Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Guatemala fits inside Iran 16 times
Guatemala: 108,889 km² (2024) · Iran: 1,745,150 km² (2024)
How much coast is there?
Iran’s coastline is 6.1 times as long as Guatemala’s
Guatemala: 400 km (2026 edition) · Iran: 2,440 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Iran’s highest peak towers 1,405 m above Guatemala’s
Guatemala: 4,220 m (2026 edition) · Iran: 5,625 m (2026 edition)
How much of the land is farmed?
Farmland covers 46% of Guatemala, versus 29% of Iran
Guatemala: 46% (2024) · Iran: 29% (2024)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
Iran has 4.9 times as many people as Guatemala
Guatemala: 18.7 million (2025) · Iran: 92.4 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
Guatemala is 3.1 times as densely populated as Iran
Guatemala: 174 per km² (2025) · Iran: 57 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in Iran are 11.3 cm taller than in Guatemala
Guatemala: 164.4 cm (2019) · Iran: 175.6 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in Iran are 10.3 cm taller than in Guatemala
Guatemala: 150.9 cm (2019) · Iran: 161.2 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Iran is 10 years older than in Guatemala
Guatemala: 22.6 years (2023) · Iran: 32.9 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Guatemala have 0.6 more children on average than in Iran
Guatemala: 2.29 children per woman (2024) · Iran: 1.68 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
8.6% of people in Iran are 65 or older, versus 5.0% in Guatemala
Guatemala: 5% (2025) · Iran: 8.6% (2025)
How many refugees does it host?
Iran hosts 98 times as many refugees per resident as Guatemala
Guatemala: 0.1 per 1,000 (2025) · Iran: 8.3 per 1,000 (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
Guatemala has produced 1.1 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, Iran 0.3
Guatemala: 1.1 (2026) · Iran: 0.3 (2026)
How many official languages?
Guatemala and Iran are practically level
Guatemala: 1 (2026) · Iran: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
Iran’s economy is 2.9 times the size of Guatemala’s
Guatemala: $123 billion (2025) · Iran: $363 billion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
Iran produces 30% more per person than Guatemala
Guatemala: Int$15,197 (2025) · Iran: Int$19,699 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in Guatemala than in Iran (Gini 9.3 points higher)
Guatemala: 45.2 (2023) · Iran: 35.9 (2023)
How many live on less than $3 a day?
9.7% of people in Guatemala live on less than $3 a day, versus 2.5% in Iran
Guatemala: 9.7% (2023) · Iran: 2.5% (2023)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 8.3% in Iran, versus 2.6% in Guatemala
Guatemala: 2.6% (2025) · Iran: 8.3% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
Iran spends 2.1% of its GDP on the military, Guatemala 0.5%
Guatemala: 0.5% (2025) · Iran: 2.1% (2025)
How much does the central government collect in tax?
Guatemala: 11.6% (2024) · Iran: no data
How expensive is it?
Guatemala’s price level (US = 100) is 2.2× Iran’s
Guatemala: 43% (2025) · Iran: 20% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
Guatemala spends 47% more on health per person than Iran
Guatemala: $392 (2023) · Iran: $267 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in Iran live 5.1 years longer than in Guatemala
Guatemala: 72.7 years (2024) · Iran: 77.9 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Guatemala is 67% more likely to die before turning one than in Iran
Guatemala: 17.2 per 1,000 (2024) · Iran: 10.3 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Iran has 41% more doctors per person than Guatemala
Guatemala: 1.3 per 1,000 (2020) · Iran: 1.8 per 1,000 (2023)
How many hospital beds are there?
Iran has 4.1 times as many hospital beds per person as Guatemala
Guatemala: 0.5 per 1,000 (2023) · Iran: 1.9 per 1,000 (2019)
How common is suicide?
The suicide rate in Iran is 9% higher than in Guatemala
Guatemala: 5.5 per 100k (2023) · Iran: 6 per 100k (2023)
How common is obesity?
