Guyana’s second trillion-dollar budget, valued at $1.382 trillion, was presented to the National Assembly on Friday by Senior Minister with responsibility for Finance, Dr. Ashni Singh.

The 2025 budget represents a 20.6% increase over the previous year and is designed to fund transformative infrastructure, expand essential services, and foster economic growth under the theme “A Secure, Prosperous, and Sustainable Guyana.”

This historic budget will be financed without introducing new taxes, relying instead on increased oil and gas revenues, carbon credit sales, and improved tax collection.

Key Allocations

Here are some of the government’s spending priorities spanning multiple sectors aimed at improving citizens’ lives and positioning Guyana as a model of development in the region.

Transformative Infrastructure

• Roads and Bridges: A massive $209.3 billion has been earmarked to expand the road network and construct key bridges across the country.
• Energy Expansion: $88 billion will be spent to reduce electricity costs and enhance reliability, signalling significant progress in energy diversification.
• Drainage and Irrigation: $73.2 billion has been allocated to upgrade and expand the national drainage and irrigation network to address flooding.
• Sea and River Defence: $8.2 billion is set aside to strengthen coastal protection.

Improved Essential Services

• Education: $175 billion has been allocated to continue advancing Guyana’s goal of providing free world-class education for all.
• Health: $143.2 billion will go towards expanding and improving the public healthcare system.
• Housing: $112.6 billion has been set aside to fulfil the government’s vision of homeownership for every Guyanese family.
• Human Services: $58.5 billion will fund critical social service initiatives.
• Water and Sanitation: $23.1 billion is designated for the water sector, with $13.2 billion for solid waste management services.

Community Empowerment

• Amerindian and Hinterland Development: $7.2 billion will enhance the wellbeing of Indigenous communities.
• Sports Development: $8 billion has been allocated to create opportunities for athletes and support sports programs across the country.
• Culture and Arts: $3.6 billion will promote and preserve Guyana’s cultural heritage.

Supporting Economic Sectors

The government has also made notable allocations to support agriculture, fisheries, and emerging industries:

• Agriculture: $13.3 billion will continue to rehabilitate the sugar industry, alongside $2.9 billion for crop development, $800 million for agro-processing and $430.9 million to improve efficiency and productivity in the rice industry.
• Fisheries and Livestock: $1.3 billion will boost fisheries, while $1.7 billion will expand livestock production.
• Air Transport: $7 billion will fund the construction of a new, world-class 150,000-square-foot terminal at Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA).

Security

• Guyana Police Force: $34.4 billion to further execute its mandate.
• Guyana Fire Service: $108.7 billion to further advance our efforts toward upgrading the security sector.
• Guyana Prison Service: $6.2 billion to further enhance key and critical programmes and infrastructural upgrades to the prison system

No New Taxes

The finance minister explained that the historic budget would not impose any additional tax burdens on citizens or businesses. Instead, it will rely on increased oil revenues, carbon credit sales, and improvements in tax collection efficiency.

“This budget enables us to continue delivering on our transformative infrastructure agenda and improving essential services to ensure a better quality of life for all Guyanese,” the finance minister stated.

The 2025 budget builds on the People’s Progressive Party Civic (PPP/C) government’s commitment to equitable and sustainable development.

As Dr Singh puts it, this “transformative” budget sets the stage for another year of robust growth, reinforcing Guyana’s position as a rising star in the global economy.