Some trends in Guyana’s capital flows

Constant trade deficit

Guyana, like several other countries, runs a constant trade deficit. The simple reason is that Guyana imports more than it exports. From the Chart below, it could be seen that the value of trade has grown fourfold from 1992 to 2014. The deficit however has grown even faster tenfold during the same period. The imbalance in trade gives rise to the need for the country to make up the difference between the revenue it receives for its exports and the payments that it must make for its imports. Guyana also experiences a deficit in the services that are linked to international trade. Data on these trade and service transactions is found in the Balance-of-Payments (BOP) report of the country and is usually described as the current account balance. In addition to the current account,