As Guyana prepares for the General & Regional Elections on 1 September 2025, the figures surrounding population and voter registration have raised critical questions about the credibility and integrity of the electoral process.
Guyana’s Population in 2025
Independent sources, including Worldometer and PopulationPyramid.net, estimate Guyana’s mid-2025 population at approximately 836,000. Other data points, such as Macrotrends’ 825,000 or the World Bank’s 831,087 for 2024, provide minor variations, but the figure of ~836,000 is widely accepted for practical reference.
The Official List of Electors (OLE)
According to the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM), 757,690 individuals are registered on the Official List of Electors and eligible to vote in the upcoming elections.
Making the Maths, Maths
A simple comparison between population and voter registration reveals that about 90.6% of the population is registered to vote.
Calculation: (757,690 ÷ 836,000) × 100 ≈ 90.6%
This high proportion, if accurate, indicates that nearly the entire population is accounted for in the voter roll—a figure that is unusual given Guyana’s youthful population, which includes many citizens under the age of 18 who are ineligible to vote.
Concerns About Accuracy and Integrity
While a comprehensive voter register is laudable, the current numbers raise red flags:
Youth Demographics: A high proportion of the population is under 18, yet the OLE suggests near-total coverage.
Data Integrity: Historical concerns include deceased persons and emigrants remaining on the list, potentially inflating totals.
Population Estimates: Discrepancies may also indicate that population figures are undercounted.
Advocacy for a Clean Voters List
Ensuring the integrity of the elections requires that the voters list accurately reflects only living, eligible citizens. Transparent verification and rigorous updating of the OLE are essential to maintain public confidence in the electoral process.
The Key Question
With repeated reports of dead persons still appearing on the voters’ list, the pressing question is:
Can the integrity of the 2025 elections be guaranteed unless GECOM undertakes urgent measures to clean and verify the voter registry?
– 📝 Story by Gyaff