Quality of life comparison

compared to

If you lived in Guatemala instead of Belgium, you would:

Health

live 9.0 years less

In Belgium, the average life expectancy is 82 years (79 years for men, 85 years for women) as of 2022. In Guatemala, that number is 73 years (71 years for men, 75 years for women) as of 2022.

Economy

be 50.8% less likely to be unemployed

In Belgium, 5.5% of adults are unemployed as of 2023. In Guatemala, that number is 2.7% as of 2023.

pay a 87.0% lower top tax rate

Belgium has a top tax rate of 53.7% as of 2016. In Guatemala, the top tax rate is 7.0% as of 2016.

make 80.0% less money

Belgium has a GDP per capita of $63,600 as of 2023, while in Guatemala, the GDP per capita is $12,700 as of 2023.

be 4.8 times more likely to live below the poverty line

In Belgium, 12.3% live below the poverty line as of 2022. In Guatemala, however, that number is 59.3% as of 2014.

Life

have 98.1% more children

In Belgium, there are approximately 10.8 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Guatemala, there are 21.4 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

be 19.2 times more likely to die during childbirth

In Belgium, approximately 5.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2020. In Guatemala, 96.0 women do as of 2020.

be 8.2 times more likely to die during infancy

In Belgium, approximately 3.2 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2022. In Guatemala, on the other hand, 26.2 children do as of 2022.

Basic Needs

be 44.0% less likely to have internet access

In Belgium, approximately 91.0% of the population has internet access as of 2021. In Guatemala, about 51.0% do as of 2021.

Expenditures

spend 53.7% less on education

Belgium spends 6.7% of its total GDP on education as of 2020. Guatemala spends 3.1% of total GDP on education as of 2021.

spend 41.4% less on healthcare

Belgium spends 11.1% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2020. In Guatemala, that number is 6.5% of GDP as of 2020.

Geography

see 6.0 times more coastline

Belgium has a total of 66 km of coastline. In Guatemala, that number is 400 km.

The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: Service Public Fédéral Finances, The World Factbook, Superintendence of the Tax Administration.

Guatemala: At a glance

Guatemala is a sovereign country in Central America/Caribbean, with a total land area of approximately 107,159 sq km. 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, which had left more than 200,000 people dead and had created, by some estimates, about 1 million refugees.
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How big is Guatemala compared to Belgium? See an in-depth size comparison.

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