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Commonwealth Health Partnerships 2015

Commonwealth Health Partnerships 2015 181 KEY FACTS Joined Commonwealth: 1966 Population: 800,000 (2013) GDP p.c. growth: 3.0% p.a. 1990–2013 GNI p.c.: US$3,750 (2013) UN HDI 2014: World ranking 121 Life expectancy: 66 years (2013) Under-five mortality rate (per 1,000 live births): 37 (2013) Largest contribution to mortality: Cardiovascular diseases Government health expenditure: 4.3% of GDP (2012) General information The Co-operative Republic of Guyana lies in the north-east of South America, north of the equator. It is bordered by Suriname, Brazil and Venezuela; in the north and east it extends to the North Atlantic Ocean. The country comprises ten regions. Climate: Guyana has a warm, tropical climate with high rainfall and humidity. The rainy seasons are November–January and May–July, with an average rainfall of 2,350 mm p.a. in the coastal region. Inland rainfall averages 1,520 mm p.a. North-east trade winds moderate coastal temperatures. Environment: The most significant environmental issues are water pollution by sewage, and agricultural and industrial chemicals; and deforestation. Population: 800,000 (2013); population distribution is very uneven, with a high concentration of people along the coastal strip and many inland areas virtually uninhabited. Around a quarter (28 per cent) of people live in urban areas. The population growth rate stood at 0.4 per cent p.a. between the years of 1990 and 2013, depressed over this period by emigration. In 2013 the birth rate was 20 per 1,000 people (38 in 1970) and life expectancy was 66 years (60 in 1970). The ethnic origins of the people are: 44 per cent Indian (resident mostly in agricultural areas); 30 per cent African (mostly in towns); 17 per cent of mixed descent; and nine per cent Amerindian (mainly in the west and south, or on reserves; 2002 census). Economy: Guyana is classified as a lower-middle-income economy by the World Bank. Health Child and maternal health: The rate of infant mortality in Guyana was 30 deaths per 1,000 live births in 2013, with an under-five mortality rate of 37 deaths per 1,000 live births in 2012. Under-five mortality in Guyana has declined consistently since 1990 and has almost halved since 1990. While this decrease is encouraging, the under-five mortality rate has not yet reached the country’s target of 20 deaths per 1,000 live births, as defined by Millennium Development Goal 4 (MDG 4). In 2010 the most prominent known causes of death for children below the age of five years were prematurity (19 per cent), intrapartum-related complications (12 per cent), congenital anomalies (nine per cent), malaria (nine per cent) and neonatal sepsis (six per cent). Other contributory causes were acute respiratory infections (five per cent), diarrhoea (five per cent) and HIV (one per cent). In 2013 Guyana had an adjusted maternal mortality ratio of 250 deaths per 100,000 live births (this figure was estimated at 280 deaths per 100,000 by UN agencies/World Bank in 2010). Burden of disease: Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) accounted for an estimated 67 per cent of all mortality in Guyana in 2012. In 2012 the most prevalent NCDs were cardiovascular diseases (33 per cent). Cancer, diabetes and non-communicable variants of respiratory diseases contributed ten per cent, nine per cent and one per cent to total mortality, respectively (2012). Injuries accounted for 16 per cent of deaths in 2012. Communicable diseases along with maternal, perinatal and nutritional conditions accounted for an estimated 17 per cent of all mortality in 2012. The prevalence of HIV in Guyana, as a percentage of people aged 15–49 years, stood at 1.4 per cent in Guyana


Commonwealth Health Partnerships 2015
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