Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Guatemala is 55% bigger than Ireland.
Guatemala: 108,890 km² (2023) · Ireland: 70,280 km² (2023)
How much coast is there?
Ireland’s coastline is 3.6 times as long as Guatemala’s.
Guatemala: 400 km (2026 edition) · Ireland: 1,448 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Guatemala’s highest peak towers 3,179 m above Ireland’s.
Guatemala: 4,220 m (2026 edition) · Ireland: 1,041 m (2026 edition)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
Guatemala has 3.4 times as many people as Ireland.
Guatemala: 18.7 million (2025) · Ireland: 5.48 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
Guatemala is 2.2 times as densely populated as Ireland.
Guatemala: 174 per km² (2025) · Ireland: 80 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in Ireland are 14.7 cm taller than in Guatemala.
Guatemala: 164.4 cm (2019) · Ireland: 179 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in Ireland are 13.6 cm taller than in Guatemala.
Guatemala: 150.9 cm (2019) · Ireland: 164.5 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Ireland is 16 years older than in Guatemala.
Guatemala: 22.6 years (2023) · Ireland: 38.4 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Guatemala have 0.8 more children on average than in Ireland.
Guatemala: 2.29 children per woman (2024) · Ireland: 1.47 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
16% of people in Ireland are 65 or older, versus 5.0% in Guatemala.
Guatemala: 5% (2025) · Ireland: 16.2% (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
Ireland has produced 9.1 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, Guatemala 1.1.
Guatemala: 1.1 (2025) · Ireland: 9.1 (2025)
How many official languages?
Ireland has 2 official languages, Guatemala 1.
Guatemala: 1 (2026) · Ireland: 2 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
Ireland’s economy is 5.9 times the size of Guatemala’s.
Guatemala: $123 billion (2025) · Ireland: $722 billion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
Ireland produces 10 times as much per person as Guatemala.
Guatemala: Int$15,197 (2025) · Ireland: Int$155,089 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in Guatemala than in Ireland (Gini 16.2 points higher).
Guatemala: 45.2 (2023) · Ireland: 29 (2023)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 4.6% in Ireland, versus 2.6% in Guatemala.
Guatemala: 2.6% (2025) · Ireland: 4.6% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
Guatemala and Ireland are practically level.
Guatemala: 0.4% (2024) · Ireland: 0.2% (2024)
How expensive is it?
Ireland’s price level (US = 100) is 2× Guatemala’s.
Guatemala: 43% (2025) · Ireland: 85% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
Ireland spends 19 times as much on health per person as Guatemala.
Guatemala: $392 (2023) · Ireland: $7,395 (2024)
How long do people live?
People in Ireland live 10 years longer than in Guatemala.
Guatemala: 72.7 years (2024) · Ireland: 83 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Guatemala is 5.1 times as likely to die before turning one as in Ireland.
Guatemala: 17.2 per 1,000 (2024) · Ireland: 3.4 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Ireland has 3 times as many doctors per person as Guatemala.
Guatemala: 1.3 per 1,000 (2020) · Ireland: 3.9 per 1,000 (2023)
How common is obesity?
31% of adults in Ireland are obese, versus 27% in Guatemala.
Guatemala: 26.7% (2024) · Ireland: 30.6% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
18% of adults in Ireland smoke, versus 11% in Guatemala.
Guatemala: 11.2% (2024) · Ireland: 18.2% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in Ireland rate their lives 0.39 points higher than in Guatemala.
Guatemala: 6.53 (2025) · Ireland: 6.93 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in Ireland drink 3.4 times as much alcohol as in Guatemala.
Guatemala: 3.1 litres (2023) · Ireland: 10.3 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
Ireland has 81% more meat per person than Guatemala.
Guatemala: 54.3 kg (2023) · Ireland: 98.4 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
Ireland has 1,098 kcal more food per person per day than Guatemala.
Guatemala: 2,823 kcal (2023) · Ireland: 3,921 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in Guatemala put in 497 more hours a year than in Ireland.
Guatemala: 2,151 hours (2023) · Ireland: 1,654 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in Ireland went to school 5.9 years longer than in Guatemala.
Guatemala: 5.8 years (2023) · Ireland: 11.7 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Ireland welcomed 26 times as many tourists per resident as Guatemala (2019).
Guatemala: 0.08 (2022) · Ireland: 2.2 (2019)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
97% of people in Ireland are online, versus 60% in Guatemala.
Guatemala: 60% (2024) · Ireland: 97% (2024)
Who has electricity at home?
100% of people in Ireland have electricity, versus 91% in Guatemala.
Guatemala: 90.9% (2024) · Ireland: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
65% of people in Ireland live in cities, versus 56% in Guatemala.
Guatemala: 56% (2025) · Ireland: 65% (2025)
How many phones per person?
Ireland and Guatemala are practically level.
Guatemala: 113 (2024) · Ireland: 113 (2024)
How much railway is there?
Ireland’s railway network is 2.1 times as long as Guatemala’s.
Guatemala: 800 km (2018) · Ireland: 1,650 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from Ireland fly 2,962 times as many passengers per resident as those from Guatemala.
Guatemala: 0.01 (2023) · Ireland: 35.11 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 33% of Guatemala, but only 12% of Ireland.
Guatemala: 32.6% (2023) · Ireland: 11.5% (2023)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in Ireland emits 5.9 times as much CO₂ as someone in Guatemala.
Guatemala: 1.1 t (2024) · Ireland: 6.3 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
68% of Guatemala’s electricity is renewable, versus 48% in Ireland.
Guatemala: 68.3% (2024) · Ireland: 48.1% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in Guatemala carries 3.7 times as much fine dust as in Ireland.
Guatemala: 27.7 µg/m³ (2024) · Ireland: 7.4 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 36 times as likely to be murdered in Guatemala as in Ireland.
Guatemala: 23.4 per 100k (2023) · Ireland: 0.7 per 100k (2023)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Guatemala are 4.5 times as deadly as in Ireland.
Guatemala: 12.6 per 100k (2021) · Ireland: 2.8 per 100k (2021)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Guatemala is on average 13.4 °C warmer than Ireland.
Guatemala: 23.7°C (2016–2025 avg) · Ireland: 10.3°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Guatemala gets 59% more rain than Ireland.
Guatemala: 1,811 mm (2016–2025 avg) · Ireland: 1,139 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is Guatemala bigger than Ireland?
Guatemala is larger. Guatemala is 55% bigger than Ireland.
Which has more people, Guatemala or Ireland?
Guatemala has 3.4 times as many people as Ireland (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Guatemala or Ireland?
People in Ireland live 10 years longer than in Guatemala. Life expectancy at birth is 72.7 years in Guatemala and 83.0 in Ireland.
Are people taller in Guatemala or Ireland?
Men in Ireland are 14.7 cm taller than in Guatemala (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
