weighted score 4.7 · nine dimensions
Country Risk Profile
Guyana
Sourcing risk, regulatory exposure and audit intelligence for Guyana-origin supply chains.
Forced & child labour
4
Moderate risk in artisanal gold mining and agriculture. US TIP Tier 2. ILAB lists gold. Oil sector operated by international majors with higher standards.
Worker rights & FOA
4
Freedom of association legally protected. ILO C029 and C098 ratified. Enforcement limited by institutional capacity and small regulatory workforce.
OHS & audit transparency
5
Occupational safety enforcement weak outside oil sector. Artisanal mining particularly hazardous. International oil operators maintain higher OHS standards.
Food & product safety
4
Small export base. Rice and sugar exports generally meet international standards. Regulatory capacity limited for processed goods.
Environmental & regulatory
5
Rapid oil expansion creates environmental risk. EUDR-relevant deforestation from gold mining. Environmental Protection Agency exists but capacity constrained.
Governance & anti-corruption
6
TI CPI 2025: 40/100. Oil revenue governance through Natural Resource Fund ($3.25bn) but transparency concerns. 2016 PSA terms widely criticised as too favourable to ExxonMobil.
Tariff & preferential access
5
EU GSP+ beneficiary. CARICOM member providing regional market access. No comprehensive bilateral FTA with EU beyond GSP framework.
Non-tariff barriers
4
Limited non-tariff barriers for crude oil exports. Agricultural exports face SPS requirements. Small export diversification beyond oil, gold, rice, and sugar.
Supply chain traceability
5
Oil supply chain traceable (ExxonMobil-operated). Artisanal gold mining traceability very weak. Agricultural supply chains moderately transparent for direct exports.
Labour & Social Risk
Labour & Social Risk
- Forced labour risk
- Moderate risk in mining, agriculture, and domestic work. Trafficking in persons documented — US TIP Report ranks Guyana as Tier 2. Small population (~800,000) limits scale but enforcement capacity is weak.
- Sectors at elevated risk
- Gold mining (artisanal and small-scale), sugar plantations, fishing, and domestic work. Oil sector largely operated by international majors (ExxonMobil) with higher labour standards.
- ILO conventions
- Guyana has ratified ILO C029 (Forced Labour) and C098 (Right to Organise). Freedom of association is legally protected but enforcement is limited by institutional capacity.
- Child labour
- Child labour documented in agriculture, mining, and street vending. ILAB lists gold as produced with child labour in Guyana.
EU Regulatory Exposure
EU Regulatory Exposure
- GSP status
- Guyana benefits from EU GSP+ (enhanced preferences). This provides duty-free or reduced-duty access for over 6,000 tariff lines, conditional on ratification and implementation of 27 international conventions.
- EUDR exposure
- Guyana has significant tropical forest cover. Timber, gold mining-related deforestation, and potential soy expansion create EUDR-relevant exposure. Due diligence statements required for covered commodities from 2025/2026.
- EU Forced Labour Regulation
- Regulation (EU) 2024/3015 applies from December 2027. Gold and agricultural products with artisanal mining supply chains carry moderate risk of investigation.
- Oil exports
- Crude oil is Guyana's dominant export. EU energy imports are not currently subject to CBAM but environmental due diligence requirements are expanding for fossil fuel supply chains.
Logistics & Supply Chain
Logistics & Supply Chain
- Primary export corridor
- Georgetown port → Caribbean Sea → Atlantic Ocean → EU ports
- Key transit chokepoints
- Panama Canal (for Pacific-bound cargo), no major chokepoints for EU-bound Atlantic routes
- Main EU destination ports
- Rotterdam, Antwerp, Hamburg
- Typical transit time
- 14-18 days to Northwest Europe
- Port infrastructure
- Georgetown (John Fernandes terminal) handles bulk and containerised cargo. Draft limitations restrict vessel size. New deep-water port under development to support oil sector growth.