Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Guatemala fits inside Sweden 4.9 times.
Guatemala: 108,890 km² (2023) · Sweden: 528,660 km² (2023)
How much coast is there?
Sweden’s coastline is 8 times as long as Guatemala’s.
Guatemala: 400 km (2026 edition) · Sweden: 3,218 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Guatemala’s highest peak towers 2,120 m above Sweden’s.
Guatemala: 4,220 m (2026 edition) · Sweden: 2,100 m (2026 edition)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
Guatemala has 76% more people than Sweden.
Guatemala: 18.7 million (2025) · Sweden: 10.6 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
Guatemala is 6.7 times as densely populated as Sweden.
Guatemala: 174 per km² (2025) · Sweden: 26 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in Sweden are 16.1 cm taller than in Guatemala.
Guatemala: 164.4 cm (2019) · Sweden: 180.5 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in Sweden are 15.8 cm taller than in Guatemala.
Guatemala: 150.9 cm (2019) · Sweden: 166.7 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Sweden is 17 years older than in Guatemala.
Guatemala: 22.6 years (2023) · Sweden: 39.9 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Guatemala have 0.9 more children on average than in Sweden.
Guatemala: 2.29 children per woman (2024) · Sweden: 1.43 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
21% of people in Sweden are 65 or older, versus 5.0% in Guatemala.
Guatemala: 5% (2025) · Sweden: 20.9% (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
Sweden has produced 28.3 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, Guatemala 1.1.
Guatemala: 1.1 (2025) · Sweden: 28.3 (2025)
How many official languages?
Guatemala and Sweden are practically level.
Guatemala: 1 (2026) · Sweden: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
Sweden’s economy is 5.4 times the size of Guatemala’s.
Guatemala: $123 billion (2025) · Sweden: $669 billion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
Sweden produces 4.8 times as much per person as Guatemala.
Guatemala: Int$15,197 (2025) · Sweden: Int$72,529 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in Guatemala than in Sweden (Gini 15.9 points higher).
Guatemala: 45.2 (2023) · Sweden: 29.3 (2023)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 8.7% in Sweden, versus 2.6% in Guatemala.
Guatemala: 2.6% (2025) · Sweden: 8.7% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
Sweden spends 2.0% of its GDP on the military, Guatemala 0.4%.
Guatemala: 0.4% (2024) · Sweden: 2% (2024)
How expensive is it?
Sweden’s price level (US = 100) is 2× Guatemala’s.
Guatemala: 43% (2025) · Sweden: 87% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
Sweden spends 17 times as much on health per person as Guatemala.
Guatemala: $392 (2023) · Sweden: $6,485 (2024)
How long do people live?
People in Sweden live 11 years longer than in Guatemala.
Guatemala: 72.7 years (2024) · Sweden: 84.1 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Guatemala is 8.6 times as likely to die before turning one as in Sweden.
Guatemala: 17.2 per 1,000 (2024) · Sweden: 2 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Sweden has 3.4 times as many doctors per person as Guatemala.
Guatemala: 1.3 per 1,000 (2020) · Sweden: 4.4 per 1,000 (2021)
How common is obesity?
27% of adults in Guatemala are obese, versus 19% in Sweden.
Guatemala: 26.7% (2024) · Sweden: 18.7% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
20% of adults in Sweden smoke, versus 11% in Guatemala.
Guatemala: 11.2% (2024) · Sweden: 20.3% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in Sweden rate their lives 0.72 points higher than in Guatemala.
Guatemala: 6.53 (2025) · Sweden: 7.26 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in Sweden drink 2.8 times as much alcohol as in Guatemala.
Guatemala: 3.1 litres (2023) · Sweden: 8.7 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
Sweden has 26% more meat per person than Guatemala.
Guatemala: 54.3 kg (2023) · Sweden: 68.4 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
Sweden has 544 kcal more food per person per day than Guatemala.
Guatemala: 2,823 kcal (2023) · Sweden: 3,367 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in Guatemala put in 719 more hours a year than in Sweden.
Guatemala: 2,151 hours (2023) · Sweden: 1,432 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in Sweden went to school 6.9 years longer than in Guatemala.
Guatemala: 5.8 years (2023) · Sweden: 12.7 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Sweden welcomed 7.6 times as many tourists per resident as Guatemala (2019).
Guatemala: 0.08 (2022) · Sweden: 0.63 (2022)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
96% of people in Sweden are online, versus 60% in Guatemala.
Guatemala: 60% (2024) · Sweden: 96% (2025)
Who has electricity at home?
100% of people in Sweden have electricity, versus 91% in Guatemala.
Guatemala: 90.9% (2024) · Sweden: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
89% of people in Sweden live in cities, versus 56% in Guatemala.
Guatemala: 56% (2025) · Sweden: 89% (2025)
How many phones per person?
Sweden has 141 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Guatemala 113.
Guatemala: 113 (2024) · Sweden: 141 (2024)
How much railway is there?
Sweden’s railway network is 12 times as long as Guatemala’s.
Guatemala: 800 km (2018) · Sweden: 9,714 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from Sweden fly 156 times as many passengers per resident as those from Guatemala.
Guatemala: 0.01 (2023) · Sweden: 1.85 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 69% of Sweden, but only 33% of Guatemala.
Guatemala: 32.6% (2023) · Sweden: 68.7% (2023)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in Sweden emits 3.3 times as much CO₂ as someone in Guatemala.
Guatemala: 1.1 t (2024) · Sweden: 3.6 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
71% of Sweden’s electricity is renewable, versus 68% in Guatemala.
Guatemala: 68.3% (2024) · Sweden: 71.2% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in Guatemala carries 4.9 times as much fine dust as in Sweden.
Guatemala: 27.7 µg/m³ (2024) · Sweden: 5.7 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 20 times as likely to be murdered in Guatemala as in Sweden.
Guatemala: 23.4 per 100k (2023) · Sweden: 1.1 per 100k (2023)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Guatemala are 6 times as deadly as in Sweden.
Guatemala: 12.6 per 100k (2021) · Sweden: 2.1 per 100k (2021)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Guatemala is on average 19.4 °C warmer than Sweden.
Guatemala: 23.7°C (2016–2025 avg) · Sweden: 4.3°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Guatemala gets 2.3 times as much rain as Sweden.
Guatemala: 1,811 mm (2016–2025 avg) · Sweden: 801 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is Guatemala bigger than Sweden?
Sweden is larger. Guatemala fits inside Sweden 4.9 times.
Which has more people, Guatemala or Sweden?
Guatemala has 76% more people than Sweden (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Guatemala or Sweden?
People in Sweden live 11 years longer than in Guatemala. Life expectancy at birth is 72.7 years in Guatemala and 84.1 in Sweden.
Are people taller in Guatemala or Sweden?
Men in Sweden are 16.1 cm taller than in Guatemala (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
