Guatemala (Republic of Guatemala)

Guatemala Republic of Guatemala
Status	Independent State
Social and Moral Index	90th best
Capital	Guatemala
Land Area	107 160km21
Location	North America, The Americas, Central America
Population	17.2m2
Life Expectancy	69.24yrs (2017)3
GNI	$8 723 (2017)4
ISO3166-1 Codes	GT, GTM, 3205
Internet Domain	.gt6
Currency	Quetzal (GTQ)7
Telephone	+5028

1. Overview
2. Guatemala National and Social Development
3. Guatemala's Demographics and Migration
4. Human Rights, Equality & Tolerance
5. Guatemala's Health
6. Guatemala's Responsibility Towards The Environment
7. Guatemala's Modernity and Learning
8. Guatemala's Culture, Peace and Inequality
9. Religion and Beliefs
10. Links

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1. Overview

#spain

“The Maya civilization flourished in Guatemala and surrounding regions during the first millennium After almost three centuries as a Spanish colony, Guatemala won its independence in 1821. During the second half of the 20th century, it experienced a variety of military and civilian governments, as well as a 36-year guerrilla war. In 1996, the government signed a peace agreement formally ending the conflict, which had left more than 200,000 people dead and had created, by some estimates, some 1 million refugees. In January 2012, Guatemala assumed a nonpermanent seat on the UN Security Council for the 2012-13 term.”

CIA's The World Factbook (2013)₉

“Fascinating history, diverse culture, intriguing people, natural beauty, majestic ruins and gorgeous colonial landscapes: Guatemala has been captivating travelers for centuries. Guatemala is a magical place. If you´re into the Maya, the mountains, the markets, kicking back lakeside or exploring atmospheric pre-Columbian ruins and gorgeous colonial villages, you´re bound to be captivated. Want to surf in the morning and learn Spanish in the afternoon? No problem. Descend a volcano, grab a shower and hit the sushi bar for dinner? You can do that. Check out a Maya temple and be swinging in a beachside hammock by sunset? Easy.

Guatemala´s got its problems, but they mainly keep to themselves. Travel here - once fraught with danger and discomfort - is now characterized by ease; you can do pretty much whatever you want, and your experience will only be limited by your imagination and time.

While many ask whatever happened to the Maya, the simple answer is nothing - they´re still here, and some traditions continue to thrive. Living Maya culture can be witnessed in its `pure´ form in towns like Rabinal and sacred sites such as Laguna Chicabal. And the Maya themselves? Well, they´re everywhere.”

"The World" by Lonely Planet (2014)₁₀

2. Guatemala National and Social Development

#economics #human_development #wealth

UN HDI (2021)11
Pos.		Higher is better Value11
1	Switzerland	0.962
2	Norway	0.961
3	Iceland	0.959
	...
132	India	0.633
133	Ghana	0.632
134	Micronesia	0.628
135	Guatemala	0.627
136	Kiribati	0.624
137	Honduras	0.621
138	Sao Tome & Principe	0.618
139	Namibia	0.615
	The Americas Avg	0.75
	World Avg	0.72
q=191.

Gross National Income Per-Capita (2021)11
Pos.		Higher is better PPP $11
1	Liechtenstein	$146 830
2	Singapore	$90 919
3	Qatar	$87 134
	...
113	Bhutan	$9 438
114	Philippines	$8 920
115	Jamaica	$8 834
116	Guatemala	$8 723
117	Namibia	$8 634
118	El Salvador	$8 296
119	Bolivia	$8 111
120	Uzbekistan	$7 917
	The Americas Avg	$16 628
	World Avg	$20 136
q=193.

Social & Moral Development Index12
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank12
1	Denmark	25.2
2	Norway	28.2
3	Netherlands	30.1
	...
87	UAE	86.7
88	Dominica	86.9
89	Armenia	87.0
90	Guatemala	87.1
91	S. Africa	87.5
92	Belarus	87.8
93	Indonesia	87.8
94	India	88.8
	The Americas Avg	81.5
	World Avg	88.4
q=199.

The United Nations produces an annual Human Development Report which includes the Human Development Index. The factors taken into account include life expectancy, education and schooling and Gross National Income (GNI) amongst many others..

The Social and Moral Development Index concentrates on moral issues and human rights, violence, public health, equality, tolerance, freedom and effectiveness in climate change mitigation and environmentalism, and on some technological issues. A country scores higher for achieving well in those areas, and for sustaining that achievement in the long term. Those countries towards the top of this index can truly said to be setting good examples and leading humankind onwards into a bright, humane, and free future. See: Which are the Best Countries in the World? The Social and Moral Development Index.

