Latin America & Caribbean · Upper middle income
Guatemala: the economy in numbers
Per person: $6,598, or $15,197 at purchasing power parity. Population: 18.7 million (2025).
GDP in 2025, current US dollars: #68 of 204 economies. IMF forecast for 2026: +4.0%.
GDP
Adjusted for US inflation, in 2025 dollars: $11.4 billion in 1960, $123 billion in 2025.
GDP per capita
In 2025 dollars: $2,798 per person in 1960, $6,598 in 2025.
Real GDP growth
Average over 2016–2025: 3.5% a year. Years of falling GDP since 1961: 4 of 65.
Source: International Monetary Fund, World Economic Outlook (October 2026)
Inflation
Consumer prices rose 3.51 times from 2000 to 2025. Highest annual inflation: 41.2% in 1990.
Source: International Monetary Fund, World Economic Outlook (October 2026)
Government debt, % of GDP
Highest since 2000: 31.5% of GDP in 2020. IMF forecast for 2031: 30.6%.
Source: World Bank, World Development Indicators (CC BY 4.0)
Population
1960: 4.06 million · 2025: 18.7 million.
Unemployment rate
1991: 2.2% · 2025: 2.6%.
Life expectancy at birth
1960: 45.8 years · 2024: 72.7 years.
Exports of goods and services
1960: 12.6% · 2025: 15.6%.
Data by year
Show the year-by-year table
| Year | GDP | GDP per capita | Per capita, PPP | Real growth | Inflation | Gov. debt, % GDP | Population | Unemployment | Life expectancy | Exports, % GDP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2031 | 3.9%f | 4.0%f | 30.6%f | |||||||
| 2030 | 3.9%f | 4.0%f | 30.2%f | |||||||
| 2029 | 3.9%f | 3.8%f | 29.7%f | |||||||
| 2028 | 3.9%f | 3.7%f | 29.2%f | |||||||
| 2027 | 3.8%f | 4.1%f | 28.4%f | |||||||
| 2026 | 4.0%f | 3.0%f | 27.5%f | |||||||
| 2025 | $123B | $6,598 | $15,197 | 4.3% | 1.5% | 26.7% | 18.7M | 2.6% | 15.6% | |
| 2024 | $113B | $6,151 | $14,393 | 3.7% | 2.9% | 26.3% | 18.4M | 2.6% | 72.7 | 15.9% |
| 2023 | $104B | $5,754 | $13,752 | 3.5% | 6.2% | 27.2% | 18.1M | 2.3% | 72.6 | 16.6% |
| 2022 | $95.6B | $5,357 | $13,008 | 4.2% | 6.9% | 29.0% | 17.8M | 3.1% | 71.2 | 19.0% |
| 2021 | $86.5B | $4,913 | $11,825 | 8.0% | 4.3% | 30.6% | 17.6M | 2.2% | 67.9 | 17.6% |
| 2020 | $77.7B | $4,478 | $10,947 | −1.8% | 3.2% | 31.5% | 17.4M | 3.0% | 70.0 | 16.3% |
| 2019 | $77.2B | $4,512 | $10,756 | 4.0% | 3.7% | 26.4% | 17.1M | 2.2% | 71.6 | 17.6% |
| 2018 | $73.3B | $4,353 | $9,947 | 3.4% | 3.8% | 26.4% | 16.8M | 2.3% | 71.5 | 18.2% |
| 2017 | $71.7B | $4,325 | $9,560 | 3.1% | 4.4% | 25.1% | 16.6M | 2.5% | 71.6 | 18.5% |
| 2016 | $66.1B | $4,060 | $9,201 | 2.7% | 4.4% | 24.9% | 16.3M | 2.6% | 71.2 | 18.8% |
| 2015 | $62.2B | $3,894 | $8,934 | 4.1% | 2.4% | 24.8% | 16M | 2.5% | 70.9 | 19.8% |
| 2014 | $57.9B | $3,689 | $8,237 | 4.4% | 3.4% | 24.7% | 15.7M | 2.7% | 70.9 | 21.7% |
| 2013 | $53B | $3,444 | $7,700 | 3.7% | 4.3% | 25.0% | 15.4M | 3.0% | 70.9 | 22.0% |
| 2012 | $49.6B | $3,287 | $7,258 | 3.0% | 3.8% | 24.6% | 15.1M | 2.8% | 70.7 | 25.3% |
| 2011 | $46.9B | $3,169 | $6,784 | 4.2% | 6.2% | 23.8% | 14.8M | 3.2% | 70.3 | 27.1% |
| 2010 | $40.7B | $2,805 | $6,510 | 2.9% | 3.9% | 24.0% | 14.5M | 3.5% | 69.9 | 26.2% |
| 2009 | $37.1B | $2,612 | $6,377 | 0.5% | 1.9% | 22.8% | 14.2M | 3.2% | 69.7 | 24.4% |
