Quality of life comparison

compared to

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

Health

live 11.9 years less

In Japan, the average life expectancy is 85 years (82 years for men, 88 years for women) as of 2022. In Guatemala, that number is 73 years (71 years for men, 75 years for women) as of 2022.

be 4.9 times more likely to be obese

In Japan, 4.3% of adults are obese as of 2016. In Guatemala, that number is 21.2% of people as of 2016.

Economy

pay a 87.5% lower top tax rate

Japan has a top tax rate of 56.0% as of 2016. In Guatemala, the top tax rate is 7.0% as of 2016.

make 72.6% less money

Japan has a GDP per capita of $46,300 as of 2023, while in Guatemala, the GDP per capita is $12,700 as of 2023.

be 3.7 times more likely to live below the poverty line

In Japan, 16.1% live below the poverty line as of 2013. In Guatemala, however, that number is 59.3% as of 2014.

Life

have 3.1 times more children

In Japan, there are approximately 6.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Guatemala, there are 21.4 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

be 24.0 times more likely to die during childbirth

In Japan, approximately 4.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2020. In Guatemala, 96.0 women do as of 2020.

be 13.8 times more likely to die during infancy

In Japan, approximately 1.9 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 38.6% less likely to have internet access

In Japan, approximately 83.0% of the population has internet access as of 2021. In Guatemala, about 51.0% do as of 2021.

Expenditures

spend 40.4% less on healthcare

Japan spends 10.9% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2020. In Guatemala, that number is 6.5% of GDP as of 2020.

Geography

see 98.7% less coastline

Japan has a total of 29,751 km of coastline. In Guatemala, that number is 400 km.

The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook, Superintendence of the Tax Administration, National Tax Agency Japan.

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 Japan? See an in-depth size comparison.

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