Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Guatemala fits inside Mexico 18 times.
Guatemala: 108,890 km² (2023) · Mexico: 1,957,190 km² (2023)
How much coast is there?
Mexico’s coastline is 23 times as long as Guatemala’s.
Guatemala: 400 km (2026 edition) · Mexico: 9,330 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Mexico’s highest peak towers 1,416 m above Guatemala’s.
Guatemala: 4,220 m (2026 edition) · Mexico: 5,636 m (2026 edition)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
Mexico has 7.1 times as many people as Guatemala.
Guatemala: 18.7 million (2025) · Mexico: 132 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
Guatemala is 2.6 times as densely populated as Mexico.
Guatemala: 174 per km² (2025) · Mexico: 68 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in Mexico are 5.9 cm taller than in Guatemala.
Guatemala: 164.4 cm (2019) · Mexico: 170.3 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in Mexico are 7.0 cm taller than in Guatemala.
Guatemala: 150.9 cm (2019) · Mexico: 157.9 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Mexico is 6.3 years older than in Guatemala.
Guatemala: 22.6 years (2023) · Mexico: 28.9 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Guatemala have 0.4 more children on average than in Mexico.
Guatemala: 2.29 children per woman (2024) · Mexico: 1.89 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
8.5% of people in Mexico are 65 or older, versus 5.0% in Guatemala.
Guatemala: 5% (2025) · Mexico: 8.5% (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
Guatemala has produced 1.1 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, Mexico 0.2.
Guatemala: 1.1 (2025) · Mexico: 0.2 (2025)
How many official languages?
Guatemala and Mexico are practically level.
Guatemala: 1 (2026) · Mexico: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
Mexico’s economy is 15 times the size of Guatemala’s.
Guatemala: $123 billion (2025) · Mexico: $1.83 trillion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
Mexico produces 70% more per person than Guatemala.
Guatemala: Int$15,197 (2025) · Mexico: Int$25,869 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in Guatemala than in Mexico (Gini 2.6 points higher).
Guatemala: 45.2 (2023) · Mexico: 42.6 (2024)
How many people are looking for work?
Mexico and Guatemala are practically level.
Guatemala: 2.6% (2025) · Mexico: 2.7% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
Mexico spends 0.9% of its GDP on the military, Guatemala 0.4%.
Guatemala: 0.4% (2024) · Mexico: 0.9% (2024)
How expensive is it?
Mexico’s price level (US = 100) is 1.2× Guatemala’s.
Guatemala: 43% (2025) · Mexico: 54% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
Mexico spends 94% more on health per person than Guatemala.
Guatemala: $392 (2023) · Mexico: $761 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in Mexico live 2.5 years longer than in Guatemala.
Guatemala: 72.7 years (2024) · Mexico: 75.3 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Guatemala is 42% more likely to die before turning one than in Mexico.
Guatemala: 17.2 per 1,000 (2024) · Mexico: 12.1 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Mexico has 2 times as many doctors per person as Guatemala.
Guatemala: 1.3 per 1,000 (2020) · Mexico: 2.6 per 1,000 (2022)
How common is obesity?
37% of adults in Mexico are obese, versus 27% in Guatemala.
Guatemala: 26.7% (2024) · Mexico: 37.4% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
16% of adults in Mexico smoke, versus 11% in Guatemala.
Guatemala: 11.2% (2024) · Mexico: 15.7% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in Mexico rate their lives 0.44 points higher than in Guatemala.
Guatemala: 6.53 (2025) · Mexico: 6.97 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in Mexico drink 2.2 times as much alcohol as in Guatemala.
Guatemala: 3.1 litres (2023) · Mexico: 6.7 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
Mexico has 44% more meat per person than Guatemala.
Guatemala: 54.3 kg (2023) · Mexico: 78.2 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
Mexico has 481 kcal more food per person per day than Guatemala.
Guatemala: 2,823 kcal (2023) · Mexico: 3,305 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in Guatemala put in 522 more hours a year than in Mexico.
Guatemala: 2,151 hours (2023) · Mexico: 1,629 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in Mexico went to school 3.5 years longer than in Guatemala.
Guatemala: 5.8 years (2023) · Mexico: 9.3 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Mexico welcomed 4.1 times as many tourists per resident as Guatemala (2019).
Guatemala: 0.08 (2022) · Mexico: 0.34 (2024)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
83% of people in Mexico are online, versus 60% in Guatemala.
Guatemala: 60% (2024) · Mexico: 83% (2024)
Who has electricity at home?
100% of people in Mexico have electricity, versus 91% in Guatemala.
Guatemala: 90.9% (2024) · Mexico: 99.8% (2024)
How many live in cities?
80% of people in Mexico live in cities, versus 56% in Guatemala.
Guatemala: 56% (2025) · Mexico: 80% (2025)
How many phones per person?
Mexico has 116 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Guatemala 113.
Guatemala: 113 (2024) · Mexico: 116 (2024)
How much railway is there?
Mexico’s railway network is 29 times as long as Guatemala’s.
Guatemala: 800 km (2018) · Mexico: 23,389 km (2017)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from Mexico fly 50 times as many passengers per resident as those from Guatemala.
Guatemala: 0.01 (2023) · Mexico: 0.6 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 34% of Mexico, but only 33% of Guatemala.
Guatemala: 32.6% (2023) · Mexico: 33.6% (2023)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in Mexico emits 3.3 times as much CO₂ as someone in Guatemala.
Guatemala: 1.1 t (2024) · Mexico: 3.5 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
68% of Guatemala’s electricity is renewable, versus 23% in Mexico.
Guatemala: 68.3% (2024) · Mexico: 23.1% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in Guatemala carries 51% more fine dust than in Mexico.
Guatemala: 27.7 µg/m³ (2024) · Mexico: 18.3 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 6% more likely to be murdered in Mexico than in Guatemala.
Guatemala: 23.4 per 100k (2023) · Mexico: 24.9 per 100k (2023)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Guatemala are 5% deadlier than in Mexico.
Guatemala: 12.6 per 100k (2021) · Mexico: 12 per 100k (2021)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Guatemala is on average 2.3 °C warmer than Mexico.
Guatemala: 23.7°C (2016–2025 avg) · Mexico: 21.4°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Guatemala gets 2.3 times as much rain as Mexico.
Guatemala: 1,811 mm (2016–2025 avg) · Mexico: 788 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is Guatemala bigger than Mexico?
Mexico is larger. Guatemala fits inside Mexico 18 times.
Which has more people, Guatemala or Mexico?
Mexico has 7.1 times as many people as Guatemala (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Guatemala or Mexico?
People in Mexico live 2.5 years longer than in Guatemala. Life expectancy at birth is 72.7 years in Guatemala and 75.3 in Mexico.
Are people taller in Guatemala or Mexico?
Men in Mexico are 5.9 cm taller than in Guatemala (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
