The duel
Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Guatemala fits inside the United Kingdom 2.2 times
Guatemala: 108,889 km² (2024) · United Kingdom: 243,610 km² (2024)
How much coast is there?
The United Kingdom’s coastline is 31 times as long as Guatemala’s
Guatemala: 400 km (2026 edition) · United Kingdom: 12,429 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Guatemala’s highest peak towers 2,875 m above the United Kingdom’s
Guatemala: 4,220 m (2026 edition) · United Kingdom: 1,345 m (2026 edition)
How much of the land is farmed?
Farmland covers 69% of the United Kingdom, versus 46% of Guatemala
Guatemala: 46% (2024) · United Kingdom: 69.2% (2024)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
The United Kingdom has 3.7 times as many people as Guatemala
Guatemala: 18.7 million (2025) · United Kingdom: 69.5 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
The United Kingdom is 65% more densely populated than Guatemala
Guatemala: 174 per km² (2025) · United Kingdom: 287 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in the United Kingdom are 13.8 cm taller than in Guatemala
Guatemala: 164.4 cm (2019) · United Kingdom: 178.2 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in the United Kingdom are 13.0 cm taller than in Guatemala
Guatemala: 150.9 cm (2019) · United Kingdom: 163.9 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in the United Kingdom is 17 years older than in Guatemala
Guatemala: 22.6 years (2023) · United Kingdom: 39.8 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Guatemala have 0.7 more children on average than in the United Kingdom
Guatemala: 2.29 children per woman (2024) · United Kingdom: 1.55 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
20% of people in the United Kingdom are 65 or older, versus 5.0% in Guatemala
Guatemala: 5% (2025) · United Kingdom: 19.7% (2025)
How many refugees does it host?
The United Kingdom hosts 99 times as many refugees per resident as Guatemala
Guatemala: 0.1 per 1,000 (2025) · United Kingdom: 8.4 per 1,000 (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
The United Kingdom has produced 15.8 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, Guatemala 1.1
Guatemala: 1.1 (2026) · United Kingdom: 15.8 (2026)
How many official languages?
Guatemala and the United Kingdom are practically level
Guatemala: 1 (2026) · United Kingdom: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
The United Kingdom’s economy is 32 times the size of Guatemala’s
Guatemala: $123 billion (2025) · United Kingdom: $4 trillion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
The United Kingdom produces 4.3 times as much per person as Guatemala
Guatemala: Int$15,197 (2025) · United Kingdom: Int$64,607 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in Guatemala than in the United Kingdom (Gini 12.8 points higher)
Guatemala: 45.2 (2023) · United Kingdom: 32.4 (2021)
How many live on less than $3 a day?
9.7% of people in Guatemala live on less than $3 a day, versus 0.4% in the United Kingdom
Guatemala: 9.7% (2023) · United Kingdom: 0.4% (2021)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 4.7% in the United Kingdom, versus 2.6% in Guatemala
Guatemala: 2.6% (2025) · United Kingdom: 4.7% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
The United Kingdom spends 2.4% of its GDP on the military, Guatemala 0.5%
Guatemala: 0.5% (2025) · United Kingdom: 2.4% (2025)
How much does the central government collect in tax?
The United Kingdom’s central government collects 27% of GDP in tax, Guatemala’s 12%
Guatemala: 11.6% (2024) · United Kingdom: 26.9% (2024)
How expensive is it?
The United Kingdom’s price level (US = 100) is 2.1× Guatemala’s
Guatemala: 43% (2025) · United Kingdom: 89% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
The United Kingdom spends 15 times as much on health per person as Guatemala
Guatemala: $392 (2023) · United Kingdom: $5,860 (2024)
How long do people live?
People in the United Kingdom live 8.6 years longer than in Guatemala
Guatemala: 72.7 years (2024) · United Kingdom: 81.4 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Guatemala is 4.2 times as likely to die before turning one as in the United Kingdom
Guatemala: 17.2 per 1,000 (2024) · United Kingdom: 4.1 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
The United Kingdom has 2.6 times as many doctors per person as Guatemala
Guatemala: 1.3 per 1,000 (2020) · United Kingdom: 3.3 per 1,000 (2023)
How many hospital beds are there?
The United Kingdom has 5.4 times as many hospital beds per person as Guatemala
Guatemala: 0.5 per 1,000 (2023) · United Kingdom: 2.4 per 1,000 (2022)
How common is suicide?
The suicide rate in the United Kingdom is 75% higher than in Guatemala
Guatemala: 5.5 per 100k (2023) · United Kingdom: 9.6 per 100k (2023)
How common is obesity?
