CENTRAL AMERICA

Guatemala

Guatemala City · pop. 18M · Spanish · Guatemalan quetzal

hunger

2.5 million people in crisis or worse

13% of the 18.3 million analysed · IPC, May 2026

Trajectories

economic complexity

#79

Roughly steady in the rankings since 1995.

2024 · 0.06

Harvard Growth Lab · thin line is the world’s median

the numbers30

when	value	change
1995	−0.20
1996low	−0.28	−0.08 pts
1997	−0.22	+0.07 pts
1998	−0.19	+0.03 pts
1999	−0.23	−0.05 pts
2000	−0.27	−0.04 pts
2001	−0.21	+0.06 pts
2002	−0.17	+0.04 pts
2003	−0.14	+0.03 pts
2004	−0.07	+0.07 pts
2005	−0.21	−0.14 pts
2006	0.03	+0.24 pts
2007	−0.17	−0.20 pts
2008	−0.15	+0.02 pts
2009	−0.23	−0.08 pts
2010	−0.18	+0.05 pts
2011	−0.26	−0.08 pts
2012	−0.13	+0.13 pts
2013	−0.19	−0.06 pts
2014	−0.18	+0.01 pts
2015	−0.21	−0.03 pts
2016	−0.27	−0.06 pts
2017	−0.19	+0.07 pts
2018	−0.14	+0.05 pts
2019	−0.24	−0.10 pts
2020	−0.23	+0.02 pts
2021	−0.11	+0.12 pts
2022	−0.13	−0.02 pts
2023	−0.07	+0.06 pts
2024latest	0.06	+0.12 pts

economic momentum

$6,150

Tripled since 2000. GDP per head in 2024, in current US dollars.

2024 · $6,150

World Bank · thin line is the world’s median

the numbers35

when	value	change
1990low	$848
1991	$1,014	+19.7%
1992	$1,096	+8.1%
1993	$1,166	+6.3%
1994	$1,293	+10.9%
1995	$1,421	+9.9%
1996	$1,481	+4.2%
1997	$1,638	+10.6%
1998	$1,741	+6.3%
1999	$1,604	−7.9%
2000	$1,649	+2.8%
2001	$1,538	−6.7%
2002	$1,669	+8.6%
2003	$1,723	+3.2%
2004	$1,841	+6.9%
2005	$2,046	+11.2%
2006	$2,225	+8.7%
2007	$2,459	+10.5%
2008	$2,763	+12.4%
2009	$2,612	−5.5%
2010	$2,805	+7.4%
2011	$3,169	+13.0%
2012	$3,287	+3.7%
2013	$3,444	+4.8%
2014	$3,689	+7.1%
2015	$3,894	+5.5%
2016	$4,060	+4.3%
2017	$4,325	+6.5%
2018	$4,353	+0.6%
2019	$4,512	+3.7%
2020	$4,478	−0.8%
2021	$4,913	+9.7%
2022	$5,359	+9.1%
2023	$5,758	+7.5%
2024latest	$6,150	+6.8%

prices

2.9%

A year’s rise in consumer prices, in 2024. The world’s median was 3.1%.

2024 · 2.9%

World Bank · thin line is the world’s median

the numbers35

when	value	change
1990high	41.2%
1991	33.2%	−8.06 pts
1992	10.0%	−23.1 pts
1993	11.8%	+1.77 pts
1994	10.9%	−0.96 pts
1995	8.4%	−2.44 pts
1996	11.1%	+2.65 pts
1997	9.2%	−1.82 pts
1998	6.6%	−2.62 pts
1999	5.2%	−1.40 pts
2000	6.0%	+0.76 pts
2001	7.3%	+1.31 pts
2002	8.1%	+0.85 pts
2003	5.6%	−2.53 pts
2004	7.6%	+1.98 pts
2005	9.1%	+1.53 pts
2006	6.6%	−2.55 pts
2007	6.8%	+0.26 pts
2008	11.4%	+4.53 pts
2009low	1.9%	−9.50 pts
2010	3.9%	+2.00 pts
2011	6.2%	+2.35 pts
2012	3.8%	−2.43 pts
2013	4.3%	+0.56 pts
2014	3.4%	−0.93 pts
2015	2.4%	−1.03 pts
2016	4.4%	+2.06 pts
2017	4.4%	−0.02 pts
2018	3.8%	−0.67 pts
2019	3.7%	−0.05 pts
2020	3.2%	−0.49 pts
2021	4.3%	+1.05 pts
2022	6.9%	+2.62 pts
2023	6.2%	−0.68 pts
2024latest	2.9%	−3.34 pts

demographic curve

2.3 children per woman

Near replacement (2.1): the population is stabilising. Fell from 6.2 in 1980.

