Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
The Netherlands fits inside Guatemala 2.6 times.
Guatemala: 108,890 km² (2023) · Netherlands: 41,540 km² (2023)
How much coast is there?
The Netherlands’ coastline is 13% longer than Guatemala’s.
Guatemala: 400 km (2026 edition) · Netherlands: 451 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Guatemala’s highest peak towers 3,358 m above the Netherlands’.
Guatemala: 4,220 m (2026 edition) · Netherlands: 862 m (2026 edition)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
Guatemala has 3% more people than the Netherlands.
Guatemala: 18.7 million (2025) · Netherlands: 18.1 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
The Netherlands is 3.1 times as densely populated as Guatemala.
Guatemala: 174 per km² (2025) · Netherlands: 537 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in the Netherlands are 19.4 cm taller than in Guatemala.
Guatemala: 164.4 cm (2019) · Netherlands: 183.8 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in the Netherlands are 19.5 cm taller than in Guatemala.
Guatemala: 150.9 cm (2019) · Netherlands: 170.4 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in the Netherlands is 19 years older than in Guatemala.
Guatemala: 22.6 years (2023) · Netherlands: 41.4 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Guatemala have 0.9 more children on average than in the Netherlands.
Guatemala: 2.29 children per woman (2024) · Netherlands: 1.43 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
21% of people in the Netherlands are 65 or older, versus 5.0% in Guatemala.
Guatemala: 5% (2025) · Netherlands: 20.9% (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
The Netherlands has produced 11.1 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, Guatemala 1.1.
Guatemala: 1.1 (2025) · Netherlands: 11.1 (2025)
How many official languages?
Guatemala and the Netherlands are practically level.
Guatemala: 1 (2026) · Netherlands: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
The Netherlands’ economy is 11 times the size of Guatemala’s.
Guatemala: $123 billion (2025) · Netherlands: $1.33 trillion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
The Netherlands produces 5.7 times as much per person as Guatemala.
Guatemala: Int$15,197 (2025) · Netherlands: Int$87,320 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in Guatemala than in the Netherlands (Gini 19.5 points higher).
Guatemala: 45.2 (2023) · Netherlands: 25.7 (2021)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 3.9% in the Netherlands, versus 2.6% in Guatemala.
Guatemala: 2.6% (2025) · Netherlands: 3.9% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
The Netherlands spends 1.9% of its GDP on the military, Guatemala 0.4%.
Guatemala: 0.4% (2024) · Netherlands: 1.9% (2024)
How expensive is it?
The Netherlands’ price level (US = 100) is 1.9× Guatemala’s.
Guatemala: 43% (2025) · Netherlands: 84% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
The Netherlands spends 17 times as much on health per person as Guatemala.
Guatemala: $392 (2023) · Netherlands: $6,845 (2024)
How long do people live?
People in the Netherlands live 9.2 years longer than in Guatemala.
Guatemala: 72.7 years (2024) · Netherlands: 82 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 the Netherlands.
Guatemala: 17.2 per 1,000 (2024) · Netherlands: 3.4 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
The Netherlands has 3 times as many doctors per person as Guatemala.
Guatemala: 1.3 per 1,000 (2020) · Netherlands: 3.9 per 1,000 (2022)
How common is obesity?
27% of adults in Guatemala are obese, versus 17% in the Netherlands.
Guatemala: 26.7% (2024) · Netherlands: 16.9% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
21% of adults in the Netherlands smoke, versus 11% in Guatemala.
Guatemala: 11.2% (2024) · Netherlands: 20.5% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in the Netherlands rate their lives 0.69 points higher than in Guatemala.
Guatemala: 6.53 (2025) · Netherlands: 7.22 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in the Netherlands drink 2.8 times as much alcohol as in Guatemala.
Guatemala: 3.1 litres (2023) · Netherlands: 8.6 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
The Netherlands has 32% more meat per person than Guatemala.
Guatemala: 54.3 kg (2023) · Netherlands: 71.6 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
The Netherlands has 644 kcal more food per person per day than Guatemala.
Guatemala: 2,823 kcal (2023) · Netherlands: 3,467 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in Guatemala put in 712 more hours a year than in the Netherlands.
Guatemala: 2,151 hours (2023) · Netherlands: 1,439 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in the Netherlands went to school 6.8 years longer than in Guatemala.
Guatemala: 5.8 years (2023) · Netherlands: 12.7 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
The Netherlands welcomed 11 times as many tourists per resident as Guatemala (2019).
Guatemala: 0.08 (2022) · Netherlands: 0.91 (2022)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
97% of people in the Netherlands are online, versus 60% in Guatemala.
Guatemala: 60% (2024) · Netherlands: 97% (2024)
Who has electricity at home?
100% of people in the Netherlands have electricity, versus 91% in Guatemala.
Guatemala: 90.9% (2024) · Netherlands: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
96% of people in the Netherlands live in cities, versus 56% in Guatemala.
Guatemala: 56% (2025) · Netherlands: 96% (2025)
How many phones per person?
The Netherlands has 129 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Guatemala 113.
Guatemala: 113 (2024) · Netherlands: 129 (2024)
How much railway is there?
The Netherlands’ railway network is 3.8 times as long as Guatemala’s.
Guatemala: 800 km (2018) · Netherlands: 3,041 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from the Netherlands fly 193 times as many passengers per resident as those from Guatemala.
Guatemala: 0.01 (2023) · Netherlands: 2.29 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 33% of Guatemala, but only 11% of the Netherlands.
Guatemala: 32.6% (2023) · Netherlands: 11.1% (2023)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in the Netherlands emits 5.8 times as much CO₂ as someone in Guatemala.
Guatemala: 1.1 t (2024) · Netherlands: 6.3 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
68% of Guatemala’s electricity is renewable, versus 51% in the Netherlands.
Guatemala: 68.3% (2024) · Netherlands: 51.2% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in Guatemala carries 2.9 times as much fine dust as in the Netherlands.
Guatemala: 27.7 µg/m³ (2024) · Netherlands: 9.6 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 34 times as likely to be murdered in Guatemala as in the Netherlands.
Guatemala: 23.4 per 100k (2023) · Netherlands: 0.7 per 100k (2023)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Guatemala are 3.7 times as deadly as in the Netherlands.
Guatemala: 12.6 per 100k (2021) · Netherlands: 3.4 per 100k (2021)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Guatemala is on average 12.5 °C warmer than the Netherlands.
Guatemala: 23.7°C (2016–2025 avg) · Netherlands: 11.2°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Guatemala gets 2 times as much rain as the Netherlands.
Guatemala: 1,811 mm (2016–2025 avg) · Netherlands: 887 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is Guatemala bigger than the Netherlands?
Guatemala is larger. The Netherlands fits inside Guatemala 2.6 times.
Which has more people, Guatemala or the Netherlands?
Guatemala has 3% more people than the Netherlands (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Guatemala or the Netherlands?
People in the Netherlands live 9.2 years longer than in Guatemala. Life expectancy at birth is 72.7 years in Guatemala and 82.0 in the Netherlands.
Are people taller in Guatemala or the Netherlands?
Men in the Netherlands are 19.4 cm taller than in Guatemala (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
