Demographics of Guatemala

The demographics of Guatemala are diverse; the population, 14,901,286 strong, (2018 census)[1] historically comprises primarily of Mestizos (60%), then Amerindians (30%) and people of European descent (10%). The population is divided almost evenly between rural and urban areas.[2]

Population census

Year	Pop.	±%
1778	396,149	—
1880	1,224,602	+209.1%
1893	1,364,678	+11.4%
1921	2,004,900	+46.9%
1940	2,400,000	+19.7%
1950	2,790,868	+16.3%
1964	4,287,997	+53.6%
1973	5,160,221	+20.3%
1981	6,054,227	+17.3%
1994	8,331,874	+37.6%
2002	11,237,196	+34.9%
2018	14,901,286	+32.6%
Source: [3] [4]

About 65% of the population speak Spanish, with nearly all the rest speaking indigenous languages (there are 23 officially recognized indigenous languages).[5]

According to the 2018 census, 43.56% of the population is Indigenous including 41.66% Mayan, 1.77% Xinca, and 0.13% Garifuna (Mixed African and indigenous).[6]

Population

Guatemala's population (1950-2010)[7]

According to the 2019 revision of the World Population Prospects[8][9] the total population estimate was 17,247,849 in 2018. The proportion of the population below the age of 15 in 2010 was 41.5%, 54.1% were aged between 15 and 65 years of age, and 4.4% were aged 65 years or older.[7]

Guatemala City is home to almost 3 million inhabitants.[10] In 1900 Guatemala had a population of 885,000.[11] Over the twentifirst century Guatemala's population grew by a factor of fourteen. Even though Guatemala's population grew by a factor of 14, it still wasn't the biggest jump in that region.[12] Although Guatemala does have an increase in population, the annual population isn't the superior in that region of the world as well.[12]

	Total population (x 1000)	Proportion aged 0–14 (%)	Proportion aged 15–64 (%)	Proportion aged 65+ (%)
1950	3 146	44.6	52.9	2.5
1955	3 619	45.4	52.0	2.6
1960	4 141	45.8	51.6	2.7
1965	4 736	45.2	52.0	2.8
1970	5 416	44.6	52.5	2.9
1975	6 194	44.8	52.3	2.9
1980	7 001	45.4	51.6	3.0
1985	7 920	45.7	51.2	3.1
1990	8 890	45.4	51.3	3.4
1995	9 984	44.9	51.4	3.7
2000	11 204	44.1	51.9	4.0
2005	12 679	43.2	52.6	4.3
2010	14 342	41.5	54.1	4.4

Population by departments

In Guatemala, there are 22 departments that make up the country. Each department has its own population, with Guatemala City ranking at 1 with the highest population and El Progreso ranking at 22 with the lowest population.[13]

Rank	Department	Pop.	Rank	Department	Pop.
1	Guatemala	3,306,397	12	Jutiapa	489,085
2	Huehuetenango	1,234,593	13	Izabal	445,125
3	Alta Verapaz	1,219,585	14	Chiquimula	397,202
4	San Marcos	1,095,997	15	Santa Rosa	367,569
5	Quiché	955,705	16	Jalapa	345,926
6	Quetzaltenango	844,906	17	Sacatepéquez	336,606
7	Escuintla	746,309	18	Retalhuleu	325,556
8	Petén	711,585	19	Baja Verapaz	291,903
9	Chimaltenango	666,938	20	Zacapa	291,903
10	Suchitepéquez	555,261	21	Totonicapán	134,373
11	Sololá	430,573	22	El Progreso	22,654
Overall Total: 15,806,675 (2014)
Source: National Institute of Statistics (INE)[14]

According to the table, Guatemala City accounts for 20% of the entire population in Guatemala, while El Progreso only accounts for 0.14% of the population. Sololá accounts for 2.7% of the population while ranking in the middle at 11. Overall, the rankings correlate to the percent of the population that each department contains.

