Quality of life comparison

compared to

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

Health

live 2.0 years less

In Colombia, the average life expectancy is 75 years (71 years for men, 79 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 71.7% less likely to be unemployed

In Colombia, 9.6% of adults are unemployed as of 2023. In Guatemala, that number is 2.7% as of 2023.

pay a 78.8% lower top tax rate

Colombia has a top tax rate of 33.0% as of 2016. In Guatemala, the top tax rate is 7.0% as of 2016.

make 32.4% less money

Colombia has a GDP per capita of $18,800 as of 2023, while in Guatemala, the GDP per capita is $12,700 as of 2023.

be 62.0% more likely to live below the poverty line

In Colombia, 36.6% live below the poverty line as of 2022. In Guatemala, however, that number is 59.3% as of 2014.

Life

have 43.6% more children

In Colombia, there are approximately 14.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Guatemala, there are 21.4 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

be 28.0% more likely to die during childbirth

In Colombia, approximately 75.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2020. In Guatemala, 96.0 women do as of 2020.

be 12.9% less likely to be literate

In Colombia, the literacy rate is 95.6% as of 2020. In Guatemala, it is 83.3% as of 2021.

be 2.2 times more likely to die during infancy

In Colombia, approximately 11.7 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 30.1% less likely to have internet access

In Colombia, approximately 73.0% of the population has internet access as of 2021. In Guatemala, about 51.0% do as of 2021.

Expenditures

spend 36.7% less on education

Colombia spends 4.9% of its total GDP on education as of 2020. Guatemala spends 3.1% of total GDP on education as of 2021.

spend 27.8% less on healthcare

Colombia spends 9.0% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2020. In Guatemala, that number is 6.5% of GDP as of 2020.

Geography

see 87.5% less coastline

Colombia has a total of 3,208 km of coastline. In Guatemala, that number is 400 km.

The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook, Directorate of National Taxes and Customs (DIAN), 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 Colombia? See an in-depth size comparison.

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