Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Guatemala is 8% bigger than South Korea.
Guatemala: 108,890 km² (2023) · South Korea: 100,450 km² (2023)
How much coast is there?
South Korea’s coastline is 6 times as long as Guatemala’s.
Guatemala: 400 km (2026 edition) · South Korea: 2,413 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Guatemala’s highest peak towers 2,270 m above South Korea’s.
Guatemala: 4,220 m (2026 edition) · South Korea: 1,950 m (2026 edition)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
South Korea has 2.8 times as many people as Guatemala.
Guatemala: 18.7 million (2025) · South Korea: 51.7 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
South Korea is 3 times as densely populated as Guatemala.
Guatemala: 174 per km² (2025) · South Korea: 530 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in South Korea are 11.2 cm taller than in Guatemala.
Guatemala: 164.4 cm (2019) · South Korea: 175.5 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in South Korea are 12.3 cm taller than in Guatemala.
Guatemala: 150.9 cm (2019) · South Korea: 163.2 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in South Korea is 22 years older than in Guatemala.
Guatemala: 22.6 years (2023) · South Korea: 44.5 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Guatemala have 1.5 more children on average than in South Korea.
Guatemala: 2.29 children per woman (2024) · South Korea: 0.75 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
20% of people in South Korea are 65 or older, versus 5.0% in Guatemala.
Guatemala: 5% (2025) · South Korea: 20.3% (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
Guatemala has produced 1.1 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, South Korea 0.6.
Guatemala: 1.1 (2025) · South Korea: 0.6 (2025)
How many official languages?
Guatemala and South Korea are practically level.
Guatemala: 1 (2026) · South Korea: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
South Korea’s economy is 15 times the size of Guatemala’s.
Guatemala: $123 billion (2025) · South Korea: $1.87 trillion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
South Korea produces 4.2 times as much per person as Guatemala.
Guatemala: Int$15,197 (2025) · South Korea: Int$63,125 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in Guatemala than in South Korea (Gini 12.3 points higher).
Guatemala: 45.2 (2023) · South Korea: 32.9 (2021)
How many people are looking for work?
South Korea and Guatemala are practically level.
Guatemala: 2.6% (2025) · South Korea: 2.7% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
South Korea spends 2.6% of its GDP on the military, Guatemala 0.4%.
Guatemala: 0.4% (2024) · South Korea: 2.6% (2024)
How expensive is it?
South Korea’s price level (US = 100) is 1.3× Guatemala’s.
Guatemala: 43% (2025) · South Korea: 57% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
South Korea spends 8 times as much on health per person as Guatemala.
Guatemala: $392 (2023) · South Korea: $3,137 (2024)
How long do people live?
People in South Korea live 11 years longer than in Guatemala.
Guatemala: 72.7 years (2024) · South Korea: 83.6 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Guatemala is 7.5 times as likely to die before turning one as in South Korea.
Guatemala: 17.2 per 1,000 (2024) · South Korea: 2.3 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
South Korea has 2 times as many doctors per person as Guatemala.
Guatemala: 1.3 per 1,000 (2020) · South Korea: 2.6 per 1,000 (2022)
How common is obesity?
27% of adults in Guatemala are obese, versus 7.5% in South Korea.
Guatemala: 26.7% (2024) · South Korea: 7.5% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
19% of adults in South Korea smoke, versus 11% in Guatemala.
Guatemala: 11.2% (2024) · South Korea: 18.6% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in Guatemala rate their lives 0.49 points higher than in South Korea.
Guatemala: 6.53 (2025) · South Korea: 6.04 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in South Korea drink 2.7 times as much alcohol as in Guatemala.
Guatemala: 3.1 litres (2023) · South Korea: 8.3 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
South Korea has 55% more meat per person than Guatemala.
Guatemala: 54.3 kg (2023) · South Korea: 84 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
South Korea has 607 kcal more food per person per day than Guatemala.
Guatemala: 2,823 kcal (2023) · South Korea: 3,430 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in Guatemala put in 240 more hours a year than in South Korea.
Guatemala: 2,151 hours (2023) · South Korea: 1,910 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in South Korea went to school 6.9 years longer than in Guatemala.
Guatemala: 5.8 years (2023) · South Korea: 12.7 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
South Korea welcomed 3.8 times as many tourists per resident as Guatemala (2019).
Guatemala: 0.08 (2022) · South Korea: 0.32 (2024)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
98% of people in South Korea are online, versus 60% in Guatemala.
Guatemala: 60% (2024) · South Korea: 98% (2024)
Who has electricity at home?
100% of people in South Korea have electricity, versus 91% in Guatemala.
Guatemala: 90.9% (2024) · South Korea: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
81% of people in South Korea live in cities, versus 56% in Guatemala.
Guatemala: 56% (2025) · South Korea: 81% (2025)
How many phones per person?
South Korea has 173 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Guatemala 113.
Guatemala: 113 (2024) · South Korea: 173 (2024)
How much railway is there?
South Korea’s railway network is 5.4 times as long as Guatemala’s.
Guatemala: 800 km (2018) · South Korea: 4,309 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from South Korea fly 125 times as many passengers per resident as those from Guatemala.
Guatemala: 0.01 (2023) · South Korea: 1.48 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 64% of South Korea, but only 33% of Guatemala.
Guatemala: 32.6% (2023) · South Korea: 64.1% (2023)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in South Korea emits 10 times as much CO₂ as someone in Guatemala.
Guatemala: 1.1 t (2024) · South Korea: 11.3 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
68% of Guatemala’s electricity is renewable, versus 10% in South Korea.
Guatemala: 68.3% (2024) · South Korea: 10.4% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in Guatemala carries 32% more fine dust than in South Korea.
Guatemala: 27.7 µg/m³ (2024) · South Korea: 21 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 49 times as likely to be murdered in Guatemala as in South Korea.
Guatemala: 23.4 per 100k (2023) · South Korea: 0.5 per 100k (2023)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Guatemala are 83% deadlier than in South Korea.
Guatemala: 12.6 per 100k (2021) · South Korea: 6.9 per 100k (2021)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Guatemala is on average 10.5 °C warmer than South Korea.
Guatemala: 23.7°C (2016–2025 avg) · South Korea: 13.2°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Guatemala gets 43% more rain than South Korea.
Guatemala: 1,811 mm (2016–2025 avg) · South Korea: 1,265 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is Guatemala bigger than South Korea?
Guatemala is larger. Guatemala is 8% bigger than South Korea.
Which has more people, Guatemala or South Korea?
South Korea has 2.8 times as many people as Guatemala (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Guatemala or South Korea?
People in South Korea live 11 years longer than in Guatemala. Life expectancy at birth is 72.7 years in Guatemala and 83.6 in South Korea.
Are people taller in Guatemala or South Korea?
Men in South Korea are 11.2 cm taller than in Guatemala (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
