Guatemala vs Iceland
Guatemala is 6% larger than Iceland.
GuatemalaIcelandGuatemala moved onto Iceland · Equal-area projection
1.06×
Guatemala is 1.06× the area of Iceland.
 Guatemala |  Iceland | |
|---|---|---|
| Size | ||
| AreaGuatemala: 1.06× the area | 108,889 km²#105 of 194 | 103,004 km²#106 of 194 |
| Coastline | Has a coast | Coast, no land border |
| Land neighbours | 4 | 0 |
| People | ||
| PopulationGuatemala: 47.6× the population | 18,687,881#70 of 194 · 2025 | 392,404#172 of 194 · 2025 |
| DensityGuatemala: 45.1× the density | 172 / km²#55 of 194 | 3.8 / km²#191 of 194 |
| Urban populationIceland: 1.67× the urban share | 56%#116 of 192 · 2025 | 94%#12 of 192 · 2025 |
| Fertility rateGuatemala: 1.47× the births per woman | 2.29 per woman#81 of 192 · 2024 | 1.56 per woman#127 of 192 · 2024 |
| Population growthGuatemala: 0.01 points higher | +1.52%#67 of 192 · 2025 | +1.51%#68 of 192 · 2025 |
| Birth rateGuatemala: 1.84× the birth rate | 20.6 per 1,000#68 of 192 · 2024 | 11.2 per 1,000#119 of 192 · 2024 |
| Death rateIceland: 1.39× the death rate | 4.9 per 1,000#173 of 192 · 2024 | 6.8 per 1,000#112 of 192 · 2024 |
| Children under 15Guatemala: 13.5 points higher | 31.0%#65 of 192 · 2025 | 17.5%#135 of 192 · 2025 |
| People over 65Iceland: 11.0 points higher | 5.0%#123 of 192 · 2025 | 16.0%#51 of 192 · 2025 |
| Net migrationIceland: 7.3 per 1,000 higher | −0.4 per 1,000#95 of 192 · 2025 | +6.9 per 1,000#13 of 192 · 2025 |
| Refugees abroad | 1.87 per 1,000#46 of 190 · 2025 | 0.00 per 1,000#174 of 190 · 2025 |
| Health & education | ||
| Life expectancyIceland: 10.1 years longer | 72.7 years#106 of 192 · 2024 | 82.8 years#21 of 192 · 2024 |
| Infant mortalityGuatemala: 8.19× the infant mortality | 17.2 per 1,000 births#73 of 191 · 2024 | 2.1 per 1,000 births#180 of 191 · 2024 |
| DoctorsIceland: 3.41× the doctors per person | 1.28 per 1,000#100 of 178 · 2020 | 4.37 per 1,000#21 of 178 · 2023 |
| University enrolmentIceland: 2.8× the university enrolment | 27.3%#103 of 145 · 2023 | 76.5%#35 of 145 · 2023 |
| Human Development IndexIceland: 0.310 higher | 0.662#134 of 190 · 2023 | 0.972#1 of 190 · 2023 |
| Economy | ||
| GNI per capitaIceland: 14× the income per person | $6,360#99 of 185 · 2025 | $89,220#4 of 185 · 2025 |
| GDPGuatemala: 3.2× the economy | $123.31B2025 | $38.58B2025 |
| Income group | Upper-middle income | High income |
| GDP per capita (PPP)Iceland: 5.49× the output per person | $15,197#109 of 184 · 2025 | $83,431#11 of 184 · 2025 |
| GDP growthGuatemala: 3.0 points higher | +4.3%#64 of 187 · 2025 | +1.3%#148 of 187 · 2025 |
| InflationIceland: 2.6 points higher | +1.5%#128 of 176 · 2025 | +4.1%#52 of 176 · 2025 |
| UnemploymentIceland: 1.38× the unemployment | 2.6%#154 of 178 · 2025 | 3.6%#119 of 178 · 2025 |
| Extreme povertyGuatemala: 97.0× the share in extreme poverty | 9.7%#46 of 149 · 2023 | 0.1%#126 of 149 · 2019 |
| Income inequality (Gini)Guatemala: 18.4 higher | 45.2#15 of 149 · 2023 | 26.8#136 of 149 · 2019 |
| Jobs in agricultureGuatemala: 25.5 points higher | 29.1% of jobs#62 of 178 · 2025 | 3.6% of jobs#141 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in industryGuatemala: 4.5 points higher | 22.7% of jobs#58 of 178 · 2025 | 18.2% of jobs#102 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in servicesIceland: 29.9 points higher | 48.2% of jobs#127 of 178 · 2025 | 78.1% of jobs#22 of 178 · 2025 |
| Foreign investmentGuatemala: 3.6 points higher | 1.4% of GDP#112 of 184 · 2025 | -2.2% of GDP#176 of 184 · 2025 |
| ExportsIceland: 24.5 points higher | 15.6% of GDP#147 of 168 · 2025 | 40.1% of GDP#71 of 168 · 2025 |
| Military spending | 0.5% of GDP#143 of 155 · 2025 | 0.0% of GDP#153 of 155 · 2025 |
