Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Guatemala fits inside New Zealand 2.5 times.
Guatemala: 108,890 km² (2023) · New Zealand: 267,710 km² (2023)
How much coast is there?
New Zealand’s coastline is 38 times as long as Guatemala’s.
Guatemala: 400 km (2026 edition) · New Zealand: 15,134 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Guatemala’s highest peak towers 4,190 m above New Zealand’s.
Guatemala: 4,220 m (2026 edition) · New Zealand: 30 m (2026 edition)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
Guatemala has 3.5 times as many people as New Zealand.
Guatemala: 18.7 million (2025) · New Zealand: 5.32 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
Guatemala is 8.6 times as densely populated as New Zealand.
Guatemala: 174 per km² (2025) · New Zealand: 20 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in New Zealand are 13.4 cm taller than in Guatemala.
Guatemala: 164.4 cm (2019) · New Zealand: 177.7 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in New Zealand are 13.8 cm taller than in Guatemala.
Guatemala: 150.9 cm (2019) · New Zealand: 164.7 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in New Zealand is 15 years older than in Guatemala.
Guatemala: 22.6 years (2023) · New Zealand: 37.3 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Guatemala have 0.7 more children on average than in New Zealand.
Guatemala: 2.29 children per woman (2024) · New Zealand: 1.57 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
18% of people in New Zealand are 65 or older, versus 5.0% in Guatemala.
Guatemala: 5% (2025) · New Zealand: 17.6% (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
New Zealand has produced 5.6 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, Guatemala 1.1.
Guatemala: 1.1 (2025) · New Zealand: 5.6 (2025)
How many official languages?
New Zealand has 3 official languages, Guatemala 1.
Guatemala: 1 (2026) · New Zealand: 3 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
New Zealand’s economy is 2.1 times the size of Guatemala’s.
Guatemala: $123 billion (2025) · New Zealand: $264 billion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
New Zealand produces 3.8 times as much per person as Guatemala.
Guatemala: Int$15,197 (2025) · New Zealand: Int$57,350 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Guatemala: 45.2 (2023) · New Zealand: no data
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 5.1% in New Zealand, versus 2.6% in Guatemala.
Guatemala: 2.6% (2025) · New Zealand: 5.1% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
New Zealand spends 1.2% of its GDP on the military, Guatemala 0.4%.
Guatemala: 0.4% (2024) · New Zealand: 1.2% (2024)
How expensive is it?
New Zealand’s price level (US = 100) is 2× Guatemala’s.
Guatemala: 43% (2025) · New Zealand: 86% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
New Zealand spends 13 times as much on health per person as Guatemala.
Guatemala: $392 (2023) · New Zealand: $5,022 (2024)
How long do people live?
People in New Zealand live 9.3 years longer than in Guatemala.
Guatemala: 72.7 years (2024) · New Zealand: 82 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Guatemala is 4.3 times as likely to die before turning one as in New Zealand.
Guatemala: 17.2 per 1,000 (2024) · New Zealand: 4 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
New Zealand has 2.8 times as many doctors per person as Guatemala.
Guatemala: 1.3 per 1,000 (2020) · New Zealand: 3.6 per 1,000 (2022)
How common is obesity?
35% of adults in New Zealand are obese, versus 27% in Guatemala.
Guatemala: 26.7% (2024) · New Zealand: 34.7% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
11% of adults in Guatemala smoke, versus 9.3% in New Zealand.
Guatemala: 11.2% (2024) · New Zealand: 9.3% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in New Zealand rate their lives 0.46 points higher than in Guatemala.
Guatemala: 6.53 (2025) · New Zealand: 7.00 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in New Zealand drink 2.9 times as much alcohol as in Guatemala.
Guatemala: 3.1 litres (2023) · New Zealand: 8.9 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
New Zealand has 47% more meat per person than Guatemala.
Guatemala: 54.3 kg (2023) · New Zealand: 79.5 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
New Zealand has 298 kcal more food per person per day than Guatemala.
Guatemala: 2,823 kcal (2023) · New Zealand: 3,122 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in Guatemala put in 443 more hours a year than in New Zealand.
Guatemala: 2,151 hours (2023) · New Zealand: 1,708 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in New Zealand went to school 7 years longer than in Guatemala.
Guatemala: 5.8 years (2023) · New Zealand: 12.9 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
New Zealand welcomed 7.2 times as many tourists per resident as Guatemala (2019).
Guatemala: 0.08 (2022) · New Zealand: 0.6 (2024)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
94% of people in New Zealand are online, versus 60% in Guatemala.
Guatemala: 60% (2024) · New Zealand: 94% (2024)
Who has electricity at home?
100% of people in New Zealand have electricity, versus 91% in Guatemala.
Guatemala: 90.9% (2024) · New Zealand: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
84% of people in New Zealand live in cities, versus 56% in Guatemala.
Guatemala: 56% (2025) · New Zealand: 84% (2025)
How many phones per person?
New Zealand has 130 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Guatemala 113.
Guatemala: 113 (2024) · New Zealand: 130 (2024)
How much railway is there?
New Zealand’s railway network is 5.2 times as long as Guatemala’s.
Guatemala: 800 km (2018) · New Zealand: 4,128 km (2018)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from New Zealand fly 238 times as many passengers per resident as those from Guatemala.
Guatemala: 0.01 (2023) · New Zealand: 2.82 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 38% of New Zealand, but only 33% of Guatemala.
Guatemala: 32.6% (2023) · New Zealand: 37.8% (2023)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in New Zealand emits 5.8 times as much CO₂ as someone in Guatemala.
Guatemala: 1.1 t (2024) · New Zealand: 6.2 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
89% of New Zealand’s electricity is renewable, versus 68% in Guatemala.
Guatemala: 68.3% (2024) · New Zealand: 88.5% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in Guatemala carries 4 times as much fine dust as in New Zealand.
Guatemala: 27.7 µg/m³ (2024) · New Zealand: 7 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 16 times as likely to be murdered in Guatemala as in New Zealand.
Guatemala: 23.4 per 100k (2023) · New Zealand: 1.5 per 100k (2022)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Guatemala are 91% deadlier than in New Zealand.
Guatemala: 12.6 per 100k (2021) · New Zealand: 6.6 per 100k (2021)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Guatemala is on average 12.6 °C warmer than New Zealand.
Guatemala: 23.7°C (2016–2025 avg) · New Zealand: 11.1°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Guatemala gets 13% more rain than New Zealand.
Guatemala: 1,811 mm (2016–2025 avg) · New Zealand: 1,596 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is Guatemala bigger than New Zealand?
New Zealand is larger. Guatemala fits inside New Zealand 2.5 times.
Which has more people, Guatemala or New Zealand?
Guatemala has 3.5 times as many people as New Zealand (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Guatemala or New Zealand?
People in New Zealand live 9.3 years longer than in Guatemala. Life expectancy at birth is 72.7 years in Guatemala and 82.0 in New Zealand.
Are people taller in Guatemala or New Zealand?
Men in New Zealand are 13.4 cm taller than in Guatemala (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
