Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Guatemala is 18% bigger than Portugal.
Guatemala: 108,890 km² (2023) · Portugal: 92,230 km² (2023)
How much coast is there?
Portugal’s coastline is 4.5 times as long as Guatemala’s.
Guatemala: 400 km (2026 edition) · Portugal: 1,793 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Guatemala’s highest peak towers 1,869 m above Portugal’s.
Guatemala: 4,220 m (2026 edition) · Portugal: 2,351 m (2026 edition)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
Guatemala has 73% more people than Portugal.
Guatemala: 18.7 million (2025) · Portugal: 10.8 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
Guatemala is 48% more densely populated than Portugal.
Guatemala: 174 per km² (2025) · Portugal: 118 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in Portugal are 10.0 cm taller than in Guatemala.
Guatemala: 164.4 cm (2019) · Portugal: 174.4 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in Portugal are 10.3 cm taller than in Guatemala.
Guatemala: 150.9 cm (2019) · Portugal: 161.2 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Portugal is 24 years older than in Guatemala.
Guatemala: 22.6 years (2023) · Portugal: 46.2 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Guatemala have 0.9 more children on average than in Portugal.
Guatemala: 2.29 children per woman (2024) · Portugal: 1.41 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
25% of people in Portugal are 65 or older, versus 5.0% in Guatemala.
Guatemala: 5% (2025) · Portugal: 24.9% (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
Portugal has produced 1.9 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, Guatemala 1.1.
Guatemala: 1.1 (2025) · Portugal: 1.9 (2025)
How many official languages?
Guatemala and Portugal are practically level.
Guatemala: 1 (2026) · Portugal: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
Portugal’s economy is 2.8 times the size of Guatemala’s.
Guatemala: $123 billion (2025) · Portugal: $347 billion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
Portugal produces 3.5 times as much per person as Guatemala.
Guatemala: Int$15,197 (2025) · Portugal: Int$53,146 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in Guatemala than in Portugal (Gini 11.3 points higher).
Guatemala: 45.2 (2023) · Portugal: 33.9 (2023)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 6.2% in Portugal, versus 2.6% in Guatemala.
Guatemala: 2.6% (2025) · Portugal: 6.2% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
Portugal spends 1.5% of its GDP on the military, Guatemala 0.4%.
Guatemala: 0.4% (2024) · Portugal: 1.5% (2024)
How expensive is it?
Portugal’s price level (US = 100) is 1.4× Guatemala’s.
Guatemala: 43% (2025) · Portugal: 60% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
Portugal spends 7.6 times as much on health per person as Guatemala.
Guatemala: $392 (2023) · Portugal: $2,971 (2024)
How long do people live?
People in Portugal live 9.6 years longer than in Guatemala.
Guatemala: 72.7 years (2024) · Portugal: 82.4 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Guatemala is 6.4 times as likely to die before turning one as in Portugal.
Guatemala: 17.2 per 1,000 (2024) · Portugal: 2.7 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Portugal has 4.6 times as many doctors per person as Guatemala.
Guatemala: 1.3 per 1,000 (2020) · Portugal: 5.9 per 1,000 (2022)
How common is obesity?
27% of adults in Guatemala are obese, versus 23% in Portugal.
Guatemala: 26.7% (2024) · Portugal: 23% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
29% of adults in Portugal smoke, versus 11% in Guatemala.
Guatemala: 11.2% (2024) · Portugal: 28.6% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in Guatemala rate their lives 0.50 points higher than in Portugal.
Guatemala: 6.53 (2025) · Portugal: 6.03 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in Portugal drink 4.5 times as much alcohol as in Guatemala.
Guatemala: 3.1 litres (2023) · Portugal: 13.7 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
Portugal has 83% more meat per person than Guatemala.
Guatemala: 54.3 kg (2023) · Portugal: 99.3 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
Portugal has 730 kcal more food per person per day than Guatemala.
Guatemala: 2,823 kcal (2023) · Portugal: 3,553 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in Guatemala put in 416 more hours a year than in Portugal.
Guatemala: 2,151 hours (2023) · Portugal: 1,735 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in Portugal went to school 3.9 years longer than in Guatemala.
Guatemala: 5.8 years (2023) · Portugal: 9.7 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Portugal welcomed 32 times as many tourists per resident as Guatemala (2019).
Guatemala: 0.08 (2022) · Portugal: 2.71 (2024)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
88% of people in Portugal are online, versus 60% in Guatemala.
Guatemala: 60% (2024) · Portugal: 88% (2024)
Who has electricity at home?
100% of people in Portugal have electricity, versus 91% in Guatemala.
Guatemala: 90.9% (2024) · Portugal: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
61% of people in Portugal live in cities, versus 56% in Guatemala.
Guatemala: 56% (2025) · Portugal: 61% (2025)
How many phones per person?
Portugal has 124 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Guatemala 113.
Guatemala: 113 (2024) · Portugal: 124 (2024)
How much railway is there?
Portugal’s railway network is 3.2 times as long as Guatemala’s.
Guatemala: 800 km (2018) · Portugal: 2,527 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from Portugal fly 143 times as many passengers per resident as those from Guatemala.
Guatemala: 0.01 (2023) · Portugal: 1.69 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 36% of Portugal, but only 33% of Guatemala.
Guatemala: 32.6% (2023) · Portugal: 36.2% (2023)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in Portugal emits 3.2 times as much CO₂ as someone in Guatemala.
Guatemala: 1.1 t (2024) · Portugal: 3.4 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
81% of Portugal’s electricity is renewable, versus 68% in Guatemala.
Guatemala: 68.3% (2024) · Portugal: 81% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in Guatemala carries 2.6 times as much fine dust as in Portugal.
Guatemala: 27.7 µg/m³ (2024) · Portugal: 10.5 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 32 times as likely to be murdered in Guatemala as in Portugal.
Guatemala: 23.4 per 100k (2023) · Portugal: 0.7 per 100k (2022)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Guatemala are 75% deadlier than in Portugal.
Guatemala: 12.6 per 100k (2021) · Portugal: 7.2 per 100k (2021)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Guatemala is on average 7.8 °C warmer than Portugal.
Guatemala: 23.7°C (2016–2025 avg) · Portugal: 15.9°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Guatemala gets 2.3 times as much rain as Portugal.
Guatemala: 1,811 mm (2016–2025 avg) · Portugal: 777 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is Guatemala bigger than Portugal?
Guatemala is larger. Guatemala is 18% bigger than Portugal.
Which has more people, Guatemala or Portugal?
Guatemala has 73% more people than Portugal (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Guatemala or Portugal?
People in Portugal live 9.6 years longer than in Guatemala. Life expectancy at birth is 72.7 years in Guatemala and 82.4 in Portugal.
Are people taller in Guatemala or Portugal?
Men in Portugal are 10.0 cm taller than in Guatemala (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
