The duel
Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Guatemala fits inside the United States 90 times.
Guatemala: 108,890 km² (2023) · United States: 9,831,510 km² (2023)
How much coast is there?
The United States’ coastline is 50 times as long as Guatemala’s.
Guatemala: 400 km (2026 edition) · United States: 19,924 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
The United States’ highest peak towers 1,970 m above Guatemala’s.
Guatemala: 4,220 m (2026 edition) · United States: 6,190 m (2026 edition)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
The United States has 18 times as many people as Guatemala.
Guatemala: 18.7 million (2025) · United States: 342 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
Guatemala is 4.7 times as densely populated as the United States.
Guatemala: 174 per km² (2025) · United States: 37 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in the United States are 12.6 cm taller than in Guatemala.
Guatemala: 164.4 cm (2019) · United States: 176.9 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in the United States are 12.4 cm taller than in Guatemala.
Guatemala: 150.9 cm (2019) · United States: 163.3 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in the United States is 15 years older than in Guatemala.
Guatemala: 22.6 years (2023) · United States: 38 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Guatemala have 0.7 more children on average than in the United States.
Guatemala: 2.29 children per woman (2024) · United States: 1.63 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
18% of people in the United States are 65 or older, versus 5.0% in Guatemala.
Guatemala: 5% (2025) · United States: 18.4% (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
The United States has produced 8.7 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, Guatemala 1.1.
Guatemala: 1.1 (2025) · United States: 8.7 (2025)
How many official languages?
Guatemala and the United States are practically level.
Guatemala: 1 (2026) · United States: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
The United States’ economy is 250 times the size of Guatemala’s.
Guatemala: $123 billion (2025) · United States: $30.8 trillion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
The United States produces 5.9 times as much per person as Guatemala.
Guatemala: Int$15,197 (2025) · United States: Int$90,027 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in Guatemala than in the United States (Gini 3.4 points higher).
Guatemala: 45.2 (2023) · United States: 41.8 (2024)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 4.2% in the United States, versus 2.6% in Guatemala.
Guatemala: 2.6% (2025) · United States: 4.2% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
The United States spends 3.4% of its GDP on the military, Guatemala 0.4%.
Guatemala: 0.4% (2024) · United States: 3.4% (2024)
How expensive is it?
The United States’ price level (US = 100) is 2.3× Guatemala’s.
Guatemala: 43% (2025) · United States: 100% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
The United States spends 34 times as much on health per person as Guatemala.
Guatemala: $392 (2023) · United States: $13,473 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in the United States live 6.1 years longer than in Guatemala.
Guatemala: 72.7 years (2024) · United States: 78.9 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Guatemala is 3.1 times as likely to die before turning one as in the United States.
Guatemala: 17.2 per 1,000 (2024) · United States: 5.5 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
The United States has 2.9 times as many doctors per person as Guatemala.
Guatemala: 1.3 per 1,000 (2020) · United States: 3.7 per 1,000 (2022)
How common is obesity?
42% of adults in the United States are obese, versus 27% in Guatemala.
Guatemala: 26.7% (2024) · United States: 41.8% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
16% of adults in the United States smoke, versus 11% in Guatemala.
Guatemala: 11.2% (2024) · United States: 15.8% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in the United States rate their lives 0.28 points higher than in Guatemala.
Guatemala: 6.53 (2025) · United States: 6.82 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in the United States drink 3.1 times as much alcohol as in Guatemala.
Guatemala: 3.1 litres (2023) · United States: 9.6 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
The United States has 2.2 times as much meat per person as Guatemala.
Guatemala: 54.3 kg (2023) · United States: 122.1 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
The United States has 1,124 kcal more food per person per day than Guatemala.
Guatemala: 2,823 kcal (2023) · United States: 3,947 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in Guatemala put in 362 more hours a year than in the United States.
Guatemala: 2,151 hours (2023) · United States: 1,789 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in the United States went to school 8.1 years longer than in Guatemala.
Guatemala: 5.8 years (2023) · United States: 13.9 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
The United States welcomed 2.5 times as many tourists per resident as Guatemala (2019).
Guatemala: 0.08 (2022) · United States: 0.21 (2024)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
95% of people in the United States are online, versus 60% in Guatemala.
Guatemala: 60% (2024) · United States: 95% (2024)
Who has electricity at home?
100% of people in the United States have electricity, versus 91% in Guatemala.
Guatemala: 90.9% (2024) · United States: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
80% of people in the United States live in cities, versus 56% in Guatemala.
Guatemala: 56% (2025) · United States: 80% (2025)
How many phones per person?
The United States has 113 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Guatemala 113.
Guatemala: 113 (2024) · United States: 113 (2024)
How much railway is there?
The United States’ railway network is 186 times as long as Guatemala’s.
Guatemala: 800 km (2018) · United States: 148,553 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from the United States fly 232 times as many passengers per resident as those from Guatemala.
Guatemala: 0.01 (2023) · United States: 2.75 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 34% of the United States, but only 33% of Guatemala.
Guatemala: 32.6% (2023) · United States: 33.9% (2023)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in the United States emits 13 times as much CO₂ as someone in Guatemala.
Guatemala: 1.1 t (2024) · United States: 14.2 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
68% of Guatemala’s electricity is renewable, versus 26% in the United States.
Guatemala: 68.3% (2024) · United States: 25.6% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in Guatemala carries 3.7 times as much fine dust as in the United States.
Guatemala: 27.7 µg/m³ (2024) · United States: 7.5 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 4.1 times as likely to be murdered in Guatemala as in the United States.
Guatemala: 23.4 per 100k (2023) · United States: 5.8 per 100k (2023)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in the United States are 13% deadlier than in Guatemala.
Guatemala: 12.6 per 100k (2021) · United States: 14.2 per 100k (2021)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Guatemala is on average 13.4 °C warmer than the United States.
Guatemala: 23.7°C (2016–2025 avg) · United States: 10.3°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Guatemala gets 2.1 times as much rain as the United States.
Guatemala: 1,811 mm (2016–2025 avg) · United States: 849 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is Guatemala bigger than the United States?
The United States is larger. Guatemala fits inside the United States 90 times.
Which has more people, Guatemala or the United States?
The United States has 18 times as many people as Guatemala (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Guatemala or the United States?
People in the United States live 6.1 years longer than in Guatemala. Life expectancy at birth is 72.7 years in Guatemala and 78.9 in the United States.
Are people taller in Guatemala or the United States?
Men in the United States are 12.6 cm taller than in Guatemala (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
