Guyana changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1880 | +65.3% | 10.1% | 16.7% |
| 1875 | +50.7% | 6.7% | 10.1% |
| 1885 | +38.9% | 16.7% | 23.2% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1870s | 8.4% | 6.7% | 10.1% | 2 |
| 1880s | 19.9% | 16.7% | 23.2% | 2 |
| 1890s | 32.0% | 29.5% | 34.5% | 2 |
| 1900s | 44.2% | 41.3% | 47.1% | 2 |
| 1910s | 55.3% | 51.8% | 58.8% | 2 |
| 1920s | 66.4% | 64.9% | 67.9% | 2 |
| 1930s | 71.8% | 69.8% | 73.8% | 2 |
| 1940s | 78.8% | 77.9% | 79.6% | 2 |
| 1950s | 83.2% | 81.9% | 84.5% | 2 |
| 1960s | 88.5% | 87.2% | 89.8% | 2 |
| 1970s | 93.3% | 92.5% | 94.1% | 2 |
| 1980s | 95.2% | 95.1% | 95.4% | 2 |
| 1990s | 94.8% | 94.7% | 94.9% | 2 |
| 2000s | 94.8% | 94.8% | 94.8% | 2 |
| 2010s | 95.7% | 95.6% | 95.8% | 2 |
| 2020s | 93.1% | 93.1% | 93.1% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Guyana
More education data for Guyana
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 6,700 (2024)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 536 (2010)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 15,835 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 15,230 (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 69,542 (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 94,786 (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 3.93 % change on previous year (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.1141 units per person (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of the population with at least some formal education in Guyana?
- Share of the population with at least some formal education in Guyana was 93.1% in 2020, according to Barro and Lee (2015); Lee and Lee (2016) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of the population with at least some formal education recorded in Guyana?
- The highest recorded value was 95.8% in 2010.
- What is the lowest share of the population with at least some formal education recorded in Guyana?
- The lowest recorded value was 6.7% in 1870.
- How does Guyana rank for share of the population with at least some formal education?
- Guyana ranks 73rd out of 111 countries with data for 2020.
- Is share of the population with at least some formal education rising or falling in Guyana?
- Over the last ten years it is down 2.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Guyana data come from?
- The figures come from Barro and Lee (2015); Lee and Lee (2016) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of the population with at least some formal education. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 31 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Based on the population aged 15 years and older.