Independent rankings built from public data — every figure traceable to the body that published it.

Photo: Bill Cameron · CC BY-SA 3.0 · via Wikimedia Commons, shown in greyscale
Topic 06 of 12 · Country Index 2026
Is a country turning its resources into better lives?
Guyana is placed 77th of 194 countries on development & human capital in the Country Index 2026, from 3 of its 3 key statistics. Readings behind it: Maternal Mortality Ratio 74.73 (2023); Human Development Index 0.776 (2023).
Development & Human Capital
77th
of 194 countries placed
Placed from 3 of 3 key statistics
01The evidence
Only these place Guyana on development & human capital — one vote each. Every value is the publisher’s own, read at the edition the Country Index 2026 used; the grey ticks are every other country in that edition, lowest on the left.
Key 1 of 3
UN Maternal Mortality Estimation Inter-Agency Group (MMEIG)
Why it is a key: Whether a woman survives giving birth — the reach of a health system at the moment it is hardest to fake.
2023 edition · data for 2023 · CC BY 3.0 IGO
74.73
Maternal deaths per 100,000 live births
Lower is better
Guyana: 74.73. Across the 195 countries in this edition, values run from 0.11 (Cook Islands) to 992.83 (Nigeria); the world median is 46.65.
Each grey tick is one of 195 countries in the 2023 edition.
Key 2 of 3
UNDP Human Development Report Office
Why it is a key: The standard composite of health, schooling and income, carrying UNDP's own published rank.
2023 edition · data for 2023 · CC BY 3.0 IGO
0.776
HDI score (0–1)
Higher is better
Ranked 89th of 193 by UNDP Human Development Report Office
Guyana: 0.776. Across the 193 countries in this edition, values run from 0.388 (South Sudan) to 0.972 (Iceland); the world median is 0.762.
Each grey tick is one of 193 countries in the 2023 edition.
Key 3 of 3
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)
Why it is a key: How much food a hectare of land produces: the clearest single measure of agricultural productivity.
2023 edition · data for 2023 · CC BY 4.0
6,028
Cereal yield (kg per hectare)
Higher is better
Guyana: 6,028. Across the 179 countries in this edition, values run from 23 (Cabo Verde) to 29,147 (Oman); the world median is 3,072.
Each grey tick is one of 179 countries in the 2023 edition.
02Over time
Each key’s published value, edition by edition, beside the world median. The Country Index 2026 is the first edition of the standing, so the standing itself has no history to chart yet.
Maternal deaths per 100,000 live births · lower is better
GuyanaWorld median
Guyana fell from 170.55 in 2000 to 74.73 in 2023; the world median went from 70.99 to 46.65.
| Year | Guyana | World median |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 74.7 | 46.7 |
| 2022 | 83.0 | 53.0 |
| 2021 | 189.0 | 76.6 |
| 2020 | 108.6 | 56.0 |
| 2019 | 106.9 | 48.4 |
| 2018 | 105.1 | 49.3 |
| 2017 | 109.9 | 47.2 |
| 2016 | 114.1 | 50.6 |
| 2015 | 117.2 | 51.9 |
| 2014 | 120.6 | 52.8 |
| 2013 | 128.2 | 53.3 |
| 2012 | 133.0 | 54.6 |
| 2011 | 135.2 | 55.0 |
| 2010 | 141.0 | 56.1 |
| 2009 | 146.3 | 56.3 |
| 2008 | 152.9 | 55.8 |
| 2007 | 157.5 | 56.8 |
| 2006 | 166.5 | 58.1 |
| 2005 | 166.4 | 60.1 |
| 2004 | 162.3 | 63.0 |
| 2003 | 163.7 | 66.8 |
| 2002 | 164.3 | 66.0 |
| 2001 | 162.8 | 68.1 |
| 2000 | 170.6 | 71.0 |
HDI score (0–1) · higher is better
GuyanaWorld median
Guyana rose from 0.567 in 2000 to 0.776 in 2023; the world median went from 0.672 to 0.762.
