09/26/2026
The Week in Review: Guyana Economic & Investment Intelligence
Key Data Points & Trends (Mid-Year 2026 Report Highlights)
33.3% GDP Growth in H1 2026: President Dr. Irfaan Ali officially released the 2026 Mid-Year Economic Report, revealing an extraordinary 33.3% overall real GDP growth for the first half of the year. Full-year growth expectations have been revised upward to 20.8%.
Petroleum Revenues Upward Revision to $6.5 Billion USD: Upward revisions project Guyana's total 2026 petroleum deposits into the Natural Resource Fund (NRF) to hit $6.5 billion USD—a 136.8% increase over initial budget estimates. This reflects higher crude prices (averaging $92.50 USD/bbl in H1) and state profit-oil lifts expanding from 40 to 84 lifts following cost-recovery milestones and higher output from four operational FPSOs averaging 902,000 bpd.
10.1% Non-Oil Sector Surge: Non-oil economic growth posted its sixth consecutive year of expansion, rising 10.1% in H1 2026. Major drivers include construction (+24.7%), mining and quarrying (+40.7%), and services (+7.2%), showing structural economic diversification.
Surge in Real Estate Mortgages & Banking Liquidity: Net domestic credit expanded by 15.5% to $6.17 billion USD (~$1.286 trillion GYD). Private-sector credit rose by 11.5%, while real estate mortgages jumped by a massive 21.2%, pointing to aggressive homeownership growth, commercial buildouts, and expanding bank balance sheets.
Labor Market Transformation: Unemployment dropped dramatically from 12.8% to 6.2%, with overall labor-force participation rising to 59.2%—adding over 156,000 workers to active payrolls across the economy.
