GUYANA’S gold mining subsector expanded by an estimated 11.3 percent in the first half of 2026, according to the Mid-Year Report of 2026.
The record-high global prices pushed gold export earnings up by US$269.8 million to US$826.2 million over the same period.
Total gold declarations reached 232,287 troy ounces in the first half of the year, driven largely by small- and medium-scale declarants, whose output rose from 137,441 troy ounces to 162,182 troy ounces.
That growth outweighed a marginal decline from the lone large-scale producer, which fell from 71,316 troy ounces to 70,105 troy ounces over the same period.
The subsector’s full-year growth projection is maintained at 5.4 percent, in line with budgeted declarations of 510,450 troy ounces.
The export gains were fuelled by a historic run in global gold prices, which climbed above US$5,000 per troy ounce in January and averaged US$4,694.2 per troy ounce over the first half, a 52.5 percent increase on the same period last year, as heightened global uncertainty drove demand for safe-haven assets.
Those prices made gold the standout performer among Guyana’s non-oil exports, which grew 24.6 percent to US$1,146 million in the first half; gold’s US$269.8 million gain alone dwarfed increases of US$6.6 million in sugar earnings and US$0.9 million in bauxite.
Gold accounted for 5.1 percent of total exports in the first half, the report notes, and continues to lead non-oil exports even as oil remains overwhelmingly dominant.
On the strength of that performance, the report now projects full-year gold export earnings of US$2,307 million, well above the original 2026 budget of US$1,754.4 million and last year’s full-year total of US$1,617.9 million.
