Guyana

Economy & income

1 USD = 209.3 GYD live rate

Currency: Guyanese dollar (GYD, G$); ~209 per USD (Jul 2026)
GDP per capita: ~$28,330 nominal (2025, IMF)
~$94,370 PPP (2025, IMF) — oil-boom-inflated and extremely uneven
not reflective of household purchasing power
Average salary: ~$1,100 net/mo (Numbeo, 2026) — thin sample skewed to Georgetown professionals
true national average far lower given min wage ~$287 and large informal/agri workforce
gross ~n/a (no reliable national figure)
Median salary: n/a nationally (no official median published)
Numbeo Georgetown median after-tax ~$1,100/mo (2026, thin sample — treat with caution)
Minimum wage: Private-sector national minimum GYD 60,147/mo (~$287) since Jul 2022
public-sector minimum raised toward GYD ~100,000/mo (~$478) in 2025 (Ministry of Labour)
Cost of living: Low–Medium
single person ~$995/mo excl. rent, ~25% below US and rent ~34% below US (Numbeo Georgetown, Jun 2026; thin sample)
Oil-driven inflation has pushed local prices up sharply relative to wages

Digital landscape

Population: ~0.83 million (834K, Jan 2025)
Internet users: 81.7% (~681K users)
Social media users: 63.4% (~528K identities)
Mobile connections: 700K cellular connections = 84.0% of pop
Devices: desktop ~67.2% / mobile ~31.2% / tablet ~1.6% (StatCounter, Jun 2026) — atypically desktop-heavy for a Tier-3 market (measurement quirk; DataReportal reports 84% mobile connections, so audience is mobile-first in practice)
Ad spend: n/a — total/digital ad spend not separately reported for Guyana (small market)
Meta platforms (Facebook/Instagram/Messenger) carry most paid reach
Top social platforms: Facebook ~528K, 63.4% — dominant

Facebook Messenger ~367K, 44.1%

Instagram ~172K, 20.6%

LinkedIn ~170K, 20.4%

X/Twitter ~41K, 5.0%

TikTok — rising fast, esp. under-30; no local ad-reach figure published
Messengers: WhatsApp (dominant everyday messenger across Guyana/Caribbean)
Facebook Messenger (~367K, 44.1%)

Ad regulations

Gambling & betting Restricted

RESTRICTED — land-based casinos (permitted only as part of hotels) and betting shops are legal and regulated by the Gaming Authority of Guyana under the Gambling Prevention Act; online lotteries and sports betting were legalized in 2021, but online casinos cannot obtain local licences. Accessing offshore betting/casino sites is not criminalized and is common

Crypto Restricted

RESTRICTED — legal grey area: crypto is not legal tender and is unregulated; no licensed local exchanges; Bank of Guyana has issued repeated risk warnings. Mining and P2P trading are not prohibited and are growing

Adult Restricted

RESTRICTED — socially conservative (mixed Christian/Hindu/Muslim); colonial-era obscenity/morality provisions apply; male same-sex acts remain criminalized (rarely enforced). No explicit online-porn block, but adult/adult-dating offers are culturally sensitive

Dating Allowed

ALLOWED — mainstream dating apps are legal and used; conservative social norms. LGBT/gay-dating angles are legally risky and taboo (male same-sex activity is illegal)

Finance & loans Legal

LEGAL — banks, microfinance, credit unions and consumer credit are regulated by the Bank of Guyana (Financial Institutions Act 1995; Credit Reporting Act 2009). Advertising must not be misleading (CCAC oversight)

Nutra & pharma Restricted

RESTRICTED — drugs, supplements, cosmetics and their advertising require prior written approval from the Government Analyst–Food & Drug Department (GA-FDD) under the Food & Drugs Act; health claims are controlled

Regulators

Gaming Authority of Guyana (gambling)
Bank of Guyana (finance & crypto stance)
Government Analyst–Food & Drug Department / GA-FDD (drugs, food, cosmetics)
Competition & Consumer Affairs Commission (CCAC) for consumer protection/advertising
no dedicated advertising-standards board

