The small country in South America, has seen the fastest growth in gross domestic product (GDP) per capita in the world over the past decade, yet the level of poverty is quite high, and primarily among the afro-centric community. Is it because the oil produced wealth is diverted to European lands as they maintain a hold on the commonwealth? Get it right Irfaan Ali and PPP! The country of Guyana is not poor. Just that only a certain class of citizens are benefiting from the natural resource.

Guyana's oil production comes from three floating production, storage, and offloading (FPSO) vessels: Liza Destiny, Liza Unity, and Prosperity. The country's oil is exported to Panama, the Netherlands, the United States, Italy, and Germany.

The oil is exported and there should be massive cashflow on the return, but it seems that the money goes with the export. Where are the development projects across the country that would create high paying jobs for Guyanese people who were highly trained in the land at schools built by government entities.

Following the remarkable discovery of extensive offshore oil fields, Guyana, a small South American nation, is poised to join the ranks of the world's wealthiest countries. However, as this newfound wealth brings hope for prosperity, there are growing apprehensions about the potential negative consequences that accompany it.

The illustrated chart shows GDP per capita for Guyana and the World, based on estimates from the World Bank.

The data is adjusted for inflation, so Guyana’s sharp growth is not due to price changes over time.

A large and sudden expansion in oil production has driven most of this growth. In 2020, Guyana began extracting oil. From 2020 to 2023, the country’s oil production grew 425%, making it a key contributor to global crude oil supply growth.

Over this period, Guyana’s GDP per capita rose from below the global average to well above it.