Military profile
Guyana Military Strength
Guyana is not covered by the Global Firepower ranking. It spent $248 million on its military in 2025 (1.0% of GDP).
Guyana armed forces in numbers
Finance
- Military spending
- $248 million#118 of 156
- Military spending as % of GDP
- 1.0%#116 of 156
Equipment and personnel: Global Firepower 2023 military strength ranking (2023). Spending: World Bank / SIPRI military expenditure data (CC BY 4.0).
Guyana military spending 2010–2025
Military spending of Guyana grew by 697% between 2010 and 2025, from $31 million to $248 million (current US dollars), and stood at 1.0% of GDP in 2025.
Armed forces of Guyana
Branches and forces
the Guyana Defense Force (GDF) is a unified force with ground, air, and coast guard components, as well as the Guyana National Reserve (2026)
Personnel
approximately 3,500 active-duty Guyana Defense Forces (2025)
Service age and conscription
18 years of age or older for voluntary military service; no conscription (2026)
Equipment and suppliers
the military has a limited inventory comprised mostly of older or secondhand platforms imported from a variety of foreign suppliers, including Brazil, China, India, the former Soviet Union, the UK, and the US (2025)
Good to know
the Guyana Defense Force (GDF) was established in 1965; its primary missions are territorial defense, maritime security, search and rescue, medical evacuation, aviation and engineering support, disaster relief and humanitarian assistance, peace support operations, and community engagement; key areas of concern include illegal fishing, narcotics trafficking, piracy, porous borders, and threats from Venezuela over disputed territory; the GDF participates in both bilateral and multinational exercises and has relationships with Brazil, China, France, the UK, and the US Guyana joined the Caribbean Regional Security System (RSS) in 2022; RSS signatories (Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Dominica, Grenada, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines) agreed to prepare contingency plans and assist one another, on request, in national emergencies, prevention of smuggling, search and rescue, immigration control, fishery protection, customs and excise control, maritime policing duties, protection of off-shore installations, pollution control, national and other disasters, and threats to national security (2025)
Military expenditure (% of GDP)
2024: 0.9% · 2023: 0.6% · 2022: 0.6% · 2021: 1% · 2020: 1.2%
Forces and service: CIA World Factbook (public domain).
Brazil
Suriname
Venezuela