Guyana Gini Index

Guyana’s Gini index rose from 39.50 in 1992 to 45.10 in 1998, marking the country’s highest recorded level of income inequality and placing it 36th in the world in the latest year of coverage. The upward movement over the two‑year span reflects a widening gap between the richest and poorest households, a pattern that aligns Guyana with peers such as Costa Rica, whose 1998 Gini of 45.60 sits slightly above Guyana’s peak, and Uzbekistan, recorded at 44.10. The 1998 peak of 45.10 follows a modest trough of 39.50 just six years earlier, suggesting that the late 1990s were a period of accelerating disparity, possibly linked to structural adjustments in the extractive sector and fiscal reforms. While the limited data series precludes a long‑term assessment, the observed rise implies that without targeted redistribution policies or inclusive growth strategies, Guyana’s inequality trajectory may continue upward in the near future.