Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Switzerland fits inside Guatemala 2.6 times.
Guatemala: 108,890 km² (2023) · Switzerland: 41,291 km² (2023)
How much coast is there?
Guatemala: 400 km (2026 edition) · Switzerland: 0 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Switzerland’s highest peak towers 414 m above Guatemala’s.
Guatemala: 4,220 m (2026 edition) · Switzerland: 4,634 m (2026 edition)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
Guatemala has 2.1 times as many people as Switzerland.
Guatemala: 18.7 million (2025) · Switzerland: 9.09 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
Switzerland is 32% more densely populated than Guatemala.
Guatemala: 174 per km² (2025) · Switzerland: 230 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in Switzerland are 14.4 cm taller than in Guatemala.
Guatemala: 164.4 cm (2019) · Switzerland: 178.7 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in Switzerland are 13.4 cm taller than in Guatemala.
Guatemala: 150.9 cm (2019) · Switzerland: 164.3 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Switzerland is 20 years older than in Guatemala.
Guatemala: 22.6 years (2023) · Switzerland: 42.3 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Guatemala have 1.0 more children on average than in Switzerland.
Guatemala: 2.29 children per woman (2024) · Switzerland: 1.29 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
20% of people in Switzerland are 65 or older, versus 5.0% in Guatemala.
Guatemala: 5% (2025) · Switzerland: 20.4% (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
Switzerland has produced 20.9 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, Guatemala 1.1.
Guatemala: 1.1 (2025) · Switzerland: 20.9 (2025)
How many official languages?
Switzerland has 4 official languages, Guatemala 1.
Guatemala: 1 (2026) · Switzerland: 4 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
Switzerland’s economy is 8.5 times the size of Guatemala’s.
Guatemala: $123 billion (2025) · Switzerland: $1.04 trillion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
Switzerland produces 6.7 times as much per person as Guatemala.
Guatemala: Int$15,197 (2025) · Switzerland: Int$102,513 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in Guatemala than in Switzerland (Gini 11.4 points higher).
Guatemala: 45.2 (2023) · Switzerland: 33.8 (2022)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 4.9% in Switzerland, versus 2.6% in Guatemala.
Guatemala: 2.6% (2025) · Switzerland: 4.9% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
Switzerland and Guatemala are practically level.
Guatemala: 0.4% (2024) · Switzerland: 0.7% (2024)
How expensive is it?
Switzerland’s price level (US = 100) is 2.6× Guatemala’s.
Guatemala: 43% (2025) · Switzerland: 112% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
Switzerland spends 30 times as much on health per person as Guatemala.
Guatemala: $392 (2023) · Switzerland: $11,784 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in Switzerland live 12 years longer than in Guatemala.
Guatemala: 72.7 years (2024) · Switzerland: 84.4 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 Switzerland.
Guatemala: 17.2 per 1,000 (2024) · Switzerland: 3.4 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Switzerland has 3.5 times as many doctors per person as Guatemala.
Guatemala: 1.3 per 1,000 (2020) · Switzerland: 4.5 per 1,000 (2022)
How common is obesity?
27% of adults in Guatemala are obese, versus 13% in Switzerland.
Guatemala: 26.7% (2024) · Switzerland: 12.9% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
23% of adults in Switzerland smoke, versus 11% in Guatemala.
Guatemala: 11.2% (2024) · Switzerland: 23.1% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in Switzerland rate their lives 0.48 points higher than in Guatemala.
Guatemala: 6.53 (2025) · Switzerland: 7.02 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in Switzerland drink 2.9 times as much alcohol as in Guatemala.
Guatemala: 3.1 litres (2023) · Switzerland: 8.8 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
Switzerland has 18% more meat per person than Guatemala.
Guatemala: 54.3 kg (2023) · Switzerland: 64 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
Switzerland has 579 kcal more food per person per day than Guatemala.
Guatemala: 2,823 kcal (2023) · Switzerland: 3,402 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in Guatemala put in 622 more hours a year than in Switzerland.
Guatemala: 2,151 hours (2023) · Switzerland: 1,529 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in Switzerland went to school 8.1 years longer than in Guatemala.
Guatemala: 5.8 years (2023) · Switzerland: 13.9 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Switzerland welcomed 12 times as many tourists per resident as Guatemala (2019).
Guatemala: 0.08 (2022) · Switzerland: 1.04 (2022)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
97% of people in Switzerland are online, versus 60% in Guatemala.
Guatemala: 60% (2024) · Switzerland: 97% (2025)
Who has electricity at home?
100% of people in Switzerland have electricity, versus 91% in Guatemala.
Guatemala: 90.9% (2024) · Switzerland: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
86% of people in Switzerland live in cities, versus 56% in Guatemala.
Guatemala: 56% (2025) · Switzerland: 86% (2025)
How many phones per person?
Switzerland has 129 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Guatemala 113.
Guatemala: 113 (2024) · Switzerland: 129 (2024)
How much railway is there?
Switzerland’s railway network is 5.2 times as long as Guatemala’s.
Guatemala: 800 km (2018) · Switzerland: 4,122 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from Switzerland fly 257 times as many passengers per resident as those from Guatemala.
Guatemala: 0.01 (2023) · Switzerland: 3.05 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Guatemala and Switzerland are practically level.
Guatemala: 32.6% (2023) · Switzerland: 32.4% (2023)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in Switzerland emits 3.3 times as much CO₂ as someone in Guatemala.
Guatemala: 1.1 t (2024) · Switzerland: 3.6 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
68% of Guatemala’s electricity is renewable, versus 68% in Switzerland.
Guatemala: 68.3% (2024) · Switzerland: 67.8% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in Guatemala carries 3.1 times as much fine dust as in Switzerland.
Guatemala: 27.7 µg/m³ (2024) · Switzerland: 9 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 39 times as likely to be murdered in Guatemala as in Switzerland.
Guatemala: 23.4 per 100k (2023) · Switzerland: 0.6 per 100k (2023)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Guatemala are 5.3 times as deadly as in Switzerland.
Guatemala: 12.6 per 100k (2021) · Switzerland: 2.4 per 100k (2021)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Guatemala is on average 17.2 °C warmer than Switzerland.
Guatemala: 23.7°C (2016–2025 avg) · Switzerland: 6.5°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Guatemala gets 12% more rain than Switzerland.
Guatemala: 1,811 mm (2016–2025 avg) · Switzerland: 1,616 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is Guatemala bigger than Switzerland?
Guatemala is larger. Switzerland fits inside Guatemala 2.6 times.
Which has more people, Guatemala or Switzerland?
Guatemala has 2.1 times as many people as Switzerland (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Guatemala or Switzerland?
People in Switzerland live 12 years longer than in Guatemala. Life expectancy at birth is 72.7 years in Guatemala and 84.4 in Switzerland.
Are people taller in Guatemala or Switzerland?
Men in Switzerland are 14.4 cm taller than in Guatemala (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
