Development within the context of Guyana is pursued through the lens of market liberalism, which centres economic growth over human, social and environmental wellbeing. Its economy from the beginning of colonialist expansion, has largely been bolstered by extractive industries. Even when agriculture remained its top income earner, industries such as bauxite and gold have been large contributors towards the country’s Gross Domestic Product. With Guyana’s discovery of oil in 2015, and subsequent finds in following years, Guyana quickly moved from being a low-income country to an upper middle-income one in 2016, and finally being reclassified as high-income in 2023. Guyana’s economy grew by 57.8% in 2022, with its public debt increasing by 16% in that same period. This rapid growth and increased debt, matched with the economic fallouts of the COVID-19 pandemic and changing weather patterns as a result of climate change have resulted in higher inflation, with decreased access to food and a heightened cost of living.
