Guatemala
Country in Americas
CountryScope
In brief
Population: 18.7M (2025). World rank 69 of 216; in Americas, 10 of 46. Area: 108,889 km². World rank 108 of 249; in Americas, 20 of 56. GDP: $123.3B (2025). World rank 68 of 210; in Americas, 12 of 45. From 2015 to 2025: population 16M → 18.7M, GDP $62.2B → $123.3B, and GDP per person $3,894 → $6,598.
State
- Official name
- Republic of Guatemala
- Local name
- Guatemala
- Capital
- Guatemala City
- Region
- Americas
- Form of government
- Presidential republic
- UN member
- Yes
- Head of state
- Bernardo Arévalo de León
- Head of government
- Bernardo Arévalo de León
- Independence
- September 15, 1821
- Women in parliament
- 20% 2025
Key figures
- Population
- 18,687,881 2025
- Area
- 108,889 km²
- GDP
- $123.3B 2025
- GDP per person
- $6,598 2025
- Life expectancy
- 72.8 years 2024
Practical information
- Languages
- Spanish
- Currency
- Guatemalan Quetzal (GTQ)
- Time zones
- UTC−6
- Calling code
- +502
- Emergency numbers
- 110, 120, 123, 128
- Driving side
- Right
- Plug types
- A, B
- Mains voltage
- 120 V
Territory
- Sea access
- Has a coastline
- Coastline, km
- 400
- Neighbours
- Belize, El Salvador, Honduras, Mexico
- Agricultural land
- 46% 2024
Elevation
- Highest point
- Volcán Tajumulco, 4,220 m
- Lowest point
- Caribbean Sea, 0 m
- Mean elevation, m
- 759
Climate
- Average temperature in the capital, °C
- 21
- Warmest month in the capital
- April, 23°C
- Coldest month in the capital
- December, 19°C
- Precipitation, mm per year
- 1,996 2022
Population and migration
- Population density
- 171.6 per km² 2025
- Population growth per year
- +1.5% 2025
- Living in cities
- 56.3% 2025
- Net migration per year
- -8K 2025
- Born in another country
- 0.5% 2024
Age and life expectancy
- Aged 0–14
- 31% 2025
- Aged 15–64
- 64% 2025
- Aged 65 and over
- 5% 2025
- Life expectancy, women
- 75 years 2024
- Life expectancy, men
- 70.4 years 2024
Births and deaths
- Children per woman
- 2.3 2024
- Births per 1,000 people
- 20.6 2024
- Deaths per 1,000 people
- 4.9 2024
Society
- Religions
- Protestant 45.7%, Catholic 42.4%, and no religion 11% (2023)
Quality of governance (100 = best)
- Rule of law, score 0–100
- 41.6 2025
- Control of corruption, score 0–100
- 29.4 2025
- Government effectiveness, score 0–100
- 36.5 2025
- Regulatory quality, score 0–100
- 49.7 2025
- Voice and accountability, score 0–100
- 51.5 2025
Size and growth
- GDP per person at purchasing power parity
- $15,197 2025
- GDP growth per year
- +4.3% 2025
Income and prices
- Income level (World Bank)
- Upper-middle income
- Gross national income per person
- $6,360 2025
- Inflation
- +1.5% 2025
- Price level, USA = 100
- 43 2025
Structure and jobs
- Agriculture, share of GDP
- 9.6% 2025
- Industry, share of GDP
- 21.8% 2025
- Services, share of GDP
- 62.1% 2025
- Unemployment
- 2.6% 2025
- Youth unemployment, ages 15–24
- 4.8% 2025
- Women in work or seeking work
- 38.3% 2025
Trade and finance
- Exports, share of GDP
- 15.6% 2025
- Imports, share of GDP
- 31% 2025
- Current account balance, share of GDP
- +4.7% 2025
- Foreign direct investment, share of GDP
- +1.4% 2025
- Remittances received, share of GDP
- 20.8% 2025
- Tax revenue, share of GDP
- 11.6% 2024
Poverty and inequality
- Gini index (0 = full equality)
- 45.2 2023
- Living on under $3 a day
- 9.7% 2023
Education
- Adult literacy
- 82.1% 2024
- Primary school enrolment
- 101% 2024
- Secondary school enrolment
- 49.6% 2024
- Higher education enrolment
- 27.3% 2023
- Public spending on education, share of GDP
- 3.1% 2024
Healthcare
- Health spending, share of GDP
- 6.8% 2023
- Health spending per person
- $392 2023
- Out-of-pocket health spending, share of total
- 57.2% 2023
- Doctors per 1,000 people
- 1.3 2020
- Nurses and midwives per 1,000 people
- 2.3 2023
- Hospital beds per 1,000 people
- 0.5 2023
- Children vaccinated against measles
- 90% 2024
Public health
- Infant deaths per 1,000 births
- 17.2 2024
- Deaths under age 5 per 1,000 births
- 20.5 2024
- Maternal deaths per 100,000 births
- 94 2023
- HIV prevalence, ages 15–49
- 0.2% 2024
- Diabetes prevalence, ages 20–79
- 13.2% 2024
- Overweight adults
- 63.2% 2022
- Adults who use tobacco
- 11.2% 2024
Living conditions
- Access to safe drinking water
- 93.2% 2024
- Access to basic sanitation
- 71.2% 2024
- Access to clean cooking fuels
- 51% 2024
Safety
- Homicides per 100,000 people
- 23.4 2023
- Road deaths per 100,000 people
- 22.9 2019
- Suicides per 100,000 people
- 4.9 2021
- Political stability and absence of violence, score 0–100
- 61.9 2025
- Natural hazards
- earthquakes, volcanoes, and tropical cyclones
Air and emissions
- Air pollution PM2.5, µg/m³
- 29.7 2023
- CO₂ emissions, tonnes per person
- 1.1 2024
- All greenhouse gases, tonnes CO₂e per person
- 2.4 2024
Nature and water
- Forest cover
- 33.1% 2024
- Protected areas
- 10.2% 2025
- Renewable fresh water, m³ per person
- 6,118 2022
- Water stress, share of fresh water withdrawn
- 5.7% 2022
Internet and communications
- Using the internet
- 60.2% 2024
- Mobile subscriptions per 100 people
- 113 2024
- Home broadband per 100 people
- 5.3 2024
- Internet domain
- .gt
Energy
- Access to electricity
- 90.9% 2024
- Electricity use, kWh per person
- 743 2024
- Renewable share of energy use
- 62.1% 2021
- Electricity from renewables
- 60.6% 2021
- Electricity from fossil fuels
- 43.6% 2024
Transport
- Air passengers per year
- 221,478 2023
- Airports
- 58 2025
- Railways, km
- 800 2018
Science and innovation
- Research spending, share of GDP
- 0% 2023
- Researchers per million people
- 1 2023
- Scientific articles per year
- 109 2023
- Patent applications by residents
- 8 2024
- High-tech share of manufactured exports
- 5.4% 2024