| 2008 | $38.5B | $2,763 | $6,435 | 3.3% | 11.4% | 19.6% | 13.9M | 2.9% | 69.5 | 25.1% |
| 2007 | $33.6B | $2,459 | $6,238 | 6.3% | 6.8% | 20.8% | 13.7M | 2.8% | 69.3 | 26.0% |
| 2006 | $29.7B | $2,225 | $5,833 | 5.4% | 6.6% | 20.9% | 13.4M | 3.0% | 68.8 | 25.3% |
| 2005 | $26.8B | $2,046 | $5,486 | 3.3% | 9.1% | 20.0% | 13.1M | 3.1% | 68.2 | 25.5% |
| 2004 | $23.6B | $1,841 | $5,263 | 3.1% | 7.6% | 20.6% | 12.8M | 3.0% | 68.2 | 27.4% |
| 2003 | $21.6B | $1,723 | $5,081 | 2.6% | 5.6% | 19.8% | 12.5M | 2.8% | 68.2 | 26.2% |
| 2002 | $20.4B | $1,669 | $4,969 | 3.8% | 8.1% | 17.4% | 12.2M | 2.3% | 67.8 | 26.7% |
| 2001 | $18.4B | $1,538 | $4,822 | 2.3% | 7.3% | 19.1% | 12M | 2.3% | 67.4 | 28.7% |
| 2000 | $19.3B | $1,649 | $4,715 | 3.6% | 6.0% | 18.0% | 11.7M | 2.1% | 67.1 | 20.2% |
| 1999 | $18.3B | $1,604 | $4,557 | 3.8% | 5.2% | 11.4M | 2.1% | 66.6 | 19.0% | |
| 1998 | $19.4B | $1,741 | $4,437 | 5.0% | 6.6% | 11.1M | 2.1% | 66.0 | 18.2% | |
| 1997 | $17.8B | $1,638 | $4,287 | 4.4% | 9.2% | 10.9M | 2.1% | 65.2 | 18.0% | |
| 1996 | $15.7B | $1,481 | $4,143 | 3.0% | 11.1% | 10.6M | 2.2% | 64.5 | 17.8% | |
| 1995 | $14.7B | $1,421 | $4,055 | 4.9% | 8.4% | 10.3M | 2.1% | 63.7 | 19.3% | |
| 1994 | $13B | $1,293 | $3,886 | 4.0% | 10.9% | 10M | 2.1% | 63.0 | 17.5% | |
| 1993 | $11.4B | $1,166 | $3,756 | 3.9% | 11.8% | 9.78M | 2.1% | 62.4 | 17.7% | |
| 1992 | $10.4B | $1,096 | $3,626 | 4.8% | 10.0% | 9.52M | 2.2% | 62.0 | 18.1% | |
| 1991 | $9.41B | $1,014 | $3,473 | 3.7% | 33.2% | 9.27M | 2.2% | 61.9 | 18.0% | |
| 1990 | $7.65B | $848 | $3,330 | 3.1% | 41.2% | 9.02M | 61.8 | 21.0% | ||
| 1989 | $8.41B | $958 | 3.9% | 11.4% | 8.78M | 61.7 | 17.3% | |||
| 1988 | $7.84B | $919 | 3.9% | 10.8% | 8.53M | 61.5 | 16.1% | |||
| 1987 | $7.08B | $854 | 3.5% | 12.3% | 8.3M | 61.0 | 15.8% | |||
| 1986 | $7.23B | $896 | 0.1% | 36.9% | 8.07M | 60.3 | 16.1% | |||
| 1985 | $9.72B | $1,238 | −0.6% | 18.7% | 7.85M | 59.8 | 11.9% | |||
| 1984 | $9.47B | $1,241 | 0.5% | 3.4% | 7.63M | 59.1 | 13.0% | |||
| 1983 | $9.05B | $1,220 | −2.6% | 4.5% | 7.42M | 57.9 | 13.0% | |||
| 1982 | $8.72B | $1,204 | −3.5% | 0.3% | 7.24M | 48.9 | 14.8% | |||
| 1981 | $8.61B | $1,216 | 0.6% | 11.4% | 7.08M | 54.7 | 17.1% | |||
| 1980 | $7.88B | $1,142 | 3.8% | 10.8% | 6.9M | 55.3 | 22.2% | |||
| 1979 | $6.9B | $1,026 | 4.7% | 11.3% | 6.73M | 56.6 | 21.3% | |||
| 1978 | $6.07B | $925 | 5.0% | 8.3% | 6.56M | 56.4 | 21.5% | |||
| 1977 | $5.48B | $856 | 7.8% | 12.3% | 6.4M | 55.2 | 24.5% | |||
| 1976 | $4.37B | $697 | 7.4% | 10.7% | 6.26M | 47.6 | 21.6% | |||
| 1975 | $3.65B | $595 | 1.9% | 13.2% | 6.13M | 52.8 | 21.7% | |||
| 1974 | $3.16B | $529 | 6.4% | 16.5% | 5.98M | 53.0 | 22.4% | |||
| 1973 | $2.57B | $441 | 6.8% | 13.8% | 5.83M | 52.8 | 20.9% | |||
| 1972 | $2.1B | $370 | 7.3% | 0.5% | 5.68M | 51.8 | 18.9% | |||
| 1971 | $1.98B | $358 | 5.6% | −0.5% | 5.54M | 50.3 | 17.3% | |||
| 1970 | $1.9B | $353 | 5.7% | 2.3% | 5.4M | 48.5 | 18.6% | |||
| 1969 | $1.72B | $326 | 4.7% | 2.1% | 5.26M | 47.5 | 17.8% | |||
| 1968 | $1.61B | $315 | 8.8% | 1.9% | 5.12M | 47.8 | 16.7% | |||
| 1967 | $1.45B | $292 | 4.1% | 0.5% | 4.98M | 47.7 | 16.2% | |||
| 1966 | $1.39B | $287 | 5.5% | 0.7% | 4.84M | 47.5 | 18.9% | |||
