The Maya civilization flourished in Guatemala and surrounding regions during the first millennium A.D. After almost three centuries as a Spanish colony, Guatemala won its independence in 1821. During the second half of the 20th century, it experienced a variety of military and civilian governments, as well as a 36-year guerrilla war. In 1996, the government signed a peace agreement formally ending the internal conflict.
land: 107,159 sq km
water: 1,730 sq km
border countries (4): Belize 266 km; El Salvador 199 km; Honduras 244 km; Mexico 958 km
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation
lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m
mean elevation: 759 m
arable land: 14.2% (2018 est.)
permanent crops: 8.8% (2018 est.)
permanent pasture: 18.2% (2018 est.)
forest: 33.6% (2018 est.)
other: 25.2% (2018 est.)
note 2: Guatemala is one of the countries along the Ring of Fire, a belt of active volcanoes and earthquake epicenters bordering the Pacific Ocean; up to 90% of the world’s earthquakes and some 75% of the world’s volcanoes occur within the Ring of Fire
17,980,803 (2023 est.)
noun: Guatemalan(s)
adjective: Guatemalan
Mestizo (mixed Amerindian-Spanish - in local Spanish called Ladino) 56%, Maya 41.7%, Xinca (Indigenous, non-Maya) 1.8%, African descent 0.2%, Garifuna (mixed West and Central African, Island Carib, and Arawak) 0.1%, foreign 0.2% (2018 est.)
Spanish (official) 69.9%, Maya languages 29.7% (Q’eqchi’ 8.3%, K’iche 7.8%, Mam 4.4%, Kaqchikel 3%, Q’anjob’al 1.2%, Poqomchi’ 1%, other 4%), other 0.4% (includes Xinca and Garifuna); note - the 2003 Law of National Languages officially recognized 23 indigenous languages, including 21 Maya languages, Xinca, and Garifuna (2018 est.)
major-language sample(s):
La Libreta Informativa del Mundo, la fuente indispensable de información básica. (Spanish)
The World Factbook, the indispensable source for basic information.
Roman Catholic 41.7%, Evangelical 38.8%, other 2.7%, atheist 0.1%, none 13.8%, unspecified 2.9% (2018 est.)
Guatemala is a predominantly poor country that struggles in several areas of health and development, including infant, child, and maternal mortality, malnutrition, literacy, and contraceptive awareness and use. The country’s large indigenous population is disproportionately affected. Guatemala is the most populous country in Central America and has the highest fertility rate in Latin America. It also has the highest population growth rate in Latin America, which is likely to continue because of its large reproductive-age population and high birth rate. Almost half of Guatemala’s population is under age 19, making it the youngest population in Latin America. Guatemala’s total fertility rate has slowly declined during the last few decades due in part to limited government-funded health programs. However, the birth rate is still more close to three children per woman and is markedly higher among its rural and indigenous populations.Guatemalans have a history of emigrating legally and illegally to Mexico, the United States, and Canada because of a lack of economic opportunity, political instability, and natural disasters. Emigration, primarily to the United States, escalated during the 1960 to 1996 civil war and accelerated after a peace agreement was signed. Thousands of Guatemalans who fled to Mexico returned after the war, but labor migration to southern Mexico continues.
0-14 years: 31.98% (male 2,927,423/female 2,822,441)
15-64 years: 62.78% (male 5,568,051/female 5,720,928)
65 years and over: 5.24% (2023 est.) (male 420,782/female 521,178)
total dependency ratio: 60.9
youth dependency ratio: 53
elderly dependency ratio: 7.9
potential support ratio: 12.7 (2021 est.)
total: 24.4 years (2023 est.)
male: 23.8 years
female: 25 years
1.54% (2023 est.)
21.9 births/1,000 population (2023 est.)
4.9 deaths/1,000 population (2023 est.)
-1.6 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2023 est.)
the vast majority of the populace resides in the southern half of the country, particularly in the mountainous regions; more than half of the population lives in rural areas
urban population: 53.1% of total population (2023)
rate of urbanization: 2.59% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)
3.095 million GUATEMALA CITY (capital) (2023)
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
0-14 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.97 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.81 male(s)/female
total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2023 est.)
20.6 years (2014/15 est.)
note: data represents median age at first birth among women 25-49
96 deaths/100,000 live births (2020 est.)
total: 25.6 deaths/1,000 live births (2023 est.)
male: 28.8 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 22.2 deaths/1,000 live births
total population: 73.2 years (2023 est.)
male: 71.2 years
female: 75.3 years
2.57 children born/woman (2023 est.)
1.25 (2023 est.)
60.6% (2014/15)
improved: urban: 97.9% of population
rural: 92.2% of population
total: 95% of population
unimproved: urban: 2.1% of population
rural: 8% of population
total: 5% of population (2020 est.)