| Year | Guyana | World median |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 0.776 | 0.7620 |
| 2022 | 0.763 | 0.7610 |
| 2021 | 0.713 | 0.7450 |
| 2020 | 0.722 | 0.7425 |
| 2019 | 0.709 | 0.7515 |
| 2018 | 0.702 | 0.7520 |
| 2017 | 0.696 | 0.7480 |
| 2016 | 0.690 | 0.7500 |
| 2015 | 0.683 | 0.7430 |
| 2014 | 0.678 | 0.7410 |
| 2013 | 0.669 | 0.7390 |
| 2012 | 0.664 | 0.7350 |
| 2011 | 0.659 | 0.7250 |
| 2010 | 0.647 | 0.7250 |
| 2009 | 0.637 | 0.7220 |
| 2008 | 0.632 | 0.7180 |
| 2007 | 0.626 | 0.7100 |
| 2006 | 0.619 | 0.7045 |
| 2005 | 0.610 | 0.6960 |
| 2004 | 0.600 | 0.6960 |
| 2003 | 0.587 | 0.6910 |
| 2002 | 0.580 | 0.6845 |
| 2001 | 0.575 | 0.6770 |
| 2000 | 0.567 | 0.6720 |
Cereal yield (kg per hectare) · higher is better
GuyanaWorld median
Guyana rose from 3,799 in 2000 to 6,028 in 2023; the world median went from 2,170 to 3,072.
| Year | Guyana | World median |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 6,028 | 3,072 |
| 2022 | 5,942 | 3,217 |
| 2021 | 5,444 | 3,003 |
| 2020 | 5,634 | 3,260 |
| 2019 | 5,831 | 3,106 |
| 2018 | 5,696 | 2,883 |
| 2017 | 5,523 | 2,984 |
| 2016 | 5,396 | 3,043 |
| 2015 | 5,477 | 3,000 |
| 2014 | 5,211 | 3,001 |
| 2013 | 4,937 | 2,970 |
| 2012 | 4,465 | 2,782 |
| 2011 | 4,344 | 2,754 |
| 2010 | 4,165 | 2,647 |
| 2009 | 4,346 | 2,653 |
| 2008 | 4,162 | 2,664 |
| 2007 | 4,222 | 2,553 |
| 2006 | 4,523 | 2,514 |
| 2005 | 3,861 | 2,512 |
| 2004 | 4,217 | 2,428 |
| 2003 | 4,156 | 2,331 |
| 2002 | 4,084 | 2,378 |
| 2001 | 3,948 | 2,199 |
| 2000 | 3,799 | 2,170 |
03In context
A position reads best beside the countries around it. Every position below is a place among all 194 countries on development & human capital, never a place within the region.
The standing is each country’s place among all 194 placed on the topic; the other columns are the publishers’ own values, read at the edition the standing used.
| Country | Standing | Maternal Mortality RatioMaternal deaths per 100,000 live births | Human Development IndexHDI score (0–1) | Cereal YieldCereal yield (kg per hectare) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 77th | 74.73 | 0.776 | 6,028 | |
| 79th | 66.91 | 0.786 | 5,337 | |
| 103rd | 83.64 | 0.722 | 4,079 | |
| 120th | 226.69 | 0.709 | 4,080 |
“—” means the publisher gives no reading for that country in that edition. A country needs readings on enough keys to be placed.
Every country in the sub-region, by its place among all 194.
The countries immediately above and below Guyana in the topic’s list.
04Context, no vote
34 more statistics filed under development & human capital, published in full and deliberately given no vote in the standing. Select a row for the publisher, the rank and the links.
Statistics on which Guyana does better than the middle country measured.
Guyana: 83,659 · world median 17,265 · GDP per capita (constant 2021 international $, PPP). World Bank Group, 2025 edition, data for 2025.
Published values in that edition run from 1,067 to 139,593; higher is better.
Position 8th of 185 — derived here by ordering the published values, 1st = best. The publisher ranks no country on this.
Guyana: 100 · world median 52.1 · Population covered by at least one social protection benefit (%). International Labour Organization (ILO), 2025 edition, data for 2025.
Published values in that edition run from 0 to 100; higher is better.
Guyana: 153.54 · world median 107.06 · Livestock production index (2014–2016 = 100). Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), 2022 edition, data for 2022.
Published values in that edition run from 35.52 to 190.08; higher is better.
Position 10th of 194 — derived here by ordering the published values, 1st = best. The publisher ranks no country on this.
Guyana: 0.992 · world median 0.971 · Gender Development Index (1.000 = parity). UNDP Human Development Report Office, 2023 edition, data for 2023.
Published values in that edition run from 0.407 to 1.038; higher is better.
Position 27th of 184 — derived here by ordering the published values, 1st = best. The publisher ranks no country on this.