| 1965 | $1.33B | $283 | 4.4% | −0.8% | 4.7M | 47.2 | 16.8% | |||
| 1964 | $1.3B | $284 | 4.6% | −0.2% | 4.57M | 47.1 | 15.4% | |||
| 1963 | $1.26B | $284 | 9.5% | 0.2% | 4.44M | 46.6 | 14.3% | |||
| 1962 | $1.14B | $265 | 3.5% | 2.1% | 4.31M | 46.5 | 11.8% | |||
| 1961 | $1.08B | $257 | 4.3% | −0.6% | 4.19M | 46.1 | 12.0% | |||
| 1960 | $1.04B | $257 | −1.2% | 4.06M | 45.8 | 12.6% |
e: IMF estimate; f: IMF forecast.
Nearby economies in Latin America & Caribbean
Nearest by distance between capitals, with GDP per capita.
Antigua and Barbuda · Argentina · Aruba · Bahamas · Barbados · Belize · Bolivia · Brazil · British Virgin Islands · Cayman Islands · Chile · Colombia · Costa Rica · Cuba · Curaçao · Dominica · Dominican Republic · Ecuador · El Salvador · Grenada · Guatemala · Guyana · Haiti · Honduras · Jamaica · Mexico · Nicaragua · Panama · Paraguay · Peru · Puerto Rico · Saint Kitts and Nevis · Saint Lucia · Saint Martin (French part) · Saint Vincent and the Grenadines · Sint Maarten · Suriname · Trinidad and Tobago · Turks and Caicos Islands · U.S. Virgin Islands · Uruguay · Venezuela
Rankings
GDP by country · GDP per capita · Real GDP growth · Inflation by country · Government debt to GDP · Stock market to GDP · Population by country · Unemployment by country
Data and methods
- GDP: gross domestic product in current US dollars, converted from the local currency at market exchange rates (World Bank); not adjusted for inflation.
- Purchasing power parity (PPP): GDP per person in international dollars, which buy the same basket of goods and services in every country. It compares living standards across countries in the same year; it is not adjusted for inflation over time.
- In 2025 dollars: the charts can remove US inflation (US consumer price index, annual average) so that dollar amounts from different years compare in today's money. Exchange rate swings still show.
- Growth and inflation: World Bank data (calendar years). Years the World Bank does not cover yet, and the estimates and forecasts, come from the IMF World Economic Outlook (October 2026): its forecasts start in 2026, and the years after a country's last actual year are IMF estimates.
- Government debt: gross debt of the general government (central, state and local government and social security funds) as a percentage of GDP, IMF. The World Bank's central government debt is narrower and covers fewer countries.
- Stock market capitalization: the end-of-year value of domestic companies listed on the country's exchanges (World Federation of Exchanges via the World Bank; before 2016, Standard & Poor's), as a percentage of GDP: the “Buffett indicator”. Investment funds are excluded, and so are companies listed only abroad; companies from elsewhere that list on an exchange count for its country (Hong Kong lists many mainland Chinese companies).
- Unemployment: ILO modeled estimates (share of the labor force); comparable across countries, but they may differ from national figures.
Source: World Bank, World Development Indicators (CC BY 4.0)
Source: International Monetary Fund, World Economic Outlook (October 2026)