3. Guatemala's Demographics and Migration

#birth_control #demographics #fertility #health #immigration #life_expectancy #longevity #migration #overpopulation #population #yemen

Population Datasets:

Guatemala's population is predicted to rise to 22.73 million by 2030. These millions of extra people will all need space to live, food to eat, energy to consume, and will increase the burden on the planet's resources. This country has a fertility rate of 2.35. The fertility rate is, in simple terms, the average amount of children that each woman has. The higher the figure, the quicker the population will grow, although, to calculate the rate you also need to take into account morbidity - the rate at which people die. If people live healthy and long lives and morbidity is low, then, 2.0 approximates to the replacement rate (two new children for each set of parents who die), which would keep the population stable. If all countries had such a fertility rate, population growth would end. The actual replacement rate in most developed countries is around 2.1. The highest fertility rate ever detected in a single year was in Yemen in 1985, at 8.86.₁₃

Population2
Pos.		2018 Population2
1	China	1.4b
2	India	1.4b
3	USA	327.1m
	...
62	Kazakhstan	18.3m
63	Malawi	18.1m
64	Zambia	17.4m
65	Guatemala	17.2m
66	Ecuador	17.1m
67	Netherlands	17.1m
68	Syria	16.9m
69	Cambodia	16.2m
	World Avg	39.0m
q=195.

Life Expectancy Higher is better11
Pos.		2021 Years11
1	Monaco	85.9
2	Hong Kong	85.5
3	Japan	84.8
	...
126	Kazakhstan	69.4
127	Philippines	69.3
128	Turkmenistan	69.3
129	Guatemala	69.2
130	Moldova	68.8
131	Nepal	68.4
132	Laos	68.1
133	Timor-Leste (E. Timor)	67.7
	World Avg	71.28
q=195.

Fertility Rate 2.0 is best14
Pos.		202214
1	US Virgin Islands	2.00
2	Ecuador	2.00
3	Nepal	2.01
	...
53	New Zealand	1.66
54	S. Africa	2.34
55	Turks & Caicos Islands	1.66
56	Guatemala	2.35
57	Barbados	1.63
58	Guyana	2.37
59=	Serbia	1.63
59=	Australia	1.63
	World Avg	2.47
q=208.

Old-Age Dependency Ratio Lower is better15
Pos.		2016 Per 10015
1	Uganda	04.3
2	Mali	04.5
3=	Chad	04.7
	...
62=	Tajikistan	09.1
63	Equatorial Guinea	09.4
64=	Kiribati	09.5
64=	Guatemala	09.5
64=	Saudi Arabia	09.5
67	Haiti	09.6
68	Vanuatu	09.9
69	Cape Verde	10.0
	World Avg	18.3
q=185.

• The Population of the Earth
• Abortion, Birth Control and Contraception

Migration Datasets:

Immigrants16
Pos.		2017 %16
1	UAE	88.4%
2	Kuwait	75.5%
3	Qatar	65.2%
	...
169	Mongolia	0.6%
170	Tunisia	0.5%
171	Egypt	0.5%
172	Guatemala	0.5%
173	Cambodia	0.5%
174	Honduras	0.4%
175	Solomon Islands	0.4%
176	Papua New Guinea	0.4%
	World Avg	9.4%
q=195.

Emigrants17
Pos.		2010 %17
1	Dominica	104.8%
2	Palestine	68.4%
3	Samoa	67.3%
	...
93	Tunisia	6.3%
94	Finland	6.2%
95	Singapore	6.1%
96	Guatemala	6.1%
97	Brunei	6.0%
98	Netherlands	6.0%
99	Italy	5.8%
100	Benin	5.8%
	World Avg	11.5%
q=192.

4. Human Rights, Equality & Tolerance

#equality #freedom #gender_equality #guatemala #guatemala_human_rights #human_rights #morals #politics #prejudice #tolerance

Human Rights, Equality & Tolerance (2025)18
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank18
1	Sweden	7.8
2	Netherlands	8.7
3	Denmark	8.8
	...
63	Panama	75.3
64	Ecuador	75.4
65	Suriname	75.5
66	Guatemala	77.1
67	Macedonia	77.4
68	Vanuatu	78.5
	The Americas Avg	71.80
	World Avg	89.80
q=199.

Guatemala is generally poor at ensuring human rights and freedom compared to the rest of the world. Guatemala comes in the best 20 for its nominal commitment to Human Rights₁₉. It does better than average for the rate of gender bias (from 7 indicators)₂₀, commentary in Human Rights Watch reports₂₁, supporting personal, civil & economic freedoms₂₂, freethought₂₃ (but bad for The Americas) and in LGBT equality in the 2020s₂₄. Guatemala does not succeed in everything, however. Guatemala does worse than average in its success in fighting anti-semitic prejudice₂₅, its average Freedom in the World rating, opposing gender inequality₂₆ (amongst the highest in The Americas), combatting modern slavery₂₇ and in supporting press freedom₂₈. "Violence and extortion by powerful criminal organizations remain serious"₂₉, as does the efforts of President Jimmy Morales who has been abusing the legal system to prevent himself from incarceration for illegal campaign funding₂₉. Iván Velásquez made applaudable progress with the UN in prosecuting human rights and corruption cases, but was then exiled by his own President for it₂₉. Some Government officials are involved in targeting and harassing journalists that they do not like (including instigating assassinations)₂₉.