Guyana: 2.5 · world median 5.2 · Population undernourished (%). Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), 2023 edition, data for 2023.
Published values in that edition run from 2.5 to 54.2; lower is better.
Position 104th of 104 — derived here by ordering the published values, 1st = worst. The publisher ranks no country on this.
Guyana: 0.007 · world median 0.039 · MPI (0–1). Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative (OPHI), 2025 edition, data for 2025.
Published values in that edition run from 0 to 0.517; lower is better.
Position 85th of 109 — derived here by ordering the published values, 1st = worst. The publisher ranks no country on this.
Guyana: 3,358 · world median 2,982 · Dietary energy supply (kcal per person per day). Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), 2024 edition, data for 2024.
Published values in that edition run from 1,757 to 3,962; higher is better.
Position 44th of 155 — derived here by ordering the published values, 1st = best. The publisher ranks no country on this.
Guyana: 3.458 · world median 3.246 · IDA Resource Allocation Index (1 = low to 6 = high). World Bank Group, 2025 edition, data for 2025.
Published values in that edition run from 1.617 to 4.225; higher is better.
Position 24th of 78 — derived here by ordering the published values, 1st = best. The publisher ranks no country on this.
Guyana: 9.527 · world median 13.8 · Children under 5 who are stunted (%). UNICEF, WHO and World Bank Group (Joint Malnutrition Estimates), 2024 edition, data for 2024.
Published values in that edition run from 0.518 to 52.8; lower is better.
Position 100th of 162 — derived here by ordering the published values, 1st = worst. The publisher ranks no country on this.
Guyana: 111.69 · world median 106.08 · Food production index (2014–2016 = 100). Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), 2022 edition, data for 2022.
Published values in that edition run from 71.08 to 177.49; higher is better.
Position 77th of 195 — derived here by ordering the published values, 1st = best. The publisher ranks no country on this.
Guyana: 72.5 · world median 75.8 · Children aged 1-14 experiencing violent discipline (%). UNICEF, 2025 edition, data for 2025.
Published values in that edition run from 37.6 to 94; lower is better.
Position 51st of 90 — derived here by ordering the published values, 1st = worst. The publisher ranks no country on this.
Statistics on which Guyana does worse than the middle country measured.
Guyana: 105.61 · world median 106.23 · Crop production index (2014–2016 = 100). Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), 2022 edition, data for 2022.
Published values in that edition run from 53.79 to 189.93; higher is better.
Position 101st of 195 — derived here by ordering the published values, 1st = best. The publisher ranks no country on this.
Guyana: 98.1 · world median 98.4 · Children under 5 whose birth is registered (%). UNICEF, 2025 edition, data for 2025.
Published values in that edition run from 2.7 to 100; higher is better.
Guyana: 13.02 · world median 13.34 · Expected years of schooling. UNDP Human Development Report Office, 2023 edition, data for 2023.
Published values in that edition run from 5.635 to 21.69; higher is better.
Position 112th of 195 — derived here by ordering the published values, 1st = best. The publisher ranks no country on this.
Guyana: 8.702 · world median 9.933 · Mean years of schooling (adults 25+). UNDP Human Development Report Office, 2023 edition, data for 2023.
Published values in that edition run from 1.412 to 14.3; higher is better.
Position 118th of 193 — derived here by ordering the published values, 1st = best. The publisher ranks no country on this.
Guyana: 0.427 · world median 0.351 · GII (0 = full equality, 1 = maximum inequality). UNDP Human Development Report Office, 2023 edition, data for 2023.
Published values in that edition run from 0.003 to 0.838; lower is better.
Ranked 109th of 172 by UNDP Human Development Report Office.
Guyana: 0.495 · world median 0.564 · HCI score (0–1). World Bank Group, 2020 edition, data for 2020.
Published values in that edition run from 0.292 to 0.879; higher is better.
Position 112th of 172 — derived here by ordering the published values, 1st = best. The publisher ranks no country on this.
Guyana: 25.21 · world median 14.54 · Deaths before age five (per 1,000 live births). UN Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation (UN IGME), 2024 edition, data for 2024.
Published values in that edition run from 1.26 to 115.65; lower is better.
Position 65th of 200 — derived here by ordering the published values, 1st = worst. The publisher ranks no country on this.
Guyana: 70.18 · world median 74.63 · Years a newborn would live at current death rates. UN DESA Population Division, 2023 edition, data for 2023.
Published values in that edition run from 54.46 to 86.37; higher is better.
