Share of population living in urban and rural areas in Guyana

Guyana: Share of population living in urban and rural areas was 26.5% in 2025. ▼ Falling

Latest (2025)
26.5%
Change on year
up 0.1%
World rank
218th
of 236 countries
All-time high
30.1%
in 1970
All-time low
26.4%
in 2011
Years of data
76
1950–2025

Share of population living in urban and rural areas in Guyana, 1950–2025

0102030195019872025

Source: United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.

Analysis

The most recent figure for share of population living in urban and rural areas in Guyana is 26.5%, measured in 2025.

That represents a change of up 0.1% on the previous year and up 0.3% over ten years.

Over the whole period, share of population living in urban and rural areas in Guyana peaked at 30.1% in 1970 and was at its lowest, 26.4%, in 2011.

That places Guyana 218th out of 236 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the bottom quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 76 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1950s 28.5% 28.1% 28.9% 10
1960s 29.6% 29.0% 30.1% 10
1970s 29.8% 29.5% 30.1% 10
1980s 29.5% 29.5% 29.6% 10
1990s 29.3% 28.9% 29.6% 10
2000s 27.8% 26.6% 28.8% 10
2010s 26.4% 26.4% 26.5% 10
2020s 26.5% 26.4% 26.5% 6

Countries ranked near Guyana

  1. 215 East Timor 28.8% compare
  2. 216 Chad 27.6% compare
  3. 217 Eswatini 26.7% compare
  4. 219 Tajikistan 26.2% compare
  5. 220 Afghanistan 25.9% compare
  6. 221 Burundi 25.7% compare

See the full ranking of 237 places →

More population data for Guyana

All data for Guyana →

Frequently asked questions

What is share of population living in urban and rural areas in Guyana?
Share of population living in urban and rural areas in Guyana was 26.5% in 2025, according to United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
What is the highest share of population living in urban and rural areas recorded in Guyana?
The highest recorded value was 30.1% in 1970.
What is the lowest share of population living in urban and rural areas recorded in Guyana?
The lowest recorded value was 26.4% in 2011.
How does Guyana rank for share of population living in urban and rural areas?
Guyana ranks 218th out of 236 countries with data for 2025.
Is share of population living in urban and rural areas rising or falling in Guyana?
Over the last ten years it is up 0.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Guyana data come from?
The figures come from United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of population living in urban and rural areas. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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About this data

Indicator
Share of population living in urban and rural areas
Unit
%
Source
United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
237 places, 18,012 data points, 1950–2025
Last refreshed

Share of the population living in urban areas, based on each country's national definition.