📜 A long story
Guatemala, 1800 → today
Guatemala grew from 462,900 in 1800 to 18.1 million; a newborn can expect 48.6 more years of life than in 1900, and output per person is 3.9× its 1920 level, adjusted for inflation.
Told with long-run reconstructions, not the yearly series used elsewhere on the site: each chapter names its source. Scroll to move through the years.
☺ Chapter 1 · Population
How many people live there?
1800
In 1800, about 462,900 people lived in Guatemala.
1900
1.35 million people.
2.9× the 1800 level
Reached twice the 1800 level in 1857.
1950
3.1 million people.
2.3× the 1900 level
Reached 5 times the 1800 level in 1941.
2023
18.1 million people, the latest year in this series.
5.9× the 1950 level
Reached 10 times the 1800 level in 1965.
Reached 20 times the 1800 level in 1991.
Long-run series: before 1950, reconstructions by HYDE and Gapminder, filled in between benchmark years by those sources. Log scale: equal steps up mean equal growth rates.
✚ Chapter 2 · Life expectancy
How long do people live?
1900
In 1900, a newborn in Guatemala could expect to live 24 years, on average.
1950
37.8 years.
+14 years since 1900
2023
72.6 years, the latest year in this series.
+35 years since 1950
Passed 40 years in 1954.
Passed 50 years in 1971.
Passed 60 years in 1986.
Passed 70 years in 2011.
The sharpest fall in the data: down 7.7 years between 1979 and 1982 (56.6 years → 48.9 years).
Long-run series: before 1950, historical estimates (Riley, Clio Infra, Human Mortality Database), only for years they cover. Dashed stretches are years without data.
◎ Chapter 3 · GDP per person (PPP)
How much is produced per person?
1920
In 1920, Guatemala produced about Int$2,030 per person, in 2011 prices.
1950
Int$3,320.
1.6× the 1920 level
Reached twice the 1920 level in 1940.
The sharpest fall in the data: down 39% between 1941 and 1945 (Int$4,500 → Int$2,760).
2022
Int$7,970, the latest year in this series.
2.4× the 1950 level
Long-run series (Maddison Project) in 2011 international dollars: adjusted for inflation, so not the same unit as today’s PPP figure. Log scale: equal steps up mean equal growth rates.
❦ Chapter 4 · CO₂ per person
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
1874
In 1874, fossil fuels and industry in Guatemala emitted about 0.0000026 t of CO₂ per person.
1900
0.0035 t.
1,346× the 1874 level
Reached twice the 1874 level, reached 5 times the 1874 level in 1878.
Reached 10 times the 1874 level in 1879.
Reached 20 times the 1874 level in 1884.
Reached 50 times the 1874 level in 1889.
1950
0.2 t.
57× the 1900 level
The sharpest fall in the data: down 99% between 1915 and 1918 (0.03 t → 0.00043 t).
2024
1.1 t, the latest year in this series.
5.4× the 1950 level
Long-run series: fossil CO₂ emitted within each country’s borders (Global Carbon Budget); early estimates are less certain. Log scale: equal steps up mean equal growth rates. Dashed stretches are years without data.
☕ Chapter 5 · Years of schooling
How long do people go to school?
1870
In 1870, people aged 15–64 in Guatemala had spent 0.2 years in school, on average.
1900
0.8 years.
+0.62 years since 1870
1950
1.3 years.
+0.48 years since 1900
2015
5.7 years, the latest year in this series.
+4.4 years since 1950
Passed 2 years in 1975.
Passed 4 years in 2000.
Long-run series (Lee & Lee, Barro & Lee) for people aged 15–64, every 5 years until 2015: a different age group than today’s figure (25 and older).