Position 154th of 222 — derived here by ordering the published values, 1st = best. The publisher ranks no country on this.
Guyana: 93 · world median 100 · Population with electricity access (%). World Bank Group, 2024 edition, data for 2024.
Published values in that edition run from 5.4 to 100; higher is better.
Guyana: 28.54 · world median 40.74 · Infants under 6 months exclusively breastfed (%). UNICEF, 2024 edition, data for 2024.
Published values in that edition run from 3.497 to 83.3; higher is better.
Position 104th of 136 — derived here by ordering the published values, 1st = best. The publisher ranks no country on this.
Guyana: 54.06 · world median 69.3 · SPI overall score (0–100). World Bank Group, 2024 edition, data for 2024.
Published values in that edition run from 27.12 to 94.14; higher is better.
Position 151st of 188 — derived here by ordering the published values, 1st = best. The publisher ranks no country on this.
Guyana: 32.3 · world median 17.1 · Women 20–24 married before 18 (%). UNICEF, 2025 edition, data for 2025.
Published values in that edition run from 0 to 76.3; lower is better.
Position 25th of 143 — derived here by ordering the published values, 1st = worst. The publisher ranks no country on this.
Guyana: 7.925 · world median 3.225 · Average cost of sending $200 home (% of the amount). World Bank Group, 2023 edition, data for 2023.
Published values in that edition run from -49.69 to 19.63; lower is better.
Position 11th of 93 — derived here by ordering the published values, 1st = worst. The publisher ranks no country on this.
Guyana: 4.7 · world median 4.7 · Population in severe food insecurity (%). Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), 2023 edition, data for 2023.
Published values in that edition run from 0 to 63.1; lower is better.
Position 67th of 127 — derived here by ordering the published values, 1st = worst. The publisher ranks no country on this.
These describe the shape of a country — more is not better or worse, only different — so they are never ahead or behind.
Guyana: 94.34 · world median 62.14 · Freshwater withdrawn for agriculture (% of total). Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), 2022 edition, data for 2022.
Published values in that edition run from 0 to 99.48.
Position 10th of 171 — derived here by ordering the published values, counted from the highest value. The publisher ranks no country on this.
Guyana: 17.75 · world median 3.66 · Irrigated share of agricultural land (%). Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), 2023 edition, data for 2023.
Published values in that edition run from 0.003 to 89.04.
Position 19th of 121 — derived here by ordering the published values, counted from the highest value. The publisher ranks no country on this.
Guyana: 17.5 · world median 13 · Children aged 5-17 with a functional difficulty (%). UNICEF, 2024 edition, data for 2024.
Published values in that edition run from 0.9 to 35.2.
Guyana: 7.734 · world median 6.572 · Agriculture, forestry and fishing value added (% of GDP). World Bank Group, 2025 edition, data for 2025.
Published values in that edition run from 0.025 to 47.59.
Position 72nd of 158 — derived here by ordering the published values, counted from the highest value. The publisher ranks no country on this.
Guyana: 0.117 · world median 0.109 · Arable land (hectares per person). Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), 2023 edition, data for 2023.
Published values in that edition run from 0 to 1.459.
Position 98th of 206 — derived here by ordering the published values, counted from the highest value. The publisher ranks no country on this.
Guyana: 1.036 · world median 2.579 · Net ODA received (% of GNI). OECD Development Assistance Committee, 2023 edition, data for 2023.
Published values in that edition run from -0.001 to 101.78.
Position 90th of 130 — derived here by ordering the published values, counted from the highest value. The publisher ranks no country on this.
Guyana: 165,725 · world median 689,278 · Land under cereal production (hectares). Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), 2023 edition, data for 2023.
Published values in that edition run from 0 to 103,715,108.
Position 125th of 179 — derived here by ordering the published values, counted from the highest value. The publisher ranks no country on this.
Guyana: -105.7 · world median 42.8 · Share of the cereal supply that is imported (%). Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), 2022 edition, data for 2022.
Published values in that edition run from -1,894 to 100.
Guyana: 1.899 · world median 11.26 · Manufacturing value added (% of GDP). World Bank Group, 2025 edition, data for 2025.
Published values in that edition run from 0.481 to 43.97.
Position 129th of 132 — derived here by ordering the published values, counted from the highest value. The publisher ranks no country on this.
