Deficit Nearly Triples as Spending Outpaces Revenue, Mid-Year Report Shows

Georgetown — Guyana’s fiscal deficit widened sharply in the first half of 2026, as government spending grew far faster than the money coming in to pay for it, according to figures contained in the Ministry of Finance’s Mid-Year Report 2026.

Central Government expenditure rose 11.5 percent in the six months to June, while current revenue fell 0.7 percent over the same period, a gap that pushed the half-year deficit to $105.6 billion, up from a much smaller shortfall in the same period last year. Including state enterprises and other public bodies, the non-financial public sector deficit reached $108.9 billion.

The widening gap was driven in large part by non-interest current expenditure, the government’s day-to-day running costs excluding debt payments, which jumped 19.7 percent, outpacing even the 18.7 percent growth rate the report highlights for underlying tax revenue once oil-linked transfers are stripped out.