Guyana: Total natural resources rents (% of GDP)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2021, Guyana's total natural resources rents (% of GDP) rose 19.78 percentage points on 2020 (from 13.9% to 33.68%).

Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1991 to 2020), the average change was −0.31 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 4.49 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 4.5 standard deviations above that average, so it was unusually large compared with the rest of the record.

On record, the biggest yearly rise was 19.78 percentage points in 2021 and the biggest yearly fall was 16.18 percentage points in 1983. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2012 to 2021 there is no clear straight-line trend: a straight line explains 8% of the movement over 10 observed years, so the value is moving around more than it is heading anywhere.

Worked out from the yearly values above. How the checks work: standard deviation, z-scores and straight-line trends.

How it compares

In 2021, Guyana had the 8th highest value of the 196 economies reporting that year. Higher is not always better: for some indicators the lowest value is the one to aim for. See the full ranking.

Closest to Guyana in the 2021 ranking

• Congo, Rep. — 4th of 196: 37.71%
• Zambia — 5th of 196: 35.26%
• Timor-Leste — 6th of 196: 34.73%
• Mongolia — 8th of 196: 33.14%
• Iran, Islamic Rep. — 9th of 196: 30.45%
• Angola — 10th of 196: 29.97%

What this measures

Total natural resources rents are the sum of oil rents, natural gas rents, coal rents (hard and soft), mineral rents, and forest rents.

Regional and income-group figures are computed by the World Bank as a weighted average.

All 52 values

Total natural resources rents (% of GDP) in nearby economies

• Antigua and Barbuda — 0% (2021)
• Argentina — 2.65% (2021)
• Aruba — 0.00207% (2021)
• Bahamas, The — 0.01% (2021)
• Barbados — 0.33% (2021)
• Belize — 0.52% (2021)
• Bolivia — 9.47% (2021)
• Brazil — 7.94% (2021)
• Cayman Islands — 0% (2021)
• Chile — 16.9% (2021)

More environment data for Guyana

• Rural population — 614,522 (2025)
• Rural population (% of total population) — 73.51% (2025)
• Urban population — 221,464 (2025)
• Urban population (% of total population) — 26.49% (2025)
• Aquaculture production (metric tons) — 1,809 (2024)
• Capture fisheries production (metric tons) — 36,920 (2024)
• Total fisheries production (metric tons) — 38,729 (2024)
• Rural population growth (annual %) — 0.57% (2025)
• Urban population growth (annual %) — 0.64% (2025)
• Fertilizer consumption (kilograms per hectare of arable land) — 252.03 (2024)

Reading data like this

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Questions people ask

What is Guyana's total natural resources rents (% of GDP)?

33.68% in 2021, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1970?

It is up 12.98 percentage points from 20.71% in 1970. The highest value was 34.16% in 1982 and the lowest 5.96% in 2019.

How does Guyana rank?

8th highest of 196 economies with data for 2021.

Is the latest change in total natural resources rents (% of GDP) unusual for Guyana?

In 2021, Guyana's total natural resources rents (% of GDP) rose 19.78 percentage points on 2020 (from 13.9% to 33.68%). Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1991 to 2020), the average change was −0.31 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 4.49 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 4.5 standard deviations above that average, so it was unusually large compared with the rest of the record.

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator NY.GDP.TOTL.RT.ZS, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: The Changing Wealth of Nations, World Bank (WB), uri: https://www.worldbank.org/en/publication/changing-wealth-of-nations/data, note: World Bank staff estimates based on sources and methods described in the World Bank's The Changing Wealth of Nations., publisher: World Bank (WB); Staff estimates, Wo… Figures are fetched from the World Bank API and refreshed monthly; see the series on data.worldbank.org. The full definition and method are in the World Bank's metadata glossary. Comparisons use the same World Bank release.

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