Guyana's population to decrease 35.4 % by 2050 - UN Report
More Guyanese expected to live longer
Kaieteur News
April 24, 2007
Guyana is among 14 other countries in the less developed regions whose population is predicted to decrease between 2007 and 2050, but more Guyanese are expected to live longer lives, a United Nations Report estimates.
Statistics included in World Population Prospects: The 2006 Revision, which was prepared by the United Nations Department of Economic & Social Affairs, estimates that Guyana's population is expected to decline to 477,000 by 2050.
According to the report, in 2005, Guyana's population stood at 739,000, but by 2010, the population is expected to decrease to 731,000.
According to the report, between 1950 and 2005, Guyana's population peaked during 1980, when figures reached 761, 000.
Since then, there has been a steady decline, with minor increases during 1995 and 2005.
Several other Caribbean countries are in this category, including Barbados, Trinidad and Tobago, the United States Virgin Islands, Cuba, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Martinique, Suriname, and Aruba.
Guyana's decrease is the most significant in this category, with a 35.4 per cent decrease in its population projected, while Barbados is expected to lose 7.6 per cent of its population during the same time period.
The amount of persons living between the ages of 15 and 24 will decline significantly, from about 17,000 in 2005 to about 12,000 in 2050.
And the report noted that more Guyanese are expected to live longer, with the number of persons living to 60 increasing from about 8,000 in 2005 to 26,000 in 2050.
Perhaps the greatest evidence of longevity is shown in those in the 80- and-over category.
According to the UN Report, this category is expected to see an increase from 1,000 in 2005 to about 7,000 by 2050.
The report also expects fewer births per year by 2050, with that amount declining to 5,000 by 2050, in contrast with 16,000 in 2006.
The UN Report projects that the fertility rate will decline to about 1,000 by 2050.
However, deaths are expected to remain constant at 8,000 by 2050.
The 2006 Revision finds that the world population will likely increase by 2.5 billion over the next 43 years, moving from the current 6.7 billion to 9.2 billion in 2050.
In addition, as a result of declining fertility and increasing longevity, the populations of a growing number of countries are ageing rapidly.
Between 2005 and 2050, half of the increase in the world population will be accounted for by a rise in the population aged 60 years or over, whereas the number of children under 15 years will decline slightly.