Notes

English-language market with no broad content censorship
Regulatory enforcement capacity is limited, so grey-area verticals operate in practice, but Meta/Google platform ad policies are the effective gatekeepers
AML/CFT scrutiny is rising across gaming and finance

Payments & behaviour

Payment methods: Cash / Cash-on-delivery (dominant — cash-based society)
MMG (Mobile Money Guyana) wallet — leading digital method
Debit/credit cards (Visa/Mastercard — limited penetration, low trust in online cards)
Bank transfer / online banking (Republic, GBTI, Demerara, Citizens, Scotiabank)
Freight-forwarder + prepaid/card for cross-border US shopping
E-wallets: MMG – Mobile Money Guyana (first & dominant wallet; works without a bank account; integrated with major banks)
Bank mobile apps (Republic, GBTI, Demerara Bank, Citizens Bank)
Cash on delivery: High — cash remains king
COD is the default for local e-commerce and courier delivery
E-commerce: Low but growing (accelerated post-COVID)
small local marketplaces plus heavy cross-border shopping on US sites via freight forwarders
Notes: MMG dominates mobile money and serves the unbanked/underbanked
card usage and online-card trust are low
diaspora remittances (US/Canada/UK) are a major money flow

Audience & culture

Languages: English (official — government, media, education; the only South American country with English official)
Guyanese Creole (English-based creole — the everyday vernacular for most)
Guyanese Hindustani/Bhojpuri heritage (Indo-Guyanese, largely ceremonial)
Amerindian languages – Macushi, Wapishana, Akawaio, etc. (interior minorities)
Religion: Christian ~57% (Pentecostal 16.9%, other Christian 20.5%, Roman Catholic 8.1%, Anglican 6.9%, Seventh-day Adventist 5%)
Hindu 28.4% (highest share in the Western Hemisphere)
Muslim 7.2%
no religion 4.3%
other ~2.2% (2012 census)
Median age: 26.2 years (DataReportal, Jan 2025)
Key seasons: Mashramani / Republic Day (Feb 23 — national carnival, high spend)
Phagwah/Holi (Mar — Hindu festival of colours, big Indo-Guyanese event)
Diwali (Nov — major gifting/retail season)
Eid al-Fitr / Eid al-Adha (Muslim community)
Independence Day (May 26)
Christmas & New Year (peak retail; diaspora return + remittance inflows)
Cricket season / CPL (West Indies cricket is a cultural focal point)
Cultural notes: Ethnically split Indo-Guyanese (~40%) and Afro-Guyanese (~29%) with a multi-religious festival calendar — plan creative around Hindu/Muslim/Christian dates and avoid pork/alcohol imagery near religious festivals
Strong US/Canada/UK diaspora ties and remittances shape spending
Cricket and chutney/soca music are central
WhatsApp-first, Facebook-group-driven information sharing
Where to find creators: TikTok
Instagram
Facebook
YouTube

Media landscape

Top media outlets

1 Stabroek News English daily, independent — long regarded as most trusted; NOTE publisher entered liquidation in 2025
2 Kaieteur News English daily, independent/tabloid-style — popular investigative reporting, strong online reach
3 Guyana Chronicle English daily, state-owned — 'the Nation's Paper'
4 Guyana Times English daily, privately owned (pro-government leaning)
5 News Room (newsroom.gy) English online/broadcast — cited as largest social-media following in Guyana
6 Demerara Waves English online news + radio (VoG) — current affairs

Top YouTube channels

1 News Room Guyana n/a (channel active; count not publicly verifiable via search)
2 HGPTV / HGP Nightly News n/a (most-watched local TV programme; count unverified)
3 NCN Guyana (National Communications Network) n/a (state broadcaster; count unverified)
4 Guyana Chronicle n/a (unverified)
5 Kaieteur News n/a (unverified)
6 Stabroek News n/a (unverified)

Creators & public figures

Top creators

M

Manisha Singh (Swaggarherself) ~1.6M TikTok

TikTokdance/lifestyle — most-followed Guyanese creator; strong for youth/entertainment brand deals

M

Melissa Payne ~85K (approx)

Instagram/TikToklifestyle & travel — Guyanese culture; tourism/lifestyle brands

K

Kester Abrams ~68K (approx)

