Share of population living in urban areas in Guyana

Guyana: Share of population living in urban areas was 73.6% in 2020. ▲ Rising

Latest (2020)
73.6%
World rank
121st
of 236 countries
All-time high
75.7%
in 1985
All-time low
63.5%
in 1950
Years of data
15
1950–2020

Share of population living in urban areas in Guyana, 1950–2020

0204060801950198520201950: 63.5 %1955: 66.5 %1960: 69.8 %1965: 71.8 %1970: 73.7 %1975: 74.6 %1980: 74.6 %1985: 75.7 %1990: 74.6 %1995: 75.7 %2000: 74 %2005: 73.2 %2010: 73 %2015: 73 %2020: 73.6 %

Source: European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.

Analysis

Guyana recorded 73.6% for share of population living in urban areas in 2020.

The figure is up 0.9% over ten years.

Over the whole period, share of population living in urban areas in Guyana peaked at 75.7% in 1985 and was at its lowest, 63.5%, in 1950.

That places Guyana 121st out of 236 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 15 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1950s 65.0% 63.5% 66.5% 2
1960s 70.8% 69.8% 71.8% 2
1970s 74.2% 73.7% 74.6% 2
1980s 75.2% 74.6% 75.7% 2
1990s 75.1% 74.6% 75.7% 2
2000s 73.6% 73.2% 74.0% 2
2010s 73.0% 73.0% 73.0% 2
2020s 73.6% 73.6% 73.6% 1

Countries ranked near Guyana

  1. 118 United States 74.0% compare
  2. 119 Belarus 73.8% compare
  3. 120 Costa Rica 73.7% compare
  4. 122 United States Virgin Islands 73.6% compare
  5. 123 Andorra 73.4% compare
  6. 124 Germany 73.0% compare

See the full ranking of 236 places →

More reference data data for Guyana

All data for Guyana →

Frequently asked questions

What is share of population living in urban areas in Guyana?
Share of population living in urban areas in Guyana was 73.6% in 2020, according to European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
What is the highest share of population living in urban areas recorded in Guyana?
The highest recorded value was 75.7% in 1985.
What is the lowest share of population living in urban areas recorded in Guyana?
The lowest recorded value was 63.5% in 1950.
How does Guyana rank for share of population living in urban areas?
Guyana ranks 121st out of 236 countries with data for 2020.
Is share of population living in urban areas rising or falling in Guyana?
Over the last ten years it is up 0.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Guyana data come from?
The figures come from European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of population living in urban areas. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 15 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).

About this data

Indicator
Share of population living in urban areas
Unit
%
Source
European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
236 places, 3,540 data points, 1950–2020
Last refreshed

Estimated share of the population living in urban areas (the sum of cities and towns and suburbs). Urban areas are identified using satellite imagery and population data, applying the same definitions across countries.