Browse a full set of economic indicators

Guatemala

Includes Guatemala real Gross Domestic Product growth rate, with latest forecasts and historical data, GDP per capita, GDP composition and breakdown by sector.

Browse additional economic indicators and data sets, selected by Global Finance editors, to learn more about Guatemala economic outlook, debt to GDP ratio, international trade performance and population trends. Rankings of Guatemala best banks and safest banks are also available.

Basic Information

Government Type: Presidential republic

Capital City: Guatemala City

GDP & Economic Information

Macroeconomy & Sovereign Data

Central Bank Bank of Guatemala
Currency Quetzales (GTQ)
International Reserves USD 12.8 billion (2018)

International Monetary Fund (IMF), data retrieved October 2019
Gross Domestic Product – GDP USD 79.0 billion (2018, estimate)
GDP (Purchasing Power Parity) Intl$ 145.6 billion (2018, estimate)

GDP Data

Real GDP growth 2007 6.3%
2008 3.3%
2009 0.5%
2010 2.9%
2011 4.2%
2012 3%
2013 3.7%
2014 4.2%
2015 4.1%
2016 3.1%
2017 2.8%*
2018 3.1%

*Estimate
GDP per capita – current prices USD 4,575.1 (2018, estimate)
GDP per capita – PPP Intl$ 8,436.4 (2018, estimate)
GDP (PPP) – share of world total 1980 0.15%
1990 0.12%
2000 0.12%
2010 0.11%%
2019* 0.11%
GDP – composition by sector agriculture: 10%
industry: 24.6%
services: 62.9%
(2018 estimate)
Gross domestic expenditure on R&D; (% of GDP) N/A
Inflation 2015 2.4%
2016 4.4%
2017 4.4%
2018* 3.8%
2018* 4.2%

*Estimate

Inflation & Debt

Inflation 2015 2.4%
2016 4.4%
2017 4.4%
2018* 3.8%
2018* 4.2%

*Estimate
Government Bond Ratings Standard & Poor’s: BB-

Moody’s: Ba1

Standard & Poor’s / Moody’s
Unemployment rate 2015 N/A
2016 N/A
2017 N/A
2018* N/A
2019* N/A

*Estimate
Household saving rates N/A
Public debt (General government gross debt as a % of GDP) 2015 24.2%
2016 24%
2017 23.8%
2018* 24.7%
2019* 25.2%

*Estimate
Public deficit (General government net lending/borrowing as a % of GDP) 2015 24.2%
2016 24%
2017 23.8%
2018* 24.7%
2019* 25.2%

*Estimate

Market value of publicly traded shares 2016 N/A
2017 N/A
2018 N/A
Largest Companies N/A

Import/Export

Exports as percent of GDP (Exports of goods and services) 18.1% (2018)
Shares in world total merchandising export 0.06% (2018)
Shares in world total commercial services export 0.05% (2018)
Total exports USD 13.9 billion (2018)
Export commodities Sugar, coffee, petroleum, apparel, bananas, fruits and vegetables, cardamom, manufacturing products, precious stones and metals, electricity
Total imports USD 21.8 billion (2018 estimate)
Import commodities Fuels, machinery and transport equipment, construction materials, grain, fertilizers, electricity, mineral products, chemical products, plastic materials and products
Exports – major partners US 33.8%, El Salvador 11.1%, Honduras 8.8%, Nicaragua 5.1%, Mexico 4.7% (2017)
Imports – major partners US 39.8%, China 10.7%, Mexico 10.7%, El Salvador 5.3% (2017)

Competitiveness & Trade

Current account balance USD 0.6 billion (2018 estimate)
Current account balance by percentage of GDP 0.8 % (2018 estimate)
FDI inflows 2016 USD 1,175 million
2017 USD 1,013 million
2018 USD 1,056 million
FDI Outflows 2016 USD 107 million
2017 USD 12 million
2018 USD 235 million
Value of cross-border M&A, by country of purchaser 2015 N/A
2016 N/A
2017 N/A
2018 N/A
Cross-border M&A deals worth over $3 billion completed in 2014 N/A
Cross-border M&A deals worth over $3 billion completed in 2015 N/A
Best countries for doing business Economies are ranked on their ease of doing business. A high ease of doing business ranking means the regulatory environment is more conducive to the starting and operation of a local firm.

Overall ranking:

96 out of 190 countries

​Subcategories:
Starting a Business: 99 out of 190 countries
Dealing with Construction Permits: 118 out of 190 countries
Getting Electricity: 46 out of 190 countries
Registering Property: 89 out of 190 countries
Getting Credit: 15 out of 190 countries
Protecting Minority Investors: 153 out of 190 countries
Paying Taxes: 104 out of 190 countries
Trading across Borders: 82 out of 190 countries
Enforcing Contracts: 176 out of 190 countries
Resolving Insolvency: 157 out of 190 countries
Global competitiveness ranking 98 out of 141 countries

​(2019)
Index of Economic Freedom Ranking: 77 / Score: 62.6 (Moderately free)

(100=totally free 0=totally repressed)

Population & Geographic Data

Total Area 108,899 sq km
Total Population 1990 9.26 Million
2000 11.65 Million
2010 14.63 Million
2015 16.25 Million
2020 17.97 Million
Urban population as % of total population 1960 31.1%
1980 38.7%
2000 45.3%
2020 51.1%
Population median age 22.5 years


CIA World Factbook / Population median age
Population growth rate 1.72% (2018 estimate)
Life expectancy 71.8 years (2018 estimate)
% of population living on less than $3.10 a day 24.2% (last available estimate, 2014)
Inequality of wealth distribution (Gini index) 48.3 (last available estimate, 2014)
Freedom House rating Partly Free
Political Rights: 4
Civil Liberties: 4 (2019)
(1 represents the most free, 7 the least free rating)
Total telephone subscribers as % of population Fixed: 14.1%

Mobile: 118.7%

(2018)

(fixed-telephone subscribers and mobile-cellular subscribers
Internet users as % of total population 65 % (2017)

Language & Religon

Languages Spanish (official) 68.9%, Maya languages 30.9% (K’iche 8.7%, Q’eqchi 7%, Mam 4.6%, Kaqchikel 4.3%, other 6.3%), other 0.3% (includes Xinca and Garifuna) (2001 est.)
Literacy Total population: 81.5%
Male: 87.4%
Female: 76.3%
Definition: age 15 and over can read and write (2015 est.)
Religions Roman Catholic, Protestant, indigenous Mayan beliefs

World Rankings

Population 17.97 million
Mercer Cost of living index Guatemala City: 136th (2019)
C02 Emissions per capita 1.15 metric tons per capita (2014)

Global Finance Rankings & Awards: Guatemala

Global Finance Magazine holds several conferences and awards ceremonies throughout the year to recognize the winning financial institutions and companies in a host of categories including World’s Best Trade Finance Banks, World's Biggest Banks, World's Safest Banks, World's Best Developed & Emerging Markets Banks, World's Best Internet Banks, and World’s Best Investment Banks.


Data Sources:

IMF World Economic Outlook

UN World Population Prospects

World Inequality Report

S&P Global Ratings

Moody’s

Fitch Ratings

IMF Direction of Trade Statistics (DOTS)

UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD)

CIA The World Factbook

World Bank’s World Integrated Trade Solution

Forbes Global 2000

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