27% of adults in Guatemala are obese, versus 26% in Iran
Guatemala: 26.7% (2024) · Iran: 25.7% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
12% of adults in Iran smoke, versus 11% in Guatemala
Guatemala: 11.2% (2024) · Iran: 11.9% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in Guatemala rate their lives 1.38 points higher than in Iran
Guatemala: 6.53 (2025) · Iran: 5.15 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in Guatemala drink 148 times as much alcohol as in Iran
Guatemala: 3.1 litres (2023) · Iran: 0.021 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
Guatemala has 81% more meat per person than Iran
Guatemala: 54.3 kg (2023) · Iran: 29.9 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
Iran has 52 kcal more food per person per day than Guatemala
Guatemala: 2,823 kcal (2023) · Iran: 2,875 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in Iran put in 95 more hours a year than in Guatemala
Guatemala: 2,151 hours (2023) · Iran: 2,246 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in Iran went to school 5 years longer than in Guatemala
Guatemala: 5.8 years (2023) · Iran: 10.8 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Guatemala: 0.08 (2022) · Iran: no data
How many World Heritage sites?
Iran has 26 more World Heritage sites than Guatemala (30 against 4)
Guatemala: 4 (2026) · Iran: 30 (2026)
How many Olympic medals has it won?
Iran has won 88 Olympic medals, Guatemala 3
Guatemala: 3 (2026 edition) · Iran: 88 (2026 edition)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
85% of people in Iran are online, versus 60% in Guatemala
Guatemala: 60% (2024) · Iran: 85% (2024)
How fast is home internet?
Guatemala: 149 Mbps (2026) · Iran: no data
Who has electricity at home?
100% of people in Iran have electricity, versus 91% in Guatemala
Guatemala: 90.9% (2024) · Iran: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
77% of people in Iran live in cities, versus 56% in Guatemala
Guatemala: 56% (2025) · Iran: 77% (2025)
How many phones per person?
Iran has 174 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Guatemala 113
Guatemala: 113 (2024) · Iran: 174 (2024)
How much railway is there?
Iran’s railway network is 12 times as long as Guatemala’s
Guatemala: 800 km (2018) · Iran: 9,455 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from Iran fly 16 times as many passengers per resident as those from Guatemala
Guatemala: 0.01 (2023) · Iran: 0.2 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 33% of Guatemala, but only 6.6% of Iran
Guatemala: 33.1% (2024) · Iran: 6.6% (2024)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in Iran emits 8 times as much CO₂ as someone in Guatemala
Guatemala: 1.1 t (2024) · Iran: 8.7 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
68% of Guatemala’s electricity is renewable, versus 3.8% in Iran
Guatemala: 68.3% (2024) · Iran: 3.8% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in Iran carries 36% more fine dust than in Guatemala
Guatemala: 27.7 µg/m³ (2024) · Iran: 37.7 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 9.8 times as likely to be murdered in Guatemala as in Iran
Guatemala: 23.4 per 100k (2023) · Iran: 2.4 per 100k (2014)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Iran are 37% deadlier than in Guatemala
Guatemala: 21.1 per 100k (2023) · Iran: 28.9 per 100k (2023)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Guatemala is on average 4.4 °C warmer than Iran
Guatemala: 23.7°C (2016–2025 avg) · Iran: 19.3°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Guatemala gets 6.7 times as much rain as Iran
Guatemala: 1,811 mm (2016–2025 avg) · Iran: 272 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Between them
People, goods and passports that cross from one to the other
Quick answers
Is Guatemala bigger than Iran?
Iran is larger. Guatemala fits inside Iran 16 times.
Which has more people, Guatemala or Iran?
Iran has 4.9 times as many people as Guatemala (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Guatemala or Iran?
People in Iran live 5.1 years longer than in Guatemala. Life expectancy at birth is 72.7 years in Guatemala and 77.9 in Iran.
Are people taller in Guatemala or Iran?
Men in Iran are 11.3 cm taller than in Guatemala (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