For tables, charts and commentary, see:

• Human Rights and Freedom in Guatemala

5. Guatemala's Health

#alcohol #birth_control #demographics #guatemala #health #life_expectancy #longevity #mental_health #obesity #overpopulation #parenting #population #smoking #suicide #vaccines

Compared to The Americas (2025)30
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank30
1	Canada	57.4
2	Turks & Caicos Islands	62.6
3	St Martin	66.7
	...
33	Paraguay	105.5
34	Belize	106.7
35	Puerto Rico	109.9
36	Suriname	110.1
37	Honduras	112.1
38	Guatemala	113.2
39	Nicaragua	117.1
40	Haiti	117.2
41	Bolivia	118.9
	The Americas Avg	92.66
q=41.

Health (2025)30
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank30
1	Monaco	12.4
2	Liechtenstein	30.1
3	San Marino	30.6
	...
131	Jordan	111.7
132	Honduras	112.1
133	Sao Tome & Principe	113.0
134	Guatemala	113.2
135	Tonga	113.6
136	French Polynesia	114.5
137	Vanuatu	115.5
138	Tajikistan	116.8
	World Avg	96.86
q=204.

The countries with the best overall approach to public health, in terms of both public policy and individual lifestyle choices, are Monaco, Liechtenstein and San Marino₃₁. These countries are worth emulating. And, although often through no fault of the average citizen, the worst countries are Angola, Somalia and S. Sudan₃₁.

36 datasets are used to calculate points for each country, including multiple decades of data on its average life expectancy, its alcohol consumption rate, its fertility rate, its smoking rate, its suicide rate, its food aid and health contributions and WHO compliance, the prevalence of overweight adults, obesity rate, its adolescent birth rate, its immunizations take-up and childhood mortality (so far). The regions with the best average results per country are Scandinavia, Europe and The Mediterranean₃₁, whereas the worst are Micronesia, Africa and Melanesia₃₁.

For more, see:

• "Countries With the Healthiest Cultures and Health Policies" by Vexen Crabtree (2025).

Health Datasets:

Guatemala does relatively well in encouraging good health, compared to many other countries. Guatemala does better than average in terms of its suicide rate₃₂, its smoking rate₃₃, its alcohol consumption rate₃₄ (amongst the best in The Americas), its fertility rate₁₄, its food aid and health contributions and WHO compliance₃₅ and in the prevalence of overweight adults₃₆. Guatemala still has work to do. Guatemala does worse than average for childhood mortality in the 2020s (so far)₃₇, its average life expectancy₁₁ (one of the lowest in The Americas), its immunizations take-up₃₈ (one of the lowest in The Americas) and in its adolescent birth rate₃₉. The prevalence of overweight adults has increased by 14% during the past 40 years. Life expectancy in Guatemala improved by +10.7yrs in the 30 years from 1990, better than the global average of +7.9yrs. Guatemala's peak fertility rate was 6.96 in 1960.

Life Expectancy Higher is better11
Pos.		2021 Years11
1	Monaco	85.9
2	Hong Kong	85.5
3	Japan	84.8
	...
126	Kazakhstan	69.4
127	Philippines	69.3
128	Turkmenistan	69.3
129	Guatemala	69.2
130	Moldova	68.8
131	Nepal	68.4
132	Laos	68.1
133	Timor-Leste (E. Timor)	67.7
	The Americas Avg	72.58
	World Avg	71.28
q=195.

Alcohol Consumption Lower is better34
Pos.		2016 Per Capita34
1	Bangladesh	0.0
2	Kuwait	0.0
3	Libya	0.0
	...
47	Mozambique	2.4
48=	Samoa	2.5
48=	Micronesia	2.5
48=	Guatemala	2.5
51	Congo, DR	2.6
52=	Uzbekistan	2.7
52=	Ghana	2.7
52=	Maldives	2.7
	The Americas Avg	6.9
	World Avg	6.2
q=189.

Fertility Rate 2.0 is best14
Pos.		202214
1	US Virgin Islands	2.00
2	Ecuador	2.00
3	Nepal	2.01
	...
53	New Zealand	1.66
54	S. Africa	2.34
55	Turks & Caicos Islands	1.66
56	Guatemala	2.35
57	Barbados	1.63
58	Guyana	2.37
59=	Serbia	1.63
59=	Australia	1.63
	The Americas Avg	1.80
	World Avg	2.47
q=208.

Smoking in the 2020s Lower is better33
Pos.		Total %33
1	Nigeria	3.3%
2	Ghana	3.4%
3	Panama	5.2%
	...
40	Burundi	11.2%
41=	Zimbabwe	11.3%
41=	Bahamas	11.3%
43	Guatemala	12.0%
44	Canada	12.1%
45	Brazil	12.2%
46	Congo, DR	12.2%
47	New Zealand	12.3%
	The Americas Avg	12.7%
	World Avg	20.0%
q=165.

Suicide Rate32
Pos.		2013 Per 100k32
1	Haiti	0
2	Grenada	0
3	Egypt	0.1
	...
17	Greece	7
18	Paraguay	7.1
19=	St Vincent & Grenadines	7.3
19=	Guatemala	7.3
19=	Barbados	7.3
19=	Belize	7.3
23	Bahrain	7.5
24	Albania	8
	The Americas Avg	13.57
	World Avg	20.93
q=91.

