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Guyana Ethnic Composition
Ethnic diversity is one of the most significant characteristics
of the Guyanese population (see
table 2, Appendix A). As of 1980,
Guyanese of East Indian descent (Indo-Guyanese) constituted 51
percent of the total population. Guyanese wholly of African descent
made up 31 percent of the population. Those listed as of mixed
ancestry constituted 12 percent. Since the mixed-ancestry category
comprised individuals of partial African ancestry who were usually
included in the Afro-Guyanese community, the Afro-Guyanese
population in effect constituted 42 percent of the total
population. The remainder of the population was composed of
Amerindians (4 percent) individuals of European or Asian descent (3
percent).
A higher growth rate for the Indo-Guyanese population in the
post-World War II period resulted in a change in the ethnic
composition of Guyanese society. The Indo-Guyanese population grew
from 43 percent of the total in 1946 to a majority--51 percent--in
1980. During the same period, the Afro-Guyanese proportion of the
population decreased from 49 percent to 42 percent. Although the
small European (mostly Portuguese) and Asian (almost entirely
Chinese) sectors continued to grow in absolute numbers after World
War II, they represented a decreasing proportion of the population.
Data as of January 1992
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