Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Guatemala fits inside Colombia 10 times.
Colombia: 1,140,620 km² (2023) · Guatemala: 108,890 km² (2023)
How much coast is there?
Colombia’s coastline is 8 times as long as Guatemala’s.
Colombia: 3,208 km (2026 edition) · Guatemala: 400 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Colombia’s highest peak towers 1,510 m above Guatemala’s.
Colombia: 5,730 m (2026 edition) · Guatemala: 4,220 m (2026 edition)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
Colombia has 2.9 times as many people as Guatemala.
Colombia: 53.4 million (2025) · Guatemala: 18.7 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
Guatemala is 3.6 times as densely populated as Colombia.
Colombia: 48 per km² (2025) · Guatemala: 174 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in Colombia are 7.5 cm taller than in Guatemala.
Colombia: 171.9 cm (2019) · Guatemala: 164.4 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in Colombia are 7.1 cm taller than in Guatemala.
Colombia: 158 cm (2019) · Guatemala: 150.9 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Colombia is 9 years older than in Guatemala.
Colombia: 31.6 years (2023) · Guatemala: 22.6 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Guatemala have 0.7 more children on average than in Colombia.
Colombia: 1.63 children per woman (2024) · Guatemala: 2.29 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
10% of people in Colombia are 65 or older, versus 5.0% in Guatemala.
Colombia: 10.2% (2025) · Guatemala: 5% (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
Guatemala has produced 1.1 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, Colombia 0.4.
Colombia: 0.4 (2025) · Guatemala: 1.1 (2025)
How many official languages?
Colombia and Guatemala are practically level.
Colombia: 1 (2026) · Guatemala: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
Colombia’s economy is 3.7 times the size of Guatemala’s.
Colombia: $457 billion (2025) · Guatemala: $123 billion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
Colombia produces 49% more per person than Guatemala.
Colombia: Int$22,640 (2025) · Guatemala: Int$15,197 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in Colombia than in Guatemala (Gini 9.2 points higher).
Colombia: 54.4 (2024) · Guatemala: 45.2 (2023)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 8.3% in Colombia, versus 2.6% in Guatemala.
Colombia: 8.3% (2025) · Guatemala: 2.6% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
Colombia spends 3.4% of its GDP on the military, Guatemala 0.4%.
Colombia: 3.4% (2024) · Guatemala: 0.4% (2024)
How expensive is it?
Guatemala’s price level (US = 100) is 1.1× Colombia’s.
Colombia: 38% (2025) · Guatemala: 43% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
Colombia spends 64% more on health per person than Guatemala.
Colombia: $644 (2024) · Guatemala: $392 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in Colombia live 5.2 years longer than in Guatemala.
Colombia: 77.9 years (2024) · Guatemala: 72.7 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Guatemala is 64% more likely to die before turning one than in Colombia.
Colombia: 10.5 per 1,000 (2024) · Guatemala: 17.2 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Colombia has 2 times as many doctors per person as Guatemala.
Colombia: 2.5 per 1,000 (2023) · Guatemala: 1.3 per 1,000 (2020)
How common is obesity?
27% of adults in Guatemala are obese, versus 25% in Colombia.
Colombia: 25.3% (2024) · Guatemala: 26.7% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
11% of adults in Guatemala smoke, versus 8.0% in Colombia.
Colombia: 8% (2024) · Guatemala: 11.2% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in Guatemala rate their lives 0.49 points higher than in Colombia.
Colombia: 6.04 (2025) · Guatemala: 6.53 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in Colombia drink 59% more alcohol than in Guatemala.
Colombia: 4.9 litres (2023) · Guatemala: 3.1 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
Colombia has 15% more meat per person than Guatemala.
Colombia: 62.6 kg (2023) · Guatemala: 54.3 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
Colombia has 303 kcal more food per person per day than Guatemala.
Colombia: 3,126 kcal (2023) · Guatemala: 2,823 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in Colombia put in 320 more hours a year than in Guatemala.
Colombia: 2,471 hours (2023) · Guatemala: 2,151 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in Colombia went to school 3.2 years longer than in Guatemala.
Colombia: 9 years (2023) · Guatemala: 5.8 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Colombia welcomed 4% more tourists per resident than Guatemala (2019).
Colombia: 0.09 (2022) · Guatemala: 0.08 (2022)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
79% of people in Colombia are online, versus 60% in Guatemala.
Colombia: 79% (2024) · Guatemala: 60% (2024)
Who has electricity at home?
99% of people in Colombia have electricity, versus 91% in Guatemala.
Colombia: 98.9% (2024) · Guatemala: 90.9% (2024)
How many live in cities?
79% of people in Colombia live in cities, versus 56% in Guatemala.
Colombia: 79% (2025) · Guatemala: 56% (2025)
How many phones per person?
Colombia has 174 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Guatemala 113.
Colombia: 174 (2024) · Guatemala: 113 (2024)
How much railway is there?
Colombia’s railway network is 2.7 times as long as Guatemala’s.
Colombia: 2,141 km (2019) · Guatemala: 800 km (2018)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from Colombia fly 67 times as many passengers per resident as those from Guatemala.
Colombia: 0.79 (2023) · Guatemala: 0.01 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 53% of Colombia, but only 33% of Guatemala.
Colombia: 52.8% (2023) · Guatemala: 32.6% (2023)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in Colombia emits 62% more CO₂ than someone in Guatemala.
Colombia: 1.8 t (2024) · Guatemala: 1.1 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
77% of Colombia’s electricity is renewable, versus 68% in Guatemala.
Colombia: 77% (2025) · Guatemala: 68.3% (2024)
How clean is the air?
The air in Guatemala carries 83% more fine dust than in Colombia.
Colombia: 15.1 µg/m³ (2024) · Guatemala: 27.7 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 7% more likely to be murdered in Colombia than in Guatemala.
Colombia: 24.9 per 100k (2023) · Guatemala: 23.4 per 100k (2023)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Colombia are 29% deadlier than in Guatemala.
Colombia: 16.2 per 100k (2021) · Guatemala: 12.6 per 100k (2021)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Colombia is on average 0.7 °C warmer than Guatemala.
Colombia: 24.4°C (2016–2025 avg) · Guatemala: 23.7°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Colombia gets 74% more rain than Guatemala.
Colombia: 3,155 mm (2016–2025 avg) · Guatemala: 1,811 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is Colombia bigger than Guatemala?
Colombia is larger. Guatemala fits inside Colombia 10 times.
Which has more people, Colombia or Guatemala?
Colombia has 2.9 times as many people as Guatemala (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Colombia or Guatemala?
People in Colombia live 5.2 years longer than in Guatemala. Life expectancy at birth is 77.9 years in Colombia and 72.7 in Guatemala.
Are people taller in Colombia or Guatemala?
Men in Colombia are 7.5 cm taller than in Guatemala (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
