Guatemala at its true size
Guatemala covers 108,889 km², number 105 of 194 countries by area. Home to 18,687,881 people (2025). Sitting near the equator, it is one of the few places Mercator gets almost right.
Equal-area projection · Natural Earth 50m
| Area | 108,889 km² Wikidata |
|---|---|
| Population | 18,687,881 World Bank, 2025 |
| Density | 172 per km² |
| Capital | Guatemala City |
| Local time in Guatemala City | |
| Time zone | UTC−6 IANA |
| Currency | Quetzal (GTQ) Wikidata |
| Languages | Spanish |
| Traffic | On the right |
| Region | Central America, North America |
| Status | Independent state |
| Coast | Has a coastline |
| Calling code | +502 |
| Codes | GT · GTM · 320 |
Weather in Guatemala City now
Now
—Loading the forecast…
The next three days
Weather data: MET Norway (CC BY 4.0), updated hourly · Temperatures on the map
Where Guatemala ranks
Among the independent states, in 44 rankings. Each links to its table.
People
- Population#70 of 19419 million people#4 of 23 in North America
- Population density#55 of 194172 people per km²#12 of 23 in North America
- Urban population#116 of 19256% urban#15 of 23 in North America
- Fertility rate#81 of 1922.29 births per woman#3 of 23 in North America
- Population growth#67 of 192+1.52% a year#2 of 23 in North America
- Birth rate#68 of 19220.6 births per 1,000 people#3 of 23 in North America
- Death rate#173 of 1924.9 deaths per 1,000 people#20 of 23 in North America
- Children under 15#65 of 19231.0% under 15#1 of 23 in North America
- People over 65#123 of 1925.0% aged 65 and over#21 of 23 in North America
- Net migration#95 of 192−0.4 per 1,000 people#12 of 23 in North America
- Refugees abroad#46 of 1901.87 refugees abroad per 1,000 people#9 of 23 in North America
Health & education
- Life expectancy#106 of 19272.7 years#17 of 23 in North America
- Infant mortality#73 of 19117.2 infant deaths per 1,000 live births#4 of 23 in North America
- Doctors#100 of 1781.28 doctors per 1,000 people#14 of 20 in North America
- University enrolment#103 of 14527.3% gross enrolment#11 of 15 in North America
- Human Development Index#134 of 190an index of 0.662#21 of 23 in North America
Economy
- GNI per capita#99 of 185$6,360 a person#18 of 22 in North America
- Internet users#134 of 18460% online#21 of 23 in North America
- GDP per capita (PPP)#109 of 184$15,197 a person#16 of 22 in North America
- GDP growth#64 of 187+4.3% a year#6 of 23 in North America
- Inflation#128 of 176+1.5% a year#12 of 22 in North America
- Unemployment#154 of 1782.6% of the labour force#18 of 19 in North America
- Extreme poverty#46 of 1499.7% under $3.00 a day#2 of 14 in North America
- Income inequality (Gini)#15 of 149a Gini index of 45.2#4 of 14 in North America
- Jobs in agriculture#62 of 17829.1% of jobs#3 of 19 in North America
- Jobs in industry#58 of 17822.7% of jobs#4 of 19 in North America
- Jobs in services#127 of 17848.2% of jobs#18 of 19 in North America
- Foreign investment#112 of 1841.4% of GDP#16 of 23 in North America
- Exports#147 of 16815.6% of GDP#13 of 15 in North America
- Military spending#143 of 1550.5% of GDP#11 of 14 in North America
- Mobile subscriptions#102 of 191113 subscriptions per 100 people#10 of 23 in North America
Energy & environment
- CO₂ per person#126 of 1851.11 tonnes a person#20 of 23 in North America
- Forest area#94 of 19233% forest#18 of 23 in North America
- Renewable energy#35 of 19062.1% renewable#2 of 23 in North America
- Access to electricity#137 of 19290.9% with electricity#21 of 23 in North America
- Air pollution (PM2.5)#50 of 19129.7 µg/m³#2 of 23 in North America
- Protected land#82 of 19120.1% of the land protected#11 of 23 in North America
- Arable land#61 of 19017.5% of the land arable#6 of 23 in North America
- Water stress#115 of 1765.7% of its available fresh water#17 of 22 in North America
- Precipitation#33 of 1801,996 mm a year#9 of 23 in North America
Governance & safety
Countries of a similar size
Every country within 25% of Guatemala’s area, lit up on the map →
- Cuba0.99×Guatemala and Cuba are almost exactly the same size.
- Bulgaria0.98×Guatemala and Bulgaria are almost exactly the same size.
- Liberia0.98×Guatemala and Liberia are almost exactly the same size.
- Honduras0.97×Guatemala is 3% smaller than Honduras.
- Benin0.95×Guatemala is 5% smaller than Benin.
- Iceland1.06×Guatemala is 6% larger than Iceland.
How many times does Guatemala fit into…
- Russia: about 157 times
- Canada: about 92 times
- United States: about 90 times
The land itself
Rivers, summits and lakes Guatemala shares with the rest of the world. Turn on “Rivers & lakes” and “Physical names” in the atlas to see them on the map.
Rivers
- Chixoy400 km
Summits
- Volcán Tajumulco y Tacana4,203 m
- Volcán Tacaná4,064 m
Lakes
- Lago de Izabal590 km²
Rivers are listed by the published length of their whole course, not the part inside Guatemala. Figures from Wikidata, features from Natural Earth.
Neighbours
Questions about Guatemala
- How big is Guatemala?
- Guatemala covers 108,889 km², which makes it number 105 of 194 countries by area. About 18,687,881 people live there (2025), 172 per km².
- Is Guatemala bigger than Cuba?
- Guatemala and Cuba are almost exactly the same size. Guatemala: 108,889 km²; Cuba: 109,884 km².
- How much does the Mercator map distort Guatemala?
- Guatemala lies close to the equator, so Mercator draws it at nearly its true size. It is the countries far from the equator that Mercator inflates.
- Which countries border Guatemala?
- Guatemala shares a land border with Mexico, Honduras, Belize, El Salvador.