Guyana Strategies for Reducing Poverty
May 6,1994 World Bank. Public Disclosure Authorized.
Poverty
Across ethnic groups the incidence of poverty is highest among the Amerindian population. Of the poorest 20 percent of the population, over one-third are Amerindians.Approximately 85 percent of Amerindians, the majority of whom live in the interior, fall below the poverty line. 3 ' Data on other ethnic groups indicate that the incidence of poverty among individuals living in Afro-Guyanese households is 43.0 percent, compared with 33.7 percent in households headed by Indo-Guyanese and 44.7 percent for households where the head is ethnically mixed .
Afro-Guyanese households are equally located in urban and rural areas, while the Indo-Guyanese population is more heavily concentrated in rural areas, particularly along the coast. Overall, 73 percent of Indo-Guyanese live in rural areas as compared with 54 percent of Afro-Guyanese.
The fact that the majority of Amerindians live in the interior and rely less on the cash economy should be highlighted areas, particularly along the coast. Overall, 73 percent of Indo-Guyanese live in rural areas as compared with 54 percent of Afro-Guyanese.
From the early colonial period to the 1950s, races have heavily stratified by occupation,with the Indo-Guyanese working in trade and agriculture (particularly rice and sugar) and the Afro-Guyanese working as subsistence farmers, in mining and service industries in urban areas,or in the public sector.
The Afro-Guyanese population on the whole remains in school longer and is more likely to finish secondary school than other ethnic groups. This is probably linked to the fact that many more Afro-Guyanese live in urban areas, where formal education plays a more important role.
Source.~ 1993 HIESILSMS Data.
Education
Levels of education among poor households are lower than the population as a whole.This fact is not surprising, given the high correlation between education levels and living .Less than 15 percent of the heads of poor households have completed a secondary standards or higher level of education.
The majority, 58 percent, have achieved a primary school education.When educational achievement is further broken down by gender, female-headed households have achieved higher levels of education than male-headed households, a pattern common to the Caribbean region.
Educational attainment in rural areas, where many of the poor are located, is low. In the rural coastal region less than 15 percent of household heads have achieved a secondary or higher level of education, as compared with 50 percent in Georgetown The rural poor are largely self-employed in agriculture or small family enterprises. Though the payoff to education is not as evident as in the wage sector, where the individual returns to education are consistently above returns to conventional investments, research has shown that better-educated farmers get a higher return on their land.
Education also improves health and nutrition and ultimately affects productivity.