Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Guatemala fits inside China 88 times.
China: 9,562,910 km² (2023) · Guatemala: 108,890 km² (2023)
How much coast is there?
China’s coastline is 36 times as long as Guatemala’s.
China: 14,500 km (2026 edition) · Guatemala: 400 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
China’s highest peak towers 4,629 m above Guatemala’s.
China: 8,849 m (2026 edition) · Guatemala: 4,220 m (2026 edition)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
China has 75 times as many people as Guatemala.
China: 1.41 billion (2025) · Guatemala: 18.7 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
Guatemala is 16% more densely populated than China.
China: 150 per km² (2025) · Guatemala: 174 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in China are 11.3 cm taller than in Guatemala.
China: 175.7 cm (2019) · Guatemala: 164.4 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in China are 12.6 cm taller than in Guatemala.
China: 163.5 cm (2019) · Guatemala: 150.9 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in China is 16 years older than in Guatemala.
China: 39.1 years (2023) · Guatemala: 22.6 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Guatemala have 1.3 more children on average than in China.
China: 1.01 children per woman (2024) · Guatemala: 2.29 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
15% of people in China are 65 or older, versus 5.0% in Guatemala.
China: 14.9% (2025) · Guatemala: 5% (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
Guatemala has produced 1.1 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, China 0.1.
China: 0.1 (2025) · Guatemala: 1.1 (2025)
How many official languages?
China and Guatemala are practically level.
China: 1 (2026) · Guatemala: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
China’s economy is 158 times the size of Guatemala’s.
China: $19.5 trillion (2025) · Guatemala: $123 billion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
China produces 93% more per person than Guatemala.
China: Int$29,333 (2025) · Guatemala: Int$15,197 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in Guatemala than in China (Gini 9.2 points higher).
China: 36 (2022) · Guatemala: 45.2 (2023)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 4.6% in China, versus 2.6% in Guatemala.
China: 4.6% (2025) · Guatemala: 2.6% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
China spends 1.7% of its GDP on the military, Guatemala 0.4%.
China: 1.7% (2024) · Guatemala: 0.4% (2024)
How expensive is it?
China’s price level (US = 100) is 1.1× Guatemala’s.
China: 47% (2025) · Guatemala: 43% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
China spends 95% more on health per person than Guatemala.
China: $763 (2023) · Guatemala: $392 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in China live 5.3 years longer than in Guatemala.
China: 78 years (2024) · Guatemala: 72.7 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Guatemala is 4.2 times as likely to die before turning one as in China.
China: 4.1 per 1,000 (2024) · Guatemala: 17.2 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
China has 2.4 times as many doctors per person as Guatemala.
China: 3.1 per 1,000 (2022) · Guatemala: 1.3 per 1,000 (2020)
How common is obesity?
27% of adults in Guatemala are obese, versus 9.1% in China.
China: 9.1% (2024) · Guatemala: 26.7% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
23% of adults in China smoke, versus 11% in Guatemala.
China: 22.8% (2024) · Guatemala: 11.2% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in Guatemala rate their lives 0.46 points higher than in China.
China: 6.07 (2025) · Guatemala: 6.53 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in China drink 21% more alcohol than in Guatemala.
China: 3.7 litres (2023) · Guatemala: 3.1 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
China has 36% more meat per person than Guatemala.
China: 73.5 kg (2023) · Guatemala: 54.3 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
China has 704 kcal more food per person per day than Guatemala.
China: 3,527 kcal (2023) · Guatemala: 2,823 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in China put in 177 more hours a year than in Guatemala.
China: 2,328 hours (2023) · Guatemala: 2,151 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in China went to school 2.2 years longer than in Guatemala.
China: 8 years (2023) · Guatemala: 5.8 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Guatemala welcomed 79% more tourists per resident than China (2019).
China: 0.05 (2019) · Guatemala: 0.08 (2022)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
92% of people in China are online, versus 60% in Guatemala.
China: 92% (2025) · Guatemala: 60% (2024)
Who has electricity at home?
100% of people in China have electricity, versus 91% in Guatemala.
China: 100% (2024) · Guatemala: 90.9% (2024)
How many live in cities?
66% of people in China live in cities, versus 56% in Guatemala.
China: 66% (2025) · Guatemala: 56% (2025)
How many phones per person?
China has 132 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Guatemala 113.
China: 132 (2024) · Guatemala: 113 (2024)
How much railway is there?
China’s railway network is 137 times as long as Guatemala’s.
China: 109,767 km (2021) · Guatemala: 800 km (2018)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from China fly 37 times as many passengers per resident as those from Guatemala.
China: 0.44 (2023) · Guatemala: 0.01 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 33% of Guatemala, but only 24% of China.
China: 24% (2023) · Guatemala: 32.6% (2023)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in China emits 8 times as much CO₂ as someone in Guatemala.
China: 8.7 t (2024) · Guatemala: 1.1 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
68% of Guatemala’s electricity is renewable, versus 37% in China.
China: 37% (2025) · Guatemala: 68.3% (2024)
How clean is the air?
The air in China carries 13% more fine dust than in Guatemala.
China: 31.3 µg/m³ (2024) · Guatemala: 27.7 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 47 times as likely to be murdered in Guatemala as in China.
China: 0.5 per 100k (2020) · Guatemala: 23.4 per 100k (2023)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in China are 38% deadlier than in Guatemala.
China: 17.4 per 100k (2021) · Guatemala: 12.6 per 100k (2021)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Guatemala is on average 15.9 °C warmer than China.
China: 7.8°C (2016–2025 avg) · Guatemala: 23.7°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Guatemala gets 2.2 times as much rain as China.
China: 813 mm (2016–2025 avg) · Guatemala: 1,811 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is China bigger than Guatemala?
China is larger. Guatemala fits inside China 88 times.
Which has more people, China or Guatemala?
China has 75 times as many people as Guatemala (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, China or Guatemala?
People in China live 5.3 years longer than in Guatemala. Life expectancy at birth is 78.0 years in China and 72.7 in Guatemala.
Are people taller in China or Guatemala?
Men in China are 11.3 cm taller than in Guatemala (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
