The question of leaving these shores is one that the majority of Guyanese have had to face at least once in their life. For those with the means and will, putting Guyana in their rear view mirrors is all but certain. A casual look around our country, its state and the way its citizens are treated, and it is not hard to see why. Poverty, lack of opportunities that pay living wages rather than struggle ones, and an environment that is detrimental to growth, are just a few of the things that contribute toward the mass exodus. While it has long been common knowledge that more Guyanese live outside of these shores than in it, this was again recently confirmed with a report from Forbes Magazine. The Forbes report revealed that Guyana has one of the largest diaspora populations per capita when compared to the rest of the world. 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. More than 80% of Guyanese with tertiary education, up and leave, giving us a brain drain index point of 8.1. For context, the world average is 5.21.