| Internet usersIceland: 1.63× the share online | 60%#134 of 184 · 2024 | 98%#10 of 184 · 2024 |
| Mobile subscriptionsIceland: 1.07× the mobile subscriptions | 113 per 100#102 of 191 · 2024 | 121 per 100#78 of 191 · 2024 |
| Energy & environment | ||
| Forest areaGuatemala: 55.2× the forest share | 33% of land#94 of 192 · 2024 | 1% of land#184 of 192 · 2024 |
| CO₂ per personIceland: 7.68× the CO₂ per person | 1.11 t a year#126 of 185 · 2024 | 8.52 t a year#22 of 185 · 2024 |
| Renewable energyIceland: 20.3 points higher | 62.1%#35 of 190 · 2021 | 82.4%#13 of 190 · 2021 |
| Access to electricityIceland: 9.1 points higher | 90.9%#137 of 192 · 2024 | 100.0%#1 of 192 · 2024 |
| Air pollution (PM2.5)Guatemala: 6.06× the air pollution | 29.7 µg/m³#50 of 191 · 2023 | 4.9 µg/m³#183 of 191 · 2023 |
| Protected landIceland: 0.8 points higher | 20.1% of land#82 of 191 · 2025 | 20.9% of land#80 of 191 · 2025 |
| Arable landGuatemala: 16.3 points higher | 17.5% of land#61 of 190 · 2024 | 1.2% of land#170 of 190 · 2024 |
| Water stressGuatemala: 14.3× the water stress | 5.7%#115 of 176 · 2022 | 0.4%#167 of 176 · 2022 |
| PrecipitationAbout the same rain and snow | 1,996 mm#33 of 180 · 2022 | 1,940 mm#36 of 180 · 2022 |
| Governance & safety | ||
| Political stabilityIceland: 1.53 higher | −0.21#120 of 193 · 2025 | +1.32#10 of 193 · 2025 |
| Control of corruptionIceland: 2.74 higher | −0.92#147 of 193 · 2025 | +1.82#11 of 193 · 2025 |
| Homicide rateGuatemala: 18× the homicide rate | 23.4 per 100,000#15 of 146 · 2023 | 1.3 per 100,000#92 of 146 · 2023 |
| State | ||
| Status | Independent state | Independent state |
| Government | Presidential republic | Parliamentary republicunitary parliamentary republic |
| Member of | — | NATO, Schengen Area, OECD |
| Capital | Guatemala City | Reykjavik |
| Currency | Quetzal (GTQ) | Icelandic króna (ISK) |
| Official languages | Spanish | Icelandic |
| Traffic drives | On the right | On the right |
| Time zone | UTC−6 | UTC |
| Calling code | +502 | +354 |
| Region | Central America, North America | Northern Europe, Europe |
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. Guatemala sits at about 16° N and is stretched to 1.08× its true area; Iceland at 65° N is stretched to 5.6×. That difference is why Iceland looks so much bigger than it is next to Guatemala. The figure above uses the Equal Earth projection, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.
Questions about this pair
- Is Guatemala bigger than Iceland?
- Yes. Guatemala is 6% larger than Iceland. Guatemala covers 108,889 km² and Iceland covers 103,004 km².
- How many times does Iceland fit into Guatemala?
- About 1.1 times: Guatemala has 1.06× the area of Iceland.
- Why do Guatemala and Iceland look different on Google Maps?
- Web maps use the Mercator projection, which stretches area with distance from the equator. Guatemala is drawn about 1.08× its true area there and Iceland about 5.6×. That is why Iceland looks so much bigger than it really is next to Guatemala. Kartavera uses Equal Earth, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.
- Which has more people, Guatemala or Iceland?
- Guatemala: 18,687,881 people against 392,404. Density: Guatemala 172 per km², Iceland 3.8 per km².
- Which is richer, Guatemala or Iceland?
- By gross national income per person, Iceland: $89,220 against $6,360 (World Bank, Atlas method, 2025) — 14× as much.
- Where do people live longer, Guatemala or Iceland?
- In Iceland: life expectancy at birth is 82.8 years, against 72.7 — 10.1 years longer (World Bank, 2024).
- What kind of government do Guatemala and Iceland have?
- By constitution, as the CIA World Factbook describes them — Guatemala: presidential republic; Iceland: parliamentary republic.