A report by United States-based business magazine Forbes has revealed that Guyanese account for the largest diaspora population when compared to the rest of the world.
The report, published on Friday, said that out of all sovereign countries with at least 750,000 inhabitants, Guyana had the biggest share of its native-born population—36.4%—living abroad. It added that Jamaica came in at number five with 28.6% of its population living abroad.
The report said that “the list of countries with the biggest share of the native-born population living in the diaspora reveals stories of war and displacement but also of economic stagnation and a lack of perspectives. While there are many reasons why someone might leave the place where they were born, small countries are most often affected by the phenomenon as they are inherently at a disadvantage when offering opportunities and chances to move within the country first.”