Belize vs Guatemala
Guatemala is 4.74 times larger than Belize. Belize would fit into Guatemala about 4.7 times.
BelizeGuatemalaBelize moved onto Guatemala · Equal-area projection
0.21×
Belize is 0.21× the area of Guatemala. Put the other way, Guatemala is 4.74× the size of Belize.
 Belize |  Guatemala | |
|---|---|---|
| Size | ||
| AreaGuatemala: 4.74× the area | 22,966 km²#148 of 194 | 108,889 km²#105 of 194 |
| Coastline | Has a coast | Has a coast |
| Land neighbours | 2 | 4 |
| People | ||
| PopulationGuatemala: 44.2× the population | 422,924#170 of 194 · 2025 | 18,687,881#70 of 194 · 2025 |
| DensityGuatemala: 9.32× the density | 18 / km²#171 of 194 | 172 / km²#55 of 194 |
| Urban populationGuatemala: 1.35× the urban share | 42%#146 of 192 · 2025 | 56%#116 of 192 · 2025 |
| Fertility rateGuatemala: 1.13× the births per woman | 2.02 per woman#95 of 192 · 2024 | 2.29 per woman#81 of 192 · 2024 |
| Population growthGuatemala: 0.13 points higher | +1.39%#72 of 192 · 2025 | +1.52%#67 of 192 · 2025 |
| Birth rateGuatemala: 1.14× the birth rate | 18.1 per 1,000#82 of 192 · 2024 | 20.6 per 1,000#68 of 192 · 2024 |
| Death rateAbout the same death rate | 5.0 per 1,000#171 of 192 · 2024 | 4.9 per 1,000#173 of 192 · 2024 |
| Children under 15Guatemala: 4.7 points higher | 26.3%#85 of 192 · 2025 | 31.0%#65 of 192 · 2025 |
| People over 65Belize: 0.2 points higher | 5.2%#120 of 192 · 2025 | 5.0%#123 of 192 · 2025 |
| Net migrationBelize: 1.3 per 1,000 higher | +0.9 per 1,000#53 of 192 · 2025 | −0.4 per 1,000#95 of 192 · 2025 |
| Refugees abroadGuatemala: 7.19× the refugees for its size | 0.26 per 1,000#93 of 190 · 2025 | 1.87 per 1,000#46 of 190 · 2025 |
| Health & education | ||
| Life expectancyBelize: 1.0 years longer | 73.7 years#98 of 192 · 2024 | 72.7 years#106 of 192 · 2024 |
| Infant mortalityGuatemala: 1.59× the infant mortality | 10.8 per 1,000 births#107 of 191 · 2024 | 17.2 per 1,000 births#73 of 191 · 2024 |
| DoctorsGuatemala: 1.17× the doctors per person | 1.09 per 1,000#106 of 178 · 2018 | 1.28 per 1,000#100 of 178 · 2020 |
| University enrolmentGuatemala: 1.1× the university enrolment | 24.8%#106 of 145 · 2024 | 27.3%#103 of 145 · 2023 |
| Human Development IndexBelize: 0.059 higher | 0.721#114 of 190 · 2023 | 0.662#134 of 190 · 2023 |
| Economy | ||
| GNI per capitaBelize: 1.18× the income per person | $7,530#92 of 185 · 2025 | $6,360#99 of 185 · 2025 |
| GDPGuatemala: 37.1× the economy | $3.33B2025 | $123.31B2025 |
| Income group | Upper-middle income | Upper-middle income |
| GDP per capita (PPP)About the same output per person | $14,966#110 of 184 · 2025 | $15,197#109 of 184 · 2025 |
| GDP growthGuatemala: 1.6 points higher | +2.7%#111 of 187 · 2025 | +4.3%#64 of 187 · 2025 |
| InflationGuatemala: 0.4 points higher | +1.1%#138 of 176 · 2025 | +1.5%#128 of 176 · 2025 |
| UnemploymentBelize: 3.42× the unemployment | 8.9%#43 of 178 · 2025 | 2.6%#154 of 178 · 2025 |
| Extreme povertyGuatemala: 9.7× the share in extreme poverty | 1.0%#85 of 149 · 2018 | 9.7%#46 of 149 · 2023 |
| Income inequality (Gini)Guatemala: 5.3 higher | 39.9#38 of 149 · 2018 | 45.2#15 of 149 · 2023 |
| Jobs in agricultureGuatemala: 13.0 points higher | 16.1% of jobs#88 of 178 · 2025 | 29.1% of jobs#62 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in industryGuatemala: 7.4 points higher | 15.3% of jobs#135 of 178 · 2025 | 22.7% of jobs#58 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in servicesBelize: 20.3 points higher | 68.5% of jobs#59 of 178 · 2025 | 48.2% of jobs#127 of 178 · 2025 |
| Foreign investmentGuatemala: 1.4 points higher | 0.0% of GDP#162 of 184 · 2025 | 1.4% of GDP#112 of 184 · 2025 |
| ExportsBelize: 39.6 points higher | 55.2% of GDP#37 of 168 · 2024 | 15.6% of GDP#147 of 168 · 2025 |
| Military spendingBelize: 1.92× the military spending | 1.0% of GDP#114 of 155 · 2025 | 0.5% of GDP#143 of 155 · 2025 |
| Internet usersBelize: 1.33× the share online | 80%#98 of 184 · 2024 | 60%#134 of 184 · 2024 |
