If you lived in Guyana instead of Maldives, you would:

Health

have 24.6% more access to essential health services

Maldives scores 61 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Guyana scores 76 as of 2021.

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be 16.0 times more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS

In Maldives, 0.1% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Guyana, that number is 1.6% of people as of 2024.

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live 11.0 years less

In Maldives, the average life expectancy is 81 years (80 years for men, 83 years for women) as of 2024. In Guyana, that number is 70 years (67 years for men, 74 years for women) as of 2024.

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be 68.7% more likely to be obese

In Maldives, 17.9% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Guyana, that number is 30.1% of people as of 2024.

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see 41.8% less spent on your healthcare

Maldives spends $2,288 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Guyana spends $1,331 as of 2023.

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have 37.9% fewer doctors per person

Maldives has 22.4 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2019. Guyana has 13.9 as of 2020.

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be 16.9 times more likely to die by suicide

Maldives has a suicide rate of 1.5 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Guyana, it is 24.8 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Economy

make 2.2 times more money

Maldives has a GDP per capita of $14,615 as of 2025, while in Guyana, the GDP per capita is $32,414 as of 2025.

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be 2.7 times more likely to be unemployed

In Maldives, 4.5% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Guyana, that number is 12.0% as of 2025.

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Life

have 87.7% more children

In Maldives, there are approximately 10.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Guyana, there are 19.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

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be 2.3 times more likely to die during childbirth

In Maldives, approximately 32.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Guyana, 75.0 women do as of 2023.

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be 4.9 times more likely to die during infancy

In Maldives, approximately 4.7 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2024. In Guyana, on the other hand, 23.2 children do as of 2024.

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Expenditures

spend 73.3% less on healthcare

Maldives spends 9.2% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Guyana, that number is 2.5% of GDP as of 2023.

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Geography

see 28.7% less coastline

Maldives has a total of 644 km of coastline. In Guyana, that number is 459 km.

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Safety

be 11.7 times more likely to die in a road accident

In Maldives, road accidents kill 1.3 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Guyana, they kill 15.2 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Infrastructure

live with 78.9% less strain on fresh water

Maldives withdraws 16% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Guyana withdraws 3% as of 2022.

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find 34.1% less home broadband

Maldives has 19.6 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Guyana has 12.9 as of 2022.

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Environment

be 79.3% more likely to die from air pollution

In Maldives, air pollution causes 29.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Guyana, it causes 52.0 as of 2019.

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emit 27.7% more CO2

Maldives emits 3.6 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Guyana emits 4.6 tonnes as of 2024.

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Sources: World Bank (2019–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this

Guyana: At a glance

Guyana is a sovereign country in South America, with a total land area of approximately 196,849 sq km. Originally a Dutch colony in the 17th century, by 1815 Guyana had become a British possession. The abolition of slavery led to settlement of urban areas by former slaves and the importation of indentured servants from India to work the sugar plantations. The resulting ethnocultural divide has persisted and has led to turbulent politics. Guyana achieved independence from the UK in 1966, and since then it has been ruled mostly by socialist-oriented governments. In 1992, Cheddi JAGAN was elected president in what is considered the country's first free and fair election since independence. After his death five years later, his wife, Janet JAGAN, became president but resigned in 1999 due to poor health. Her successor, Bharrat JAGDEO, was reelected in 2001 and again in 2006. Donald RAMOTAR was elected president in 2011.
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