No current reading for Guyana
Account Ownership at a Financial Institution, Agriculture Orientation Index (last 2023), Coefficient of Human Inequality, Gini Index, Global Report on Food Crises, GNI per Capita (PPP) (last 2021), Household Consumption (last 2005), Income Share Held by Lowest 20%, Inequality-adjusted Human Development Index, Organic Agricultural Area, Planetary pressures-adjusted HDI, Poverty Gap at $3.00 a Day, Poverty Headcount Ratio at $3.00 a Day, Poverty Headcount Ratio at $8.30 a Day and Prosperity Gap. Listed rather than hidden, so the page can be checked against it.
05Country Index 2026
Development & Human Capital is Guyana’s 4th best-placed topic of 10. Strongest first; each marker sits at the position divided by that topic’s field, so fields of different sizes compare fairly.
No standing on Economy & Innovation, Environment & Sustainability: too few of those topics’ key statistics are published for this country.
06The top of the list
The three countries placed highest of 194, and the leaders Guyana can most readily be measured against.
1United Arab Emirates
Western Asia
1st of 194 · 3 of 3 keys
Photo: Unknown author · CC BY-SA 3.0, greyscale
2Belgium
Western Europe
2nd of 194 · 3 of 3 keys
Photo: Gf uip · CC BY-SA 3.0, greyscale
3Germany
Western Europe
3rd of 194 · 3 of 3 keys
Highest in Americas
Highest in South America
This page
Positions out of 194 placed on the topic. A country needs readings on enough keys to be placed, and the top of the list is often held on fewer of them.
07Analysis

On development & human capital
Thirteen countries scored across four editions — 2000, 2008, 2016 and 2025 — and five the report could not score at all. DR Congo and South Sudan share 121st place on 37.5.

On development & human capital
India and Pakistan on six published measures: hunger, happiness, human development, rule of law, literacy and GDP per capita. India is the better placed on five of them; Pakistan on one.
08Questions
Every answer is built from the numbers on this page, so none can say something the page does not.
Guyana is placed 77th of 194 countries on Development & Human Capital in the Country Index 2026, from 3 of its 3 key statistics (Maternal Mortality Ratio, Human Development Index and Cereal Yield). The position is this site’s ordering of published statistics, not a rank any publisher printed.
74.73 in 2023 (maternal deaths per 100,000 live births), according to UN Maternal Mortality Estimation Inter-Agency Group (MMEIG). The world median in the same edition was 46.65.
0.776 in 2023 (hDI score (0–1)), according to UNDP Human Development Report Office. The world median in the same edition was 0.762.
Brazil is placed 79th of 194, and Guyana 77th. Maternal Mortality Ratio: Brazil 66.91, Guyana 74.73; Human Development Index: Brazil 0.786, Guyana 0.776; Cereal Yield: Brazil 5,337, Guyana 6,028.
Maternal Mortality Ratio fell from 170.55 in 2000 to 74.73 in 2023; Human Development Index rose from 0.567 in 2000 to 0.776 in 2023; Cereal Yield rose from 3,799 in 2000 to 6,028 in 2023.
No current reading is published for Guyana on Account Ownership at a Financial Institution, Agriculture Orientation Index, Coefficient of Human Inequality, Gini Index, Global Report on Food Crises, GNI per Capita (PPP), Household Consumption, Income Share Held by Lowest 20%, Inequality-adjusted Human Development Index, Organic Agricultural Area, Planetary pressures-adjusted HDI, Poverty Gap at $3.00 a Day, Poverty Headcount Ratio at $3.00 a Day, Poverty Headcount Ratio at $8.30 a Day and Prosperity Gap. They are listed rather than hidden, so the evidence on the page can be checked against it.
09Keep reading
10Method
What this topic does not measure
Poverty lines, inequality and aid received are published here as context rather than as keys, often because they cover fewer countries or are measured too rarely. Development is also not the same as economic size or growth, which belong to Economy & Innovation.
A standing is a place in a list, not a mark out of anything. This one is part of the Country Index 2026, and it is worked out like this.
The other 34 statistics on this page come from 10 publishers, each named beside its numbers, with every edition and licence on the datasets pages.
The standing itself is part of the Country Index 2026, published under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Guyana’s banner and the countries placed highest, from their profiles: Wikimedia Commons, shown in greyscale, each used under the licence named.
Nations Inquiry (2026). Guyana: Development & Human Capital — standing and statistics, Country Index 2026. https://nationsinquiry.com/countries/guyana/development