Food Aid, Health Contributions & WHO Compliance Lower is better35
Pos.		2017 Rank35
1	Sweden	1
2	Ireland	2
3	Denmark	3
	...
74=	Burundi	74
74=	Cameroon	74
76	Malta	76
77	Guatemala	77
78	Sri Lanka	78
79	Poland	79
80	Uruguay	80
81	Dominican Rep.	81
	The Americas Avg	94.3
	World Avg	82.0
q=163.

Overweight Adults Lower is better36
Pos.		1976 %36
1	Bangladesh	4.7
2	Vietnam	5.1
3	Nepal	5.4
	...
91=	Dominica	28.0
92	Bolivia	28.1
93=	S. Africa	28.2
93=	Guatemala	28.2
93=	Brazil	28.2
96	Costa Rica	28.6
97=	Mongolia	29.0
97=	Ecuador	29.0
	The Americas Avg	30.7
	World Avg	27.1
q=191.

Adult Obesity Lower is better40
Pos.		2022 %40
1	Vietnam	2.1%
2	Timor-Leste (E. Timor)	2.2%
3	Ethiopia	2.4%
	...
101	Algeria	24.2%
102	Kyrgyzstan	24.4%
103	Cyprus	25.1%
104	Guatemala	25.2%
105	Iran	25.3%
106	Bosnia & Herzegovina	25.5%
107	Moldova	25.6%
108	Serbia	26.1%
	The Americas Avg	32.0%
	World Avg	24.7%
q=199.

Children's Health Datasets:

Adolescent Birth Rate Lower is better39
Pos.		2022 Per 100039
1	Hong Kong	1.6
2	Denmark	1.8
3	S. Korea	2.1
	...
142	Kenya	62.6
143	Bolivia	63.1
144	Namibia	63.1
145	Guatemala	63.2
146	Vanuatu	63.2
147	Dominican Rep.	63.2
148	Nepal	63.4
149	Ghana	63.4
	The Americas Avg	48.1
	World Avg	43.8
q=195.

Infant Immunizations 2011-2015 Higher is better38
Pos.		2015 Avg %38
1=	Hungary	99.0
1=	China	99.0
3	Uzbekistan	98.9
	...
140	Panama	86.1
141	Belarus	85.3
142=	Canada	85.2
142=	Guatemala	85.2
144	Togo	84.3
145	Zambia	84.2
146	Congo, (Brazzaville)	83.6
147	Cameroon	83.3
	The Americas Avg	91.3
	World Avg	88.3
q=194.

Infant Mortality (2020s) Lower is better37
Pos.		Total Per 100037
1	San Marino	2.11
2	Finland	2.59
3	Luxembourg	2.60
	...
123	Indonesia	28.24
124	Philippines	28.30
125	Dominica	28.88
126	Guatemala	29.19
127	Azerbaijan	29.20
128	Iraq	29.99
129	Micronesia	30.24
130	Syria	30.62
	The Americas Avg	18.99
	World Avg	32.19
q=195.

Guatemala was amongst 49 countries in the 1990s who had an adolescent birth rate of over 100 (per 1000 girls aged 15-19).

6. Guatemala's Responsibility Towards The Environment

#biodiversity #climate_change #deforestation #energy #environmentalism #food #guatemala #internationalism #meat #over-exploitation #sustainability #the_environment #veganism #vegetarianism

Compared to The Americas (2025)41
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank41
1	Uruguay	43.2
2	Puerto Rico	47.1
3	Costa Rica	49.7
4	Chile	56.4
5	Peru	56.7
6	Dominican Rep.	65.0
7	Ecuador	65.6
8	Guatemala	66.1
9	Mexico	66.3
10	El Salvador	67.4
11	Brazil	70.2
12	Colombia	70.9
13	Argentina	78.5
	The Americas Avg	92.66
q=36.

Responsibility Towards The Environment (2025)41
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank41
1	Sri Lanka	34.9
2	Uruguay	43.2
3	Switzerland	45.0
	...
45	Dominican Rep.	65.0
46	Ecuador	65.6
47	Hungary	65.8
48	Guatemala	66.1
49	Lesotho	66.1
50	Mexico	66.3
51	Norway	66.9
52	Guinea	67.1
	World Avg	84.93
q=199.

We have known for a long term that we must protect the environment from habitation destruction, over-exploitation, pollution, and the emissions that cause climate change. In 1998, Greenpeace wrote that "Environment can no longer be meaningfully separated from health, quality of life, democracy, education, economy or trade"₄₂. What countries have been doing the right thing, via legislation and national culture? All countries' current and historical approach towards the environment is gauged via 21 datasets, including multiple decades of data on its forested percent change 2000-2020, its environmental performance, energy to GDP efficiency, its sign-up rate to major international accords on protecting the environment, the rate of rational beliefs on the environment in the population, reducing annual meat consumption per person and its score on the Green Future Index.