2024 · 2.3

World Bank · thin line is the world’s median · rule marks replacement (2.1)

the numbers65

when	value	change
1960high	7.0
1961	7.0	−0.3%
1962	6.9	−0.6%
1963	6.9	−0.5%
1964	6.9	−0.4%
1965	6.8	−0.5%
1966	6.8	−0.5%
1967	6.8	−0.7%
1968	6.7	−0.8%
1969	6.6	−0.8%
1970	6.6	−0.7%
1971	6.5	−0.8%
1972	6.5	−0.5%
1973	6.5	−0.4%
1974	6.5	−0.4%
1975	6.4	−0.7%
1976	6.4	−0.7%
1977	6.3	−0.8%
1978	6.3	−0.9%
1979	6.2	−0.7%
1980	6.2	−0.7%
1981	6.1	−0.8%
1982	6.1	−1.0%
1983	6.0	−1.3%
1984	5.9	−2.0%
1985	5.7	−2.2%
1986	5.7	−1.2%
1987	5.6	−0.4%
1988	5.6	−0.3%
1989	5.6	−1.1%
1990	5.5	−1.4%
1991	5.4	−1.9%
1992	5.3	−1.2%
1993	5.3	−1.1%
1994	5.2	−1.2%
1995	5.1	−1.7%
1996	5.0	−1.9%
1997	4.9	−2.0%
1998	4.8	−2.2%
1999	4.7	−2.4%
2000	4.6	−2.2%
2001	4.5	−1.8%
2002	4.4	−2.9%
2003	4.3	−2.8%
2004	4.1	−2.7%
2005	4.0	−3.9%
2006	3.8	−3.2%
2007	3.7	−3.4%
2008	3.6	−3.9%
2009	3.5	−3.0%
2010	3.4	−2.6%
2011	3.3	−2.5%
2012	3.2	−2.2%
2013	3.2	−2.1%
2014	3.1	−2.0%
2015	3.0	−1.9%
2016	3.0	−1.8%
2017	2.9	−3.9%
2018	2.7	−4.0%
2019	2.6	−5.5%
2020	2.5	−4.7%
2021	2.4	−3.3%
2022	2.3	−1.9%
2023	2.3	−1.4%
2024latest	2.3	−1.0%

Metrics

population

18M

72 of 176

REST Countries · UN data
gdp

$104B

68 of 170

World Bank · latest available
gdp per capita

$5,758

93 of 170

World Bank · latest available
military spending

$438M

101 of 151

SIPRI via World Bank
military % of gdp

0.4%

143 of 148

SIPRI via World Bank
area

109K km²

109 of 176

REST Countries
population density

165 /km²

37 of 176

zuhd — derived from population and area
life expectancy

72.6 yr

96 of 175

World Bank · latest available
internet access

56%

120 of 166

ITU via World Bank
co₂ per capita

1.1 t

111 of 163

World Bank · Climate Watch
urbanisation

56%

105 of 168

World Bank · UN DESA
fertility rate

2.3

72 of 168

World Bank · UN DESA
foreign-born share

0.5%

148 of 167

World Bank · UN DESA
remittances % of gdp

19%

11 of 155

World Bank · IMF BOP
r&d % of gdp

0.0%

117 of 123

UNESCO UIS via World Bank
researchers per million

1

118 of 118

UNESCO UIS via World Bank
scientific articles / yr

121

130 of 168

NSF / World Bank
high-tech exports %

5%

82 of 153

World Bank · UN Comtrade
gini inequality

45.2

127 of 139

World Bank · PovcalNet
youth unemployment

5%

25 of 166

ILO via World Bank
adult literacy

82%

68 of 109

UNESCO UIS via World Bank
democracy (v-dem)

0.52

54 of 163

V-Dem via Our World in Data
clean government

25

131 of 164

Transparency International via Our World in Data
press freedom

38.5

101 of 163

RSF via Our World in Data
human development

0.662

113 of 164

UNDP via Our World in Data
refugees hosted

1.3K

116 of 150

UNHCR via Our World in Data
refugees produced

36K

35 of 152

UNHCR via Our World in Data