Capital

Guatemala

name: Guatemala City

geographic coordinates: 14 37 N, 90 31 W

time difference: UTC-6 (1 hour behind Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

etymology: the Spanish conquistadors used many native Americans as allies in their conquest of Guatemala; the site of their first capital (established in 1524), a former Maya settlement, was called "Quauhtemallan" by their Nahuatl-speaking Mexican allies, a name that means "land of trees" or "forested land", but which the Spanish pronounced "Guatemala"; the Spanish applied that name to a re-founded capital city three years later and eventually it became the name of the country

Citizenship

Guatemala

citizenship by birth: yes

citizenship by descent only: yes

dual citizenship recognized: yes

residency requirement for naturalization: 5 years with no absences of six consecutive months or longer or absences totaling more than a year

Legal system

Guatemala

civil law system; judicial review of legislative acts

Suffrage

Guatemala

18 years of age; universal; note - active duty members of the armed forces and police by law cannot vote and are restricted to their barracks on election day

Area

Guatemala

total: 108,889 sq km

land: 107,159 sq km

water: 1,730 sq km

Land use

Guatemala

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.)

Location

Guatemala

Central America, bordering the North Pacific Ocean, between El Salvador and Mexico, and bordering the Gulf of Honduras (Caribbean Sea) between Honduras and Belize

Age structure

Guatemala

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)

Birth rate

Guatemala

21.9 births/1,000 population (2023 est.)

Death rate

Guatemala

4.9 deaths/1,000 population (2023 est.)

Languages

Guatemala

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.

Life expectancy at birth

Guatemala

total population: 73.2 years (2023 est.)

male: 71.2 years

female: 75.3 years

Major urban areas - population

Guatemala

3.095 million GUATEMALA CITY (capital) (2023)

Median age

Guatemala

total: 24.4 years (2023 est.)

male: 23.8 years

female: 25 years

Mother's mean age at first birth

Guatemala

20.6 years (2014/15 est.)

note: data represents median age at first birth among women 25-49

Net migration rate

Guatemala

-1.6 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2023 est.)

Population distribution

Guatemala

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

Population growth rate

Guatemala

1.54% (2023 est.)

Total fertility rate

Guatemala

2.57 children born/woman (2023 est.)

Urbanization

Guatemala

urban population: 53.1% of total population (2023)

rate of urbanization: 2.59% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

Education expenditures

Guatemala

3.1% of GDP (2021 est.)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education)

Guatemala

total: 11 years

male: 11 years

female: 10 years (2019)

Budget surplus (+) or deficit (-)

Guatemala

-1.3% (of GDP) (2017 est.)

Industrial production growth rate

Guatemala

8.49% (2021 est.)

Labor force

Guatemala

6.671 million (2021 est.)

Population below poverty line

Guatemala

59.3% (2014 est.)

Unemployment rate

Guatemala

3.57% (2021 est.)

3.55% (2020 est.)

2.19% (2019 est.)

Public debt

Guatemala

31.56% of GDP (2020 est.)

26.49% of GDP (2019 est.)

26.48% of GDP (2018 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

Guatemala

4.26% (2021 est.)

3.21% (2020 est.)

3.7% (2019 est.)

Exports

Guatemala

$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

Exports - partners

Guatemala

United States 32%, El Salvador 12%, Honduras 10%, Nicaragua 6%, Mexico 4% (2021)

Imports

Guatemala

$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

Imports - partners

Guatemala

United States 33%, China 17%, Mexico 9%, El Salvador 5%, Costa Rica 3% (2021)

Airports

Guatemala

291 (2021)

Broadband - fixed subscriptions

Guatemala

total: 612,000 (2020 est.)

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 3 (2020 est.)

Internet users

Guatemala

total: 9.18 million (2021 est.)

percent of population: 51% (2021 est.)

Railways

Guatemala

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)

Roadways

Guatemala

total: 17,440 km (2020)

paved: 7,458 km (2020)

unpaved: 9,982 km (2020) (includes 4,548 km of rural roads)

Telephones - fixed lines

Guatemala

total subscriptions: 2,319,643 (2021 est.)

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 13 (2021 est.)

Telephones - mobile cellular

Guatemala

total subscriptions: 22,124,839 (2021 est.)

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 126 (2021 est.)

Waterways

Guatemala

990 km (2012) (260 km navigable year round; additional 730 km navigable during high-water season)

Disputes - international

Guatemala

Guatemala-Belize: demarcated but disputed boundary due to Guatemala’s claims to more than half of Belizean territory; line of Adjacency operates in lieu of an international boundary to control influx of Guatemalan squatters onto Belizean territory; smuggling, narcotics trafficking, and human trafficking are also problems; the dispute was referred to the ICJ in 2019 for binding resolution; the 12-nm territorial sea claims of Belize and Honduras close off Guatemalan access to Caribbean in the Bahia de Amatique; maritime boundary remains unresolved pending further negotiation

Guatemala-Mexico: thousands of impoverished Guatemalans and other Central Americans cross the porous border with Mexico looking for work in Mexico and the US