Guyana Found Oil in 2015 —Then It Became the World’s Fastest-Growing Economy, But Who Actually Benef

In 2015, ExxonMobil drilled a well 120 miles off the coast of Guyana — a tiny South American nation most people couldn't find on a map. What they found beneath the ocean floor would change everything. Eleven billion barrels of recoverable oil. One of the largest offshore discoveries in a generation. Within years, Guyana went from one of the Western Hemisphere's poorest countries to posting the highest GDP growth rate on the planet — 62% in a single year. But behind the staggering numbers lies a far more complex story. A production sharing agreement that critics say could deprive Guyana of $55 billion. A sovereign wealth fund being drained almost as fast as it fills. A Venezuelan dictator who held a referendum to annex two-thirds of the country. And the looming question that haunts every nation that strikes oil — does the wealth save you, or swallow you whole?

This is the full story of how Exxon's gamble turned Guyana into the world's fastest-growing economy, and the fight over who actually benefits from the boom.

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