| Mobile subscriptionsGuatemala: 1.69× the mobile subscriptions | 67 per 100#166 of 191 · 2022 | 113 per 100#102 of 191 · 2024 |
| Energy & environment | ||
| Forest areaBelize: 1.75× the forest share | 58% of land#31 of 192 · 2024 | 33% of land#94 of 192 · 2024 |
| CO₂ per personGuatemala: 1.19× the CO₂ per person | 0.93 t a year#130 of 185 · 2024 | 1.11 t a year#126 of 185 · 2024 |
| Renewable energyGuatemala: 31.3 points higher | 30.8%#78 of 190 · 2022 | 62.1%#35 of 190 · 2021 |
| Access to electricityBelize: 8.7 points higher | 99.6%#107 of 192 · 2024 | 90.9%#137 of 192 · 2024 |
| Air pollution (PM2.5)Guatemala: 1.77× the air pollution | 16.8 µg/m³#101 of 191 · 2023 | 29.7 µg/m³#50 of 191 · 2023 |
| Protected landBelize: 17.2 points higher | 37.3% of land#20 of 191 · 2025 | 20.1% of land#82 of 191 · 2025 |
| Arable landGuatemala: 12.9 points higher | 4.6% of land#132 of 190 · 2024 | 17.5% of land#61 of 190 · 2024 |
| Water stressGuatemala: 4.38× the water stress | 1.3%#159 of 176 · 2022 | 5.7%#115 of 176 · 2022 |
| PrecipitationGuatemala: 1.17× the rain and snow | 1,705 mm#46 of 180 · 2022 | 1,996 mm#33 of 180 · 2022 |
| Governance & safety | ||
| Political stabilityBelize: 1.02 higher | +0.81#48 of 193 · 2025 | −0.21#120 of 193 · 2025 |
| Control of corruptionBelize: 0.78 higher | −0.14#88 of 193 · 2025 | −0.92#147 of 193 · 2025 |
| Homicide rateBelize: 1.2× the homicide rate | 28.1 per 100,000#11 of 146 · 2022 | 23.4 per 100,000#15 of 146 · 2023 |
| State | ||
| Status | Independent state | Independent state |
| Government | Constitutional monarchyparliamentary democracy (National Assembly) under a constitutional monarchy; a Commonwealth realm | Presidential republic |
| Capital | Belmopan | Guatemala City |
| Currency | Belize dollar (BZD) | Quetzal (GTQ) |
| Official languages | English | Spanish |
| Traffic drives | On the right | On the right |
| Time zone | UTC−6 | UTC−6 |
| Calling code | +501 | +502 |
| Region | Central America, North America | Central America, North America |
Area: Wikidata. Population, income, health, economy, environment and governance: World Bank. Human Development Index: UNDP. Government: CIA World Factbook. Ranks among the 194 independent states. All sources
Why the map you grew up with disagrees
On a Mercator map, area grows with distance from the equator. Belize sits at about 17° N and is stretched to 1.1× its true area; Guatemala at 16° N is stretched to 1.08×. Here the two are distorted about the same amount, so Mercator gets this pair roughly right. The figure above uses the Equal Earth projection, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.
Questions about this pair
- Is Belize bigger than Guatemala?
- No. Belize is 4.74 times smaller than Guatemala. Belize covers 22,966 km² and Guatemala covers 108,889 km².
- How many times does Belize fit into Guatemala?
- About 4.7 times: Guatemala has 4.74× the area of Belize.
- Why do Belize and Guatemala look different on Google Maps?
- Web maps use the Mercator projection, which stretches area with distance from the equator. Belize is drawn about 1.1× its true area there and Guatemala about 1.08×. For this pair the distortion is similar, so Mercator gets the comparison roughly right. Kartavera uses Equal Earth, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.
- Which has more people, Belize or Guatemala?
- Guatemala: 18,687,881 people against 422,924. Density: Belize 18 per km², Guatemala 172 per km².
- Which is richer, Belize or Guatemala?
- By gross national income per person, Belize: $7,530 against $6,360 (World Bank, Atlas method, 2025) — 1.18× as much.
- Where do people live longer, Belize or Guatemala?
- In Belize: life expectancy at birth is 73.7 years, against 72.7 — 1.0 years longer (World Bank, 2024).
- What kind of government do Belize and Guatemala have?
- By constitution, as the CIA World Factbook describes them — Belize: constitutional monarchy; Guatemala: presidential republic.