Quality of life comparison

compared to

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

Health

be 36.3% more likely to be obese

In Guatemala, 21.2% of adults are obese as of 2016. In Mexico, that number is 28.9% of people as of 2016.

Economy

make 76.4% more money

Guatemala has a GDP per capita of $12,700 as of 2023, while in Mexico, the GDP per capita is $22,400 as of 2023.

be 38.8% less likely to live below the poverty line

In Guatemala, 59.3% live below the poverty line as of 2014. In Mexico, however, that number is 36.3% as of 2022.

pay a 5.0 times higher top tax rate

Guatemala has a top tax rate of 7.0% as of 2016. In Mexico, the top tax rate is 35.0% as of 2016.

Life

be 38.5% less likely to die during childbirth

In Guatemala, approximately 96.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2020. In Mexico, 59.0 women do as of 2020.

be 14.3% more likely to be literate

In Guatemala, the literacy rate is 83.3% as of 2021. In Mexico, it is 95.2% as of 2020.

be 54.7% less likely to die during infancy

In Guatemala, approximately 26.2 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2022. In Mexico, on the other hand, 11.9 children do as of 2022.

have 33.2% fewer children

In Guatemala, there are approximately 21.4 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Mexico, there are 14.3 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

Basic Needs

be 49.0% more likely to have internet access

In Guatemala, approximately 51.0% of the population has internet access as of 2021. In Mexico, about 76.0% do as of 2021.

Expenditures

spend 38.7% more on education

Guatemala spends 3.1% of its total GDP on education as of 2021. Mexico spends 4.3% of total GDP on education as of 2018.

Geography

see 23.3 times more coastline

Guatemala has a total of 400 km of coastline. In Mexico, that number is 9,330 km.

The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook, Servicio de Administración Tributaria, SHCP, Superintendence of the Tax Administration.

Mexico: At a glance

Mexico is a sovereign country in North America, with a total land area of approximately 1,943,945 sq km. The site of several advanced Amerindian civilizations - including the Olmec, Toltec, Teotihuacan, Zapotec, Maya, and Aztec - Mexico was conquered and colonized by Spain in the early 16th century. Administered as the Viceroyalty of New Spain for three centuries, it achieved its independence early in the 19th century. The global financial crisis beginning in late 2008 caused a massive economic downturn the following year, although growth returned quickly in 2010. Ongoing economic and social concerns include low real wages, underemployment for a large segment of the population, inequitable income distribution, and few advancement opportunities for the largely indigenous population in the impoverished southern states. The elections held in 2000 marked the first time since the 1910 Mexican Revolution that an opposition candidate - Vicente FOX of the National Action Party (PAN) - defeated the party in government, the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI). He was succeeded in 2006 by another PAN candidate Felipe CALDERON, but Enrique PENA NIETO regained the presidency for the PRI in 2012. Since 2007, Mexico's powerful drug-trafficking organizations have engaged in bloody feuding, resulting in tens of thousands of drug-related homicides.
Read more

How big is Mexico compared to Guatemala? See an in-depth size comparison.

Share this

ASK THE ELSEWHERE COMMUNITY

Join the Elsewhere community and ask a question about Mexico.or Guatemala It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.