The countries that do the best (Sri Lanka, Uruguay and Switzerland) tend to have avoided the excesses of early industrial countries, and have not yet repeated the same mistakes of environmental destruction - at least, not on the same scale. The regions with the best average results per country are Central America, South America and Scandinavia. The worst are Eritrea, The Vatican City and Timor-Leste (E. Timor), and the worst regions Micronesia, Australasia and Melanesia.

For more, see:

• "Countries With the Best Environmental Records" by Vexen Crabtree (2025).

With regard to its responsibility towards the environment, Guatemala is positioned 48th in the world. This is derived from 21 data sets. Guatemala comes in the best 20 for the rate of rational beliefs on the environment in the population₄₃. It does better than average in energy to GDP efficiency₄₄, its sign-up rate to major international accords on protecting the environment and in reducing annual meat consumption per person₄₅. Guatemala does not succeed in everything, however. Guatemala does worse than average in its environmental performance₄₆. And finally, it falls into the worst 20 in terms of its score on the Green Future Index₄₇ (one of the lowest in The Americas) and in its forested percent change 2000-2020₄₈.

Environmental Performance Higher is better46
Pos.		201846
1	Switzerland	87.4
2	France	84.0
3	Denmark	81.6
	...
107	Fiji	53.1
108	Turkey	53.0
109	Ukraine	52.9
110	Guatemala	52.3
111	Maldives	52.1
112	Moldova	52.0
113	Botswana	51.7
114	Honduras	51.5
	The Americas Avg	58.8
	World Avg	56.4
q=180.

Energy to GDP Efficiency Lower is better44
Pos.		2022 Avg44
1	Rwanda	0.25
2	Chad	0.26
3	Tanzania	0.31
	...
37	Angola	0.70
38	Indonesia	0.71
39	Swaziland	0.73
40	Guatemala	0.74
41	Togo	0.74
42	Romania	0.75
43	Egypt	0.76
44	El Salvador	0.79
	The Americas Avg	1.42
	World Avg	1.23
q=165.

International Accords on the Environment Higher is better
Pos.		Total Avg Rate
1	Sweden	83%
2	Canada	82%
3	Norway	81%
	...
53	Azerbaijan	66%
54	New Zealand	66%
55	Spain	66%
56	Guatemala	66%
57	Belgium	66%
58	Papua New Guinea	66%
59	Italy	66%
60	Morocco	66%
	The Americas Avg	60.7%
	World Avg	57.5%
q=197.

Guatemala was one of the early adopters of the Kyoto Protocol in 1999.

Rational Beliefs on the Environment Higher is better43
Pos.		2011 %43
1	Argentina	78.3%
2	Greece	77.6%
3	Brazil	77.1%
4	Trinidad & Tobago	74.5%
5	Costa Rica	74.2%
6	Cyprus	71.0%
7	Guatemala	70.9%
8	Philippines	70.8%
9	S. Korea	70.7%
10	Colombia	70.3%
11	Bolivia	69.3%
12	Paraguay	68.9%
	The Americas Avg	58.6%
	World Avg	39.9%
q=145.

Meat Consumption Lower is better45
Pos.		2021 kg45
1	Congo, DR	03.0
2	Burundi	03.5
3	Bangladesh	04.3
	...
74	Honduras	38.8
75	Kyrgyzstan	39.0
76	Macedonia	41.0
77	Guatemala	42.1
78	Uzbekistan	42.3
79	Turkey	43.0
80	Vanuatu	43.4
81	El Salvador	43.9
	The Americas Avg	70.3
	World Avg	52.5
q=185.

Green Future Index Higher is better47
Pos.		2023 Score47
1	Iceland	6.7
2	Finland	6.7
3	Norway	6.4
	...
66	Uganda	3.7
67	Pakistan	3.7
68	Malaysia	3.7
69=	Guatemala	3.6
69=	Russia	3.6
71	Paraguay	3.6
72	Bangladesh	3.5
73	Qatar	3.4
	The Americas Avg	4.6
	World Avg	4.8
q=76.

7. Guatemala's Modernity and Learning

#education #intelligence #metric #modernity #religion #religiosity #research #science #secularisation #technology #the_internet

Compared to The Americas (2025)49
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank49
1	Canada	30.9
2	Argentina	34.3
3	Chile	41.0
	...
22	Nicaragua	82.3
23	St Kitts & Nevis	84.2
24	Trinidad & Tobago	86.2
25	Guatemala	86.7
26	Antigua & Barbuda	92.9
27	Honduras	93.2
28	St Vincent & Grenadines	97.3
29	St Lucia	99.5
30	Dominica	100.5
	The Americas Avg	77.96
q=36.

Modernity & Learning (2025)49
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank49
1	Vatican City	1.0
2	Finland	4.8
3	Belgium	8.5
	...
109	Iran	85.1
110	Kuwait	85.5
111	Trinidad & Tobago	86.2
112	Guatemala	86.7
113	Sri Lanka	88.5
114	Libya	88.6
115	Brunei	89.6
116	Jordan	90.3
	World Avg	80.33
q=194.

