Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Guatemala fits inside China 88 times
China: 9,562,910 km² (2024) · Guatemala: 108,889 km² (2024)
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)
How much of the land is farmed?
Farmland covers 46% of Guatemala, versus 42% of China
China: 41.7% (2024) · Guatemala: 46% (2024)
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 refugees does it host?
Guatemala hosts 519 times as many refugees per resident as China
China: 0.00016 per 1,000 (2025) · Guatemala: 0.1 per 1,000 (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 (2026) · Guatemala: 1.1 (2026)
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 live on less than $3 a day?
9.7% of people in Guatemala live on less than $3 a day, versus 0% in China
China: 0% (2022) · Guatemala: 9.7% (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 0.5%
China: 1.7% (2025) · Guatemala: 0.5% (2025)
How much does the central government collect in tax?
Guatemala’s central government collects 12% of GDP in tax, China’s 7.0%
China: 7% (2024) · Guatemala: 11.6% (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 many hospital beds are there?
China has 13 times as many hospital beds per person as Guatemala
China: 5.6 per 1,000 (2023) · Guatemala: 0.5 per 1,000 (2023)
How common is suicide?
The suicide rate in China is 45% higher than in Guatemala
China: 8 per 100k (2023) · Guatemala: 5.5 per 100k (2023)
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)
How many World Heritage sites?
China has 57 more World Heritage sites than Guatemala (61 against 4)
China: 61 (2026) · Guatemala: 4 (2026)
How many Olympic medals has it won?
China has won 819 Olympic medals, Guatemala 3
China: 819 (2026 edition) · Guatemala: 3 (2026 edition)
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)
How fast is home internet?
Home internet in China is 2.5 times as fast as in Guatemala
China: 364 Mbps (2026) · Guatemala: 149 Mbps (2026)
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% (2024) · Guatemala: 33.1% (2024)
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 17% deadlier than in Guatemala
China: 24.7 per 100k (2023) · Guatemala: 21.1 per 100k (2023)
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)
Between them
People, goods and passports that cross from one to the other
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).