6.5% of GDP (2020)
1.24 physicians/1,000 population (2020)
0.4 beds/1,000 population (2017)
improved: urban: 90.4% of population
rural: 66.3% of population
total: 78.8% of population
unimproved: urban: 9.6% of population
rural: 33.7% of population
total: 21.2% of population (2020 est.)
degree of risk: high (2023)
food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever
vectorborne diseases: dengue fever and malaria
21.2% (2016)
total: 1.63 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
beer: 0.9 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
wine: 0.05 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
spirits: 0.68 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
other alcohols: 0.01 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
total: 10.9% (2020 est.)
male: 20.1% (2020 est.)
female: 1.6% (2020 est.)
14.4% (2021/22)
57.2% (2023 est.)
3.1% of GDP (2021 est.)
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 83.3%
male: 87.7%
female: 79.3% (2021)
total: 11 years
male: 11 years
female: 10 years (2019)
deforestation in the Peten rainforest; soil erosion; water pollution
party to: Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Climate Change-Paris Agreement, Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping-London Convention, Marine Dumping-London Protocol, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 2006, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
tropical; hot, humid in lowlands; cooler in highlands
agricultural land: 41.2% (2018 est.)
arable land: 14.2% (2018 est.)
permanent crops: 8.8% (2018 est.)
permanent pasture: 18.2% (2018 est.)
forest: 33.6% (2018 est.)
other: 25.2% (2018 est.)
urban population: 53.1% of total population (2023)
rate of urbanization: 2.59% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)
0.78% of GDP (2018 est.)
0% of GDP (2018 est.)
particulate matter emissions: 20.75 micrograms per cubic meter (2019 est.)
carbon dioxide emissions: 16.78 megatons (2016 est.)
methane emissions: 10.7 megatons (2020 est.)
municipal solid waste generated annually: 2,756,741 tons (2015 est.)
fresh water lake(s): Lago de Izabal - 590 sq km
municipal: 840 million cubic meters (2020 est.)
industrial: 600 million cubic meters (2020 est.)
agricultural: 1.89 billion cubic meters (2020 est.)
127.91 billion cubic meters (2020 est.)
growing Central American economy; unique South Korean business relations; high poverty, inequality, and malnutrition; low government revenues impede educational, sanitation, and healthcare efforts; high migration, child labor, and remittances
$152.734 billion (2021 est.)
$141.445 billion (2020 est.)
$143.985 billion (2019 est.)
note: data are in 2017 dollars
7.98% (2021 est.)
-1.76% (2020 est.)
4% (2019 est.)
$8,900 (2021 est.)
$8,400 (2020 est.)
$8,700 (2019 est.)
note: data are in 2017 dollars
$76.678 billion (2019 est.)
4.26% (2021 est.)
3.21% (2020 est.)
3.7% (2019 est.)
Fitch rating: BB- (2020)
Moody’s rating: Ba1 (2010)
Standard & Poors rating: BB- (2017)
note: The year refers to the year in which the current credit rating was first obtained.
agriculture: 13.3% (2017 est.)
industry: 23.4% (2017 est.)
services: 63.2% (2017 est.)comparison rankings:
household consumption: 86.3% (2017 est.)
government consumption: 9.7% (2017 est.)
investment in fixed capital: 12.3% (2017 est.)
investment in inventories: -0.2% (2017 est.)
exports of goods and services: 18.8% (2017 est.)
imports of goods and services: -26.9% (2017 est.)
sugar cane, bananas, oil palm fruit, maize, melons, potatoes, milk, plantains, pineapples, rubber
sugar, textiles and clothing, furniture, chemicals, petroleum, metals, rubber, tourism
8.49% (2021 est.)
6.671 million (2021 est.)
3.57% (2021 est.)
3.55% (2020 est.)
2.19% (2019 est.)
total: 7.2% (2021 est.)
male: 6.3%
female: 9.4%
59.3% (2014 est.)
48.3 (2014 est.)
on food: 41.2% of household expenditures (2018 est.)
on alcohol and tobacco: 1.6% of household expenditures (2018 est.)
lowest 10%: 1.6%
highest 10%: 38.4% (2014)
revenues: $8.647 billion (2019 est.)
expenditures: $10.373 billion (2019 est.)
-1.3% (of GDP) (2017 est.)
31.56% of GDP (2020 est.)
26.49% of GDP (2019 est.)
26.48% of GDP (2018 est.)
9.97% (of GDP) (2020 est.)
calendar year
$2.113 billion (2021 est.)
$3.918 billion (2020 est.)
$1.821 billion (2019 est.)
