Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Guatemala fits inside Japan 3.5 times.
Guatemala: 108,890 km² (2023) · Japan: 377,969 km² (2023)
How much coast is there?
Japan’s coastline is 74 times as long as Guatemala’s.
Guatemala: 400 km (2026 edition) · Japan: 29,751 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Guatemala’s highest peak towers 444 m above Japan’s.
Guatemala: 4,220 m (2026 edition) · Japan: 3,776 m (2026 edition)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
Japan has 6.6 times as many people as Guatemala.
Guatemala: 18.7 million (2025) · Japan: 123 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
Japan is 94% more densely populated than Guatemala.
Guatemala: 174 per km² (2025) · Japan: 338 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in Japan are 7.7 cm taller than in Guatemala.
Guatemala: 164.4 cm (2019) · Japan: 172.1 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in Japan are 7.6 cm taller than in Guatemala.
Guatemala: 150.9 cm (2019) · Japan: 158.5 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Japan is 26 years older than in Guatemala.
Guatemala: 22.6 years (2023) · Japan: 49 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Guatemala have 1.1 more children on average than in Japan.
Guatemala: 2.29 children per woman (2024) · Japan: 1.15 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
30% of people in Japan are 65 or older, versus 5.0% in Guatemala.
Guatemala: 5% (2025) · Japan: 30% (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
Japan has produced 2.4 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, Guatemala 1.1.
Guatemala: 1.1 (2025) · Japan: 2.4 (2025)
How many official languages?
Guatemala and Japan are practically level.
Guatemala: 1 (2026) · Japan: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
Japan’s economy is 36 times the size of Guatemala’s.
Guatemala: $123 billion (2025) · Japan: $4.44 trillion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
Japan produces 3.6 times as much per person as Guatemala.
Guatemala: Int$15,197 (2025) · Japan: Int$55,422 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in Guatemala than in Japan (Gini 12.9 points higher).
Guatemala: 45.2 (2023) · Japan: 32.3 (2020)
How many people are looking for work?
Guatemala and Japan are practically level.
Guatemala: 2.6% (2025) · Japan: 2.5% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
Japan spends 1.4% of its GDP on the military, Guatemala 0.4%.
Guatemala: 0.4% (2024) · Japan: 1.4% (2024)
How expensive is it?
Japan’s price level (US = 100) is 1.5× Guatemala’s.
Guatemala: 43% (2025) · Japan: 65% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
Japan spends 9.3 times as much on health per person as Guatemala.
Guatemala: $392 (2023) · Japan: $3,638 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in Japan live 11 years longer than in Guatemala.
Guatemala: 72.7 years (2024) · Japan: 84 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Guatemala is 9.6 times as likely to die before turning one as in Japan.
Guatemala: 17.2 per 1,000 (2024) · Japan: 1.8 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Japan has 2.1 times as many doctors per person as Guatemala.
Guatemala: 1.3 per 1,000 (2020) · Japan: 2.6 per 1,000 (2022)
How common is obesity?
27% of adults in Guatemala are obese, versus 5.2% in Japan.
Guatemala: 26.7% (2024) · Japan: 5.2% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
18% of adults in Japan smoke, versus 11% in Guatemala.
Guatemala: 11.2% (2024) · Japan: 17.5% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in Guatemala rate their lives 0.40 points higher than in Japan.
Guatemala: 6.53 (2025) · Japan: 6.13 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in Japan drink 2 times as much alcohol as in Guatemala.
Guatemala: 3.1 litres (2023) · Japan: 6.3 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
Japan has 10% more meat per person than Guatemala.
Guatemala: 54.3 kg (2023) · Japan: 59.9 kg (2022)
How much food is there per day?
Guatemala has 153 kcal more food per person per day than Japan.
Guatemala: 2,823 kcal (2023) · Japan: 2,670 kcal (2022)
How long do people work?
Workers in Guatemala put in 497 more hours a year than in Japan.
Guatemala: 2,151 hours (2023) · Japan: 1,654 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in Japan went to school 6.8 years longer than in Guatemala.
Guatemala: 5.8 years (2023) · Japan: 12.7 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Japan welcomed 3.6 times as many tourists per resident as Guatemala (2019).
Guatemala: 0.08 (2022) · Japan: 0.3 (2024)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
86% of people in Japan are online, versus 60% in Guatemala.
Guatemala: 60% (2024) · Japan: 86% (2024)
Who has electricity at home?
100% of people in Japan have electricity, versus 91% in Guatemala.
Guatemala: 90.9% (2024) · Japan: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
92% of people in Japan live in cities, versus 56% in Guatemala.
Guatemala: 56% (2025) · Japan: 92% (2025)
How many phones per person?
Japan has 178 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Guatemala 113.
Guatemala: 113 (2024) · Japan: 178 (2023)
How much railway is there?
Japan’s railway network is 25 times as long as Guatemala’s.
Guatemala: 800 km (2018) · Japan: 20,087 km (2011)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from Japan fly 82 times as many passengers per resident as those from Guatemala.
Guatemala: 0.01 (2023) · Japan: 0.98 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 68% of Japan, but only 33% of Guatemala.
Guatemala: 32.6% (2023) · Japan: 68.4% (2023)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in Japan emits 7.2 times as much CO₂ as someone in Guatemala.
Guatemala: 1.1 t (2024) · Japan: 7.8 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
68% of Guatemala’s electricity is renewable, versus 24% in Japan.
Guatemala: 68.3% (2024) · Japan: 23.6% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in Guatemala carries 2.6 times as much fine dust as in Japan.
Guatemala: 27.7 µg/m³ (2024) · Japan: 10.5 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 102 times as likely to be murdered in Guatemala as in Japan.
Guatemala: 23.4 per 100k (2023) · Japan: 0.2 per 100k (2023)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Guatemala are 4.7 times as deadly as in Japan.
Guatemala: 12.6 per 100k (2021) · Japan: 2.7 per 100k (2021)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Guatemala is on average 10.9 °C warmer than Japan.
Guatemala: 23.7°C (2016–2025 avg) · Japan: 12.8°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Japan and Guatemala are nearly identical here.
Guatemala: 1,811 mm (2016–2025 avg) · Japan: 1,824 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is Guatemala bigger than Japan?
Japan is larger. Guatemala fits inside Japan 3.5 times.
Which has more people, Guatemala or Japan?
Japan has 6.6 times as many people as Guatemala (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Guatemala or Japan?
People in Japan live 11 years longer than in Guatemala. Life expectancy at birth is 72.7 years in Guatemala and 84.0 in Japan.
Are people taller in Guatemala or Japan?
Men in Japan are 7.7 cm taller than in Guatemala (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