The most modern countries, with the best results from education, the highest levels of research, and with the easiest access to information on the Internet, are The Vatican City, Finland and Belgium₅₀. The worst countries are S. Sudan, Eritrea and Somalia₅₀. Despite improves in global education, access to tertiary (adult) education is becoming increasingly unequal between the rich haves and the poor have-nots₅₁.

“Education, at all levels and ages, is the single most vital support for equality as well as being a country's most vital economic and social resource. [...] Every successful aspirant to modernisation and economic development, from Japan to South Korea, China to Chile, has got there with a big emphasis on education.”

Bill Emmott (2017)₅₂

23 datasets are used to calculate points for each country, including multiple decades of data on Research and Development, Intellectual Endeavours, metric system adoption rate, Religiosity, IQ, Secondary Education, Length of Schooling, Maths, Science & Reading, the percent of citizens with access to the internet, Freedom On The Internet, IT Security, IPv6 Uptake and digital quality of life. The regions with the best average results per country are Scandinavia, Baltic States and Europe₅₀, whereas the worst are Melanesia, Africa and Micronesia₅₀.

For more, see:

• " Which Countries are Most Modern, With the Best Education and Internet Access?" by Vexen Crabtree (2025).

Modernity Datasets:

Research & Development Higher is better
Pos.		2016 % RDP PPP
1	S. Korea	4.2953
2	Israel	4.1153
3	Japan	3.5853
	...
117=	Trinidad & Tobago	0.0554
117=	Macau	0.0555
119=	Honduras	0.0456
119=	Guatemala	0.0454
119=	Bahrain	0.0455
119=	Colombia	0.0455
123=	Iraq	0.0357
123=	El Salvador	0.0354
	The Americas Avg	0.47
	World Avg	0.84
q=126.

Intellectual Endeavours Lower is better35
Pos.		2017 Rank35
1	Ukraine	1
2	Czechia	2
3	Hungary	3
	...
116	Kazakhstan	116
117	Sri Lanka	117
118	Rwanda	118
119	Guatemala	119
120	Niger	120
121	El Salvador	121
122	Dominican Rep.	122
123	Oman	123
	The Americas Avg	99.8
	World Avg	82.0
q=163.

Metric System Adoption Rate Higher is better58
Pos.		2025 %58
1=	Slovakia	100
1=	Poland	100
1=	Portugal	100
	...
40=	Uzbekistan	95
40=	Uruguay	95
40=	Croatia	95
40=	Guatemala	95
40=	Dominican Rep.	95
40=	Egypt	95
40=	El Salvador	95
40=	Bulgaria	95
	The Americas Avg	90
	World Avg	92
q=187.

Guatemala officially adopted metric in 1915₅₉. Progression:

• 1960 (70%): Metric official; traditional units common informally.
• 1970 (85%): Standardization in commerce/education.
• 1980 (95%): Metric dominant across sectors.
• 2000 (95%).
• 2025 (95%).

Religiosity Lower is better60
Pos.		2018 %60
1	China	3
2	Estonia	6
3	Czechia	7
	...
87=	Nicaragua	88
88=	Djibouti	89
88=	Ghana	89
88=	Guatemala	89
91=	Honduras	90
91=	Cameroon	90
91=	Rwanda	90
91=	Liberia	90
	The Americas Avg	65.4
	World Avg	54.3
q=106.

IQ Higher is better61
Pos.		200661
1=	Hong Kong	108
1=	Singapore	108
3	S. Korea	106
	...
98=	Honduras	81
98=	Nicaragua	81
100	El Salvador	80
101=	Guatemala	79
101=	Sri Lanka	79
103	Nepal	78
104	Mauritania	76
105	Uganda	73
	The Americas Avg	85.3
	World Avg	85.6
q=138.

Education Datasets:

Secondary Education Higher is better62
Pos.		201862
1=	Luxembourg	100.0%
1=	Estonia	100.0%
1=	Austria	100.0%
	...
127	Togo	40.5%
128	Laos	40.4%
129	Algeria	38.9%
130	Guatemala	37.8%
131	Pakistan	37.2%
132	Cameroon	37.2%
133	Gambia	36.8%
134	Nepal	35.9%
	The Americas Avg	63.0%
	World Avg	63.0%
q=169.

Length of Schooling Higher is better63
Pos.		2021 Years63
1	Australia	21.1
2	New Zealand	20.3
3	Greece	20.0
	...
156	Ivory Coast	10.7
157	Jordan	10.6
158	Guinea-Bissau	10.6
159	Guatemala	10.6
160	Liberia	10.4
161	Papua New Guinea	10.4
162	Solomon Islands	10.3
163	Afghanistan	10.3
	The Americas Avg	14.2
	World Avg	13.5
q=193.