$15.318 billion (2021 est.) note: data are in current year dollars
$12.713 billion (2020 est.) note: data are in current year dollars
$13.598 billion (2019 est.) note: data are in current year dollars
United States 32%, El Salvador 12%, Honduras 10%, Nicaragua 6%, Mexico 4% (2021)
clothing, bananas, coffee, palm oil, cardamoms, raw sugar, iron alloys (2021)
$27.388 billion (2021 est.) note: data are in current year dollars
$19.267 billion (2020 est.) note: data are in current year dollars
$21.527 billion (2019 est.) note: data are in current year dollars
United States 33%, China 17%, Mexico 9%, El Salvador 5%, Costa Rica 3% (2021)
refined petroleum, broadcasting equipment, cars, packaged medicines, delivery trucks, clothing and apparel, polymers (2021)
$20.935 billion (31 December 2021 est.)
$18.464 billion (31 December 2020 est.)
$14.784 billion (31 December 2019 est.)
$22.92 billion (31 December 2017 est.)
$21.45 billion (31 December 2016 est.)
quetzales (GTQ) per US dollar -
Exchange rates:
7.734 (2021 est.)
7.722 (2020 est.)
7.697 (2019 est.)
7.519 (2018 est.)
7.348 (2017 est.)
population without electricity: 1 million (2020)
electrification - total population: 97.8% (2021)
electrification - urban areas: 97.6% (2021)
electrification - rural areas: 98.1% (2021)
installed generating capacity: 5.185 million kW (2020 est.)
consumption: 10,793,650,000 kWh (2019 est.)
exports: 2.19 billion kWh (2019 est.)
imports: 1.141 billion kWh (2019 est.)
transmission/distribution losses: 1.587 billion kWh (2019 est.)comparison rankings:
fossil fuels: 39.4% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
nuclear: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
solar: 1.5% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
wind: 2.1% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
hydroelectricity: 38% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
tide and wave: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
geothermal: 2.2% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
biomass and waste: 17% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
production: 0 metric tons (2020 est.)
consumption: 2.28 million metric tons (2020 est.)
exports: 0 metric tons (2020 est.)
imports: 2.376 million metric tons (2020 est.)
proven reserves: 0 metric tons (2019 est.)
total petroleum production: 10,300 bbl/day (2021 est.)
refined petroleum consumption: 112,600 bbl/day (2019 est.)
crude oil and lease condensate exports: 6,700 bbl/day (2018 est.)
crude oil and lease condensate imports: 0 bbl/day (2018 est.)
crude oil estimated reserves: 86.1 million barrels (2021 est.)
1,162 bbl/day (2015 est.)
10,810 bbl/day (2015 est.)
97,900 bbl/day (2015 est.)
production: 0 cubic meters (2021 est.)
consumption: 0 cubic meters (2021 est.)
exports: 0 cubic meters (2021 est.)
imports: 0 cubic meters (2021 est.)
proven reserves: 0 cubic meters (2021 est.)
19.041 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)
from coal and metallurgical coke: 5.037 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)
from petroleum and other liquids: 14.004 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)
from consumed natural gas: 0 metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)
19.411 million Btu/person (2019 est.)
number of registered air carriers: 3 (2020)
inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers: 5
annual passenger traffic on registered air carriers: 145,795 (2018)
annual freight traffic on registered air carriers: 110,000 (2018) mt-km
TG
291 (2021)
16
note: paved runways have a concrete or asphalt surface but not all have facilities for refueling, maintenance, or air traffic control; the length of a runway required for aircraft to safely operate depends on a number of factors including the type of aircraft, the takeoff weight (including passengers, cargo, and fuel), engine types, flap settings, landing speed, elevation of the airport, and average maximum daily air temperature; paved runways can reach a length of 5,000 m (16,000 ft.), but the “typical” length of a commercial airline runway is between 2,500-4,000 m (8,000-13,000 ft.)
275
note: unpaved runways have a surface composition such as grass or packed earth and are most suited to the operation of light aircraft; unpaved runways are usually short, often less than 1,000 m (3,280 ft.) in length; airports with unpaved runways often lack facilities for refueling, maintenance, or air traffic control
1 (2021)
480 km oil (2013)
total: 800 km (2018)
narrow gauge: 800 km (2018) 0.914-m gauge
note: despite the existence of a railway network, all rail service was suspended in 2007 and no passenger or freight train currently runs in the country (2018)
total: 17,440 km (2020)
paved: 7,458 km (2020)
unpaved: 9,982 km (2020) (includes 4,548 km of rural roads)
990 km (2012) (260 km navigable year round; additional 730 km navigable during high-water season)
total: 9 (2022)
by type: oil tanker 1, other 8
major seaport(s): Puerto Quetzal, Santo Tomas de Castilla
manyapis