Had migration in the period between the 2002 and 2012 censuses been “normal”, Guyana’s population should have fallen in a range of 790,000 to 1,009,000 persons, economist Dr. Clive Thomas says.
According to figures released by the Bureau of Statistics (BoS) on June 30, the 2012 census determined that Guyana’s population stood at 747,884 persons, down from 751,223 persons in 2002. The resulting difference is 3,339 and Chief Statistician Lennox Benjamin described the drop as marginal, a description several analysts disagree with.
In his Sunday Stabroek column, Thomas said that it is impossible to establish to a significant degree of accuracy, a figure that represents what would have been the population size in 2012, if “normal” population events had occurred. He proffered six population growth rate estimates for the period between the 2002 and 2012 censuses.
According to Dr. Thomas, if Guyana’s population growth rate was 0.5% during that period, the population in 2012 would have been 789 640 persons. If the growth rate was 1%, the 2012 population figure would be at 829 817 persons and if the rate was 1.2%, the population would have been at 846 396 in 2012. Had the growth rate been 1.5%,