29% of adults in the United Kingdom are obese, versus 27% in Guatemala
Guatemala: 26.7% (2024) · United Kingdom: 29.2% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
13% of adults in the United Kingdom smoke, versus 11% in Guatemala
Guatemala: 11.2% (2024) · United Kingdom: 12.8% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in the United Kingdom rate their lives 0.16 points higher than in Guatemala
Guatemala: 6.53 (2025) · United Kingdom: 6.69 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in the United Kingdom drink 3.4 times as much alcohol as in Guatemala
Guatemala: 3.1 litres (2023) · United Kingdom: 10.4 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
The United Kingdom has 56% more meat per person than Guatemala
Guatemala: 54.3 kg (2023) · United Kingdom: 84.4 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
The United Kingdom has 611 kcal more food per person per day than Guatemala
Guatemala: 2,823 kcal (2023) · United Kingdom: 3,435 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in Guatemala put in 628 more hours a year than in the United Kingdom
Guatemala: 2,151 hours (2023) · United Kingdom: 1,523 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in the United Kingdom went to school 7.6 years longer than in Guatemala
Guatemala: 5.8 years (2023) · United Kingdom: 13.5 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
The United Kingdom welcomed 6.6 times as many tourists per resident as Guatemala (2019)
Guatemala: 0.08 (2022) · United Kingdom: 0.55 (2024)
How many World Heritage sites?
The United Kingdom has 31 more World Heritage sites than Guatemala (35 against 4)
Guatemala: 4 (2026) · United Kingdom: 35 (2026)
How many Olympic medals has it won?
The United Kingdom has won 1,025 Olympic medals, Guatemala 3
Guatemala: 3 (2026 edition) · United Kingdom: 1,025 (2026 edition)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
95% of people in the United Kingdom are online, versus 60% in Guatemala
Guatemala: 60% (2024) · United Kingdom: 95% (2024)
How fast is home internet?
Home internet in the United Kingdom is 2 times as fast as in Guatemala
Guatemala: 149 Mbps (2026) · United Kingdom: 303 Mbps (2026)
Who has electricity at home?
100% of people in the United Kingdom have electricity, versus 91% in Guatemala
Guatemala: 90.9% (2024) · United Kingdom: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
83% of people in the United Kingdom live in cities, versus 56% in Guatemala
Guatemala: 56% (2025) · United Kingdom: 83% (2025)
How many phones per person?
The United Kingdom has 122 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Guatemala 113
Guatemala: 113 (2024) · United Kingdom: 122 (2024)
How much railway is there?
The United Kingdom’s railway network is 20 times as long as Guatemala’s
Guatemala: 800 km (2018) · United Kingdom: 16,179 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from the United Kingdom fly 144 times as many passengers per resident as those from Guatemala
Guatemala: 0.01 (2023) · United Kingdom: 1.71 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 33% of Guatemala, but only 13% of the United Kingdom
Guatemala: 33.1% (2024) · United Kingdom: 13.5% (2024)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in the United Kingdom emits 4.2 times as much CO₂ as someone in Guatemala
Guatemala: 1.1 t (2024) · United Kingdom: 4.5 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
68% of Guatemala’s electricity is renewable, versus 52% in the United Kingdom
Guatemala: 68.3% (2024) · United Kingdom: 52% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in Guatemala carries 3.1 times as much fine dust as in the United Kingdom
Guatemala: 27.7 µg/m³ (2024) · United Kingdom: 8.8 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 21 times as likely to be murdered in Guatemala as in the United Kingdom
Guatemala: 23.4 per 100k (2023) · United Kingdom: 1.1 per 100k (2021)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Guatemala are 5.4 times as deadly as in the United Kingdom
Guatemala: 21.1 per 100k (2023) · United Kingdom: 3.9 per 100k (2023)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Guatemala is on average 13.8 °C warmer than the United Kingdom
Guatemala: 23.7°C (2016–2025 avg) · United Kingdom: 9.9°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Guatemala gets 69% more rain than the United Kingdom
Guatemala: 1,811 mm (2016–2025 avg) · United Kingdom: 1,070 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Between them
People, goods and passports that cross from one to the other
Quick answers
Is Guatemala bigger than the United Kingdom?
The United Kingdom is larger. Guatemala fits inside the United Kingdom 2.2 times.
Which has more people, Guatemala or the United Kingdom?
The United Kingdom has 3.7 times as many people as Guatemala (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Guatemala or the United Kingdom?
People in the United Kingdom live 8.6 years longer than in Guatemala. Life expectancy at birth is 72.7 years in Guatemala and 81.4 in the United Kingdom.
Are people taller in Guatemala or the United Kingdom?
Men in the United Kingdom are 13.8 cm taller than in Guatemala (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