Technology and Information Datasets:

Internet Users Higher is better64
Pos.		201664
1	Iceland	100%
2	Faroe Islands	99%
3	Norway	98%
	...
135	Samoa	29%
136	Ghana	28%
137	Swaziland	28%
138	Guatemala	27%
139	Sudan	26%
140	Sao Tome & Principe	26%
141	Yemen	25%
142	Senegal	23%
	The Americas Avg	56.4%
	World Avg	48.1%
q=201.

IPv6 Uptake Higher is better65
Pos.		2017 Ratio65
1	Belgium	55.4
2	Germany	41.8
3	Switzerland	35.1
	...
26	Romania	8.7
27	Austria	7.5
28	Hungary	7.4
29	Guatemala	6.9
30	Saudi Arabia	6.8
31	Vietnam	5.9
32	Slovenia	5.4
33	Bolivia	5.0
	The Americas Avg	3.36
	World Avg	3.82
q=176.

Digital Quality of Life Higher is better66
Pos.		202466
1	Germany	77.9%
2	Finland	76.9%
3	France	73.9%
	...
101	Iran	32.5%
102	Namibia	32.1%
103	Laos	31.5%
104	Guatemala	31.0%
105	Nepal	30.3%
106	Venezuela	30.1%
107	Zambia	30.1%
108	El Salvador	30.0%
	The Americas Avg	44.7%
	World Avg	48.4%
q=121.

8. Guatemala's Culture, Peace and Inequality

#brazil #capitalism #charitability #corruption #culture #economics #equality #extremism #happiness #health #human_development #inequality #internationalism #life_expectancy #panama #peace #politics #poverty #religious_violence #social_development #terrorism

National Culture Datasets:

Corruption Higher is better67
Pos.		2022 Points67
1	Denmark	90.0
2=	Finland	87.0
2=	New Zealand	87.0
	...
149=	Iran	25.0
150=	Central African Rep.	24.0
150=	Lebanon	24.0
150=	Guatemala	24.0
150=	Nigeria	24.0
150=	Cambodia	24.0
150=	Afghanistan	24.0
150=	Tajikistan	24.0
	The Americas Avg	42.97
	World Avg	42.98
q=180.

Happiness Higher is better68
Pos.		2024 Score68
1	Finland	7.7
2	Denmark	7.5
3	Iceland	7.5
	...
41	Panama	6.4
42	Argentina	6.4
43	Kazakhstan	6.4
44	Guatemala	6.4
45	Chile	6.4
46	Vietnam	6.4
47	Nicaragua	6.3
48	Malta	6.3
	The Americas Avg	6.31
	World Avg	5.58
q=147.

Creativity & Culture Lower is better35
Pos.		2017 Rank35
1	Belgium	1
2	Netherlands	2
3	Estonia	3
	...
80	Suriname	80
81	Fiji	81
82	Kenya	82
83	Guatemala	83
84	Cape Verde	84
85	Morocco	85
86	Jamaica	86
87	Senegal	87
	The Americas Avg	80.2
	World Avg	82.0
q=163.

Passport Reach (2020s) Higher is better69
Pos.		Total Q69
1	Singapore	192.2
2	Japan	192.0
3	S. Korea	190.7
	...
69	Peru	137.2
70	Serbia	136.2
71	El Salvador	134.2
72	Guatemala	133.7
73	Honduras	133.0
74	Solomon Islands	132.2
75=	Colombia	131.2
75=	Samoa	131.2
	The Americas Avg	132.4
	World Avg	108.8
q=195.

Open Trading, Aid & Development Lower is better35
Pos.		2017 Rank35
1	Ireland	1
2	Denmark	2
3	Sweden	3
	...
75	Oman	75
76	Dominican Rep.	76
77	Slovenia	77
78	Guatemala	78
79	Tonga	79
80	Latvia	80
81	Romania	81
82	Costa Rica	82
	The Americas Avg	100.5
	World Avg	82.0
q=163.

Peace Versus Instability Datasets:

Global Peace Index Lower is better70
Pos.		2023 Score70
1	Iceland	1.12
2	Denmark	1.31
3	Ireland	1.31
	...
101	Tajikistan	2.11
102	Kyrgyzstan	2.12
103=	Peru	2.13
103=	Guatemala	2.13
103=	Togo	2.13
106	Guyana	2.13
107	Sri Lanka	2.14
108	Bahrain	2.15
	The Americas Avg	2.13
	World Avg	2.07
q=163.

Peacekeeping & Security Lower is better35
Pos.		2017 Rank35
1	Samoa	1
2	S. Africa	2
3	Tunisia	3
	...
20	Kazakhstan	20
21	Thailand	21
22	Algeria	22
23	Guatemala	23
24	Ecuador	24
25	Madagascar	25
26	Sri Lanka	26
27	Netherlands	27
	The Americas Avg	82.3
	World Avg	82.0
q=163.

Refugees & UN Treaties Lower is better35
Pos.		2017 Rank35
1	Austria	1
2	Germany	2
3	Netherlands	3
	...
68	Iran	68
69	Malawi	69
70	Latvia	70
71	Guatemala	71
72	Estonia	72
73	Guinea-Bissau	73
74	Albania	74
75	Botswana	75
	The Americas Avg	91.5
	World Avg	82.0
q=163.