Instagram/TikTokmusic/entertainment influencer

A

Amanda Kanhai ~45K (approx)

Instagramfashion & beauty — local trends; nutra/beauty relevance

C

Chef Delven Adams ~40K (approx)

Instagram/YouTubeGuyanese cuisine/recipes — food & FMCG relevance

S

Sean Bhagwandin (Sean in the Wild) ~37K (approx)

Instagramtravel/adventure — nature & tourism

Celebrities

Letitia Wright ~3M Instagram

actress — Shuri in Marvel's Black Panther; born in Georgetown

Melanie Fiona ~714K Instagram

Grammy-winning R&B singer; Canadian of Guyanese parentage

Eddy Grant ~9K Instagram (fame is musical legacy, not social)

musician — 'Electric Avenue', 'Gimme Hope Jo'anna'; born in Plaisance

Shivnarine Chanderpaul n/a (limited personal social presence)

cricket great, former West Indies captain; born in Unity Village

Sir Clive Lloyd n/a (limited personal social presence)

legendary West Indies cricket captain; born in Georgetown

CCH Pounder ~n/a (modest Instagram)

Emmy-nominated actress (The Shield, Avatar, NCIS: New Orleans); born in Georgetown

Affiliate & traffic

Hot verticals: Sports betting & iGaming (offshore access common)
COD nutra & e-commerce (weight-loss, health, beauty, gadgets)
Sweepstakes / prize & gift-card
Finance (loans, remittance, forex/crypto interest)
Mainstream dating
Active networks: No Guyana-specific networks — market served by global CPA/CPS platforms
Betting/iGaming affiliate programs active in-region (e.g. 1xBet, Mostbet, Betway partners)
COD nutra / e-commerce networks (AdCombo-style, Dr.Cash for nutra offers)
Global CPA/sweeps networks (ClickDealer, MyLead, and similar) targeting LatAm/Tier-3
Payouts: Tier-3 lower payouts, USD-denominated: betting CPA ~$15–60 FTD
COD nutra ~$8–20/lead
CPL/sweeps ~$0.5–4
finance CPL modest
Competition: Low-to-moderate — small population, cheap CPMs, underdeveloped local affiliate scene
easy to test but limited scale
Seasonality: Peaks around Christmas/New Year, Mashramani (Feb), Diwali (Nov) and cricket/CPL season
diaspora remittance inflows lift consumer spend
Traffic sources: Facebook/Meta ads + Facebook Groups (dominant funnel)
Instagram
TikTok (fast-growing, youth)
Google Search / YouTube
WhatsApp sharing
Push/pop networks

Good to know

Capital: Georgetown
Major cities: Georgetown
Linden
New Amsterdam
Anna Regina
Bartica
Corriverton
Time zones: UTC−4 (Guyana Time, GYT)
no daylight saving
single time zone
Android vs iOS: 71% 29%

Android 71% iOS 29%
Phone brands: Samsung (~43%)
Apple (~29%)
Xiaomi (~4%)
Google (~3.5%)
Motorola (~2%)
Top e-commerce: 24GY (local marketplace)
Ubuy Guyana
Courts Guyana (Unicomer — appliances/furniture, hire-purchase)
Massy Stores (supermarket)
Giftland OfficeMax / Giftland Mall
US sites (Amazon, SHEIN) via freight forwarders
Peak activity: Evenings ~7–10pm local (UTC−4) and lunch ~12–1pm; weekends higher. Align betting pushes with EPL and West Indies/CPL cricket fixtures
Creative taboos: LGBT content (male same-sex acts criminalized; socially taboo)
Indo- vs Afro-Guyanese ethnic/political tensions
religious sensitivities — avoid pork/alcohol imagery around Hindu/Muslim festivals
handle race and politics carefully
Also worth knowing: The oil boom has pushed GDP-per-capita to Gulf-state levels on paper, but purchasing power is very uneven — treat strictly as Tier-3 for payouts and pricing.
WhatsApp + Facebook (and FB Groups) are effectively the entire funnel; creatives spread virally through group shares.
A large, affluent US/Canada/UK diaspora plus heavy remittances mean some English-native 'Guyana' traffic behaves higher-value than local incomes suggest.