Dear Editor
The 2022 Preliminary Census results, released on January 12, 2026, quietly expose a truth that cuts against the grain of one of the government’s most ambitious talking points. For years, the “housing crisis” has been the emotional centerpiece of national policy—an appeal to fairness, progress, and opportunity. But when you trace the census numbers to the ground, the picture looks strikingly different.
Layer population growth beside the surge in construction and infrastructure expansion, and a pattern emerges—one not of scarcity, but of surplus disguised as urgency.
- Building Faster Than We’re Growing
Between 2012 and 2022, Guyana’s population grew by 17.6%. In that same period, the number of households increased by 32.9%, and the total building stock by a remarkable 42%.
That translates to 92,233 new structures—enough to house nearly 300,000 people at the average household size of 3.23. The population, however, only grew by 131,719. In essence, we’ve built enough homes for double the number of new residents.
These are not abstract figures; they are the fingerprints of policy exaggeration. While the public was being told of a looming shortage, the country was quietly producing a housing surplus large enough to flatten the crisis narrative.
- The 40,000-Home Illusion
Yet, in 2025 the government doubled down, promising 40,000 new homes and 53,000 house lots—a goal that sounded visionary, until the census told a different story. If there are already around 39,796 more buildings than households, the new drive begins to look less like a social necessity and more like an economic instrument.
The contradiction is not just mathematical—it’s moral. When enough houses already exist, policy should shift toward livability, affordability, and urban renewal. Instead, the national focus remains on fresh construction—an industry that keeps spinning even when the social logic runs dry.
- The Infrastructure Blind Spot
Behind the glossy renderings of new housing schemes lies a quieter crisis—one of capacity. Many of these new communities are being carved into virgin lands untouched by the national grid, outside the reach of stable power, drinkable water, or proper roads.
Peak electricity demand hit 221 MW in 2025, stretching GPL’s fragile network beyond its limits. President Ali himself admitted that the grid is unreliable. The Wales Gas-to-Energy project, touted as the remedy, now trails behind schedule until late 2026.
What’s emerging is a pattern of “paper ownership”—plots granted, homes built, but communities unlivable. The government signs titles; contractors pour concrete; but few can actually move in. It’s a cycle that rewards expenditure, not habitation.
- When Housing Becomes Economy
If there’s no genuine shortage of homes, and no infrastructure to power new ones, what exactly are we building toward? The uncomfortable answer is that housing has become less a matter of shelter and more a mechanism for movement—of money, contracts, and influence.
The “housing crisis” may not represent a failure to keep up with the people’s needs—it may function as the justification for endless public spending. Billions funnel into land-clearing and construction projects even as families remain clustered along the same coastal corridors, waiting on light, water, and stability.
The census data doesn’t demolish the dream of homeownership; it simply demands honesty. It reminds us that no amount of ribbon-cuttings or lot allocations can replace coherent informed planning rooted in actual growth.
Until infrastructure, energy, and urban design catch up, Guyana isn’t facing a housing crisis—it’s living through a planning illusion, one that risks turning development itself into a form of national theater.
Sincerely
Hemdutt Kumar