Impact of Terrorism Lower is better71
Pos.		2019 Score71
1	Togo	0.00
2	Mongolia	0.00
3	Swaziland	0.00
	...
57	Armenia	1.17
58	Senegal	1.19
59	Morocco	1.22
60	Guatemala	1.33
61	Georgia	1.34
62	Papua New Guinea	1.36
63	Bosnia & Herzegovina	1.39
64	Kyrgyzstan	1.47
	The Americas Avg	2.16
	World Avg	2.78
q=150.

Economic Inequality and Poverty Datasets:

Poverty (2020s) Lower is better72
Pos.		Total %72
1	Malaysia	0.01%
2	Bhutan	0.01%
3	Cyprus	0.02%
	...
77	Tajikistan	7.84%
78	Georgia	8.11%
79	Equatorial Guinea	8.79%
80	Guatemala	9.66%
81	Colombia	10.42%
82	Philippines	13.61%
83	Honduras	16.37%
84	Syria	16.47%
	The Americas Avg	4.07%
	World Avg	11.40%
q=106.

From the 1980s to the 1990s, one quarter of Guatemala's population rose out of the poverty bracket.

Inequality in Life Expectancy Lower is better73
Pos.		201973
1	Iceland	2.40
2=	Singapore	2.50
2=	Hong Kong	2.50
	...
110=	Azerbaijan	13.90
111	Algeria	14.10
112	Vanuatu	14.40
113	Guatemala	14.60
114=	Fiji	14.90
114=	Trinidad & Tobago	14.90
116	Philippines	15.30
117	Iraq	15.90
	The Americas Avg	12.03
	World Avg	14.59
q=184.

Income Inequality (Gini Coefficient) Lower is better74
Pos.		2023 %74
1	Slovakia	24.1%75
2	Slovenia	24.3%75
3	Belarus	24.4%76
	...
151	Nicaragua	46.2%77
152	Costa Rica	46.7%78
153	Honduras	48.2%79
154	Guatemala	48.3%77
155=	Panama	48.9%78
155=	Congo, (Brazzaville)	48.9%80
157=	Mozambique	50.3%79
157=	Zimbabwe	50.3%79
	The Americas Avg	44.0%
	World Avg	36.5%
q=167.

Income inequality data is rarely available for Guatemala - only for 6 years between 1980 and 2019. It was measured twice in the 1980s, and came 3rd-worst (of 63 countries, only Brazil and Panama were more unequal).

Multidimensional Poverty Lower is better81
Pos.		2018 Severity81
1	Armenia	.001
2	Ukraine	.001
3	Serbia	.001
	...
51	Laos	.108
52	Congo, (Brazzaville)	.112
53	India	.123
54	Guatemala	.134
55	Zimbabwe	.137
56	Ghana	.138
57	Lesotho	.146
58	Nepal	.148
	The Americas Avg	.045
	World Avg	.154
q=101.

9. Religion and Beliefs

#belief #buddhism #christianity #god #hinduism #islam #judaism #pentecostalism #religion #religiosity #secularisation

Religiosity (2018)60
Pos.		Lower is better %60
1	China	3
2	Estonia	6
3	Czechia	7
	...
87=	Nicaragua	88
88=	Djibouti	89
88=	Ghana	89
88=	Guatemala	89
91=	Honduras	90
91=	Cameroon	90
91=	Rwanda	90
91=	Liberia	90
95=	Morocco	91
95=	Guinea-Bissau	91
95=	Philippines	91
95=	Zambia	91
99	Afghanistan	92
100=	Burkina Faso	93
100=	Tanzania	93
100=	Indonesia	93
	World Avg	54.3
q=106.

Disbelief In God (2007)82
Pos.		Higher is better %82
1	Vietnam	81
2	Japan	65
3	Sweden	64
	...
81=	S. Africa	1
81=	Venezuela	1
81=	Peru	1
81=	Guatemala	1
81=	El Salvador	1
81=	Panama	1
87=	Somalia	0
87=	Sri Lanka	0
87=	Burundi	0
87=	Burkina Faso	0
87=	Brunei	0
87=	Botswana	0
87=	Syria	0
87=	Sierra Leone	0
87=	Thailand	0
87=	Togo	0
	World Avg	9.9
q=137.

Pew Forum polling over the decades has found the following adherency rates:₈₃:

	2010	2020
Christian	93%	92%
Unaffiliated	6.09%	6.02%
Other	0.907%	2.01%
Buddhist	<0.1%	<0.1%
Jewish	<0.1%	<0.1%
Muslim	<0.1%	<0.1%
Hindu	<0.1%	<0.1%

The CIA World Factbook has slightly different data, and states: Roman Catholic, Protestant, indigenous Mayan beliefs₈₄.

A Pew Forum poll in 2006 found that nearly half or more of all Protestants in several countries, including Guatemala, identified as Pentecostal Christians₈₅.

Links:

• A List of All Religions and Belief Systems
• Secularisation Theory: Will Modern Society Reject Religion? What is Secularism?