Emigration

The Guatemalan civil war from 1960 to 1996 led to mass emigration, particularly Guatemalan immigration to the United States. According to the International Organization for Migration, the total number of emigrants increased from 6,700 in the 1960s to 558,776 for the period 1995-2000; by 2005, the total number had reached 1.3 million.[15] In 2013, the Migration Policy Institute (MPI) estimated that there were about 900,000 Guatemalan Americans (persons of Guatemalan origin in the United States).[16]

Country	Count
United States	480,665[17] – 1,489,426[18]
Mexico	23,529[18]
Belize	14,693[18]
Canada	14,256[18] – 34,665[19]
Germany	5,989[18]
Honduras	5,172[18]
El Salvador	4,209[18]
Spain	2,491[18]

Ethnic groups

Indigenous girls in Chichicastenango

Ethnic groups in Guatemala by %[2][5][20]

  Mestizos (39.9%)

  Amerindians (50.9%)

  Whites (8.5%)

  Blacks (0.1%)

  Asians (0.6%)

Official 2012 statistics indicate that approximately 60.2% of the population is "non-Indigenous",[2] referring to the Mestizo population and the people of European origin. These people are called Ladino in Guatemala.

Approximately 39.8% of the population is Indigenous[2] and consist of 23 Maya groups and one non-Maya group. These are divided as follows: (K'iche 9.1%, 8.4% Kaqchikel, Mam 7.9%, 6.3% Q'eqchi', other Maya peoples 8.6%, 0.2% Indigenous non-Maya).[5] They live all over the country, especially in the highlands.

Other racial groups include numbers of Afro-Guatemalans, Afro-Mestizos, and Garifuna of mixed African and Indigenous Caribbean origins who live in the country's eastern end. Some Garifunas live mainly in Livingston, San Vicente and Puerto Barrios. They descend mainly from the Arawaks and Belizean Creoles.[5]

There are thousands of Arab Guatemalans descending from; Palestine, Syria, Jordan, Iraq, and other Arab countries who reside in Guatemala City. Some belong to Christian Churches while others to Islamic Mosques.

There are also thousands of Jews residing in Guatemala. They are immigrants from Germany and Eastern Europe that arrived in the 19th century. Many immigrated during World War II. There are approximately 9,000 Jews living in Guatemala today. Most live in Guatemala City, Quezaltenango and San Marcos. Today, the Jewish community in Guatemala is made up of Orthodox Jews, Sephardi, Eastern European and German Jews.

In 2014, numerous members of the Hassidic communities Lev Tahor and Toiras Jesed began settling in the village of San Juan La Laguna. The mainstream Jewish community was reportedly dismayed and concerned that the arrival of communities with a more visible adherence to Judaism might stir up anti-Jewish sentiment. Despite the tropical heat, the members of the community continued to wear the traditional ancient Jewish clothing.[21][22][23]

Asian Guatemalans are primarily of Korean descent[24] and Chinese descent, whose ancestors were farm workers and railroad laborers in the early 20th century.

History

The Maya Civilization ruled Guatemala and the surrounding regions until around 1,000 A.D. Following 1,000 A.D., Guatemala became a Spanish colony for approximately three centuries, until in 1821 when Guatemala won its independence. Since the independence of Guatemala, the country has experienced a wide range of governments, including civilian and military governments. In 1996, a peace treaty was signed by the government that ended internal conflicts within the region, which caused over 200,000 casualties and approximately one million refugees.[25]

White Guatemalans

Approximately 18.5% of the population is considered White or Caucasian, which accounts for more than 3 million of the population. Most are of Spanish, German and Italian descent, but there is a considerable number of people of Belgian, French, British, Swiss, Finnish, Russian and Hungarian descent.

The departments of Zacapa and Chiquimula are half or predominantly of Spanish descent, while castizos, the white population, make up more than 80% in these departments, where many European immigrants arrived, mainly during the 19th and 20th centuries. In Guatemala City there is a significant amount of minority descendants of Europeans (35-40%), and other minorities with more than 20% in Cobán and Xelajú.

Mestizo Guatemalans

Guatemalan Mestizos are people of mixed European and indigenous ancestry. The Mestizo population is heavily populated in urban areas of the country (the national capital and departmental capitals).[26]

Historically, the Mestizo population in the Kingdom of Guatemala at the time of Independence amounted to nearly 600,000 Indians, 300,000 Castas (mostly Mestizos and a lesser number of Mulattos, Zambos, and Pardos), and 45,000 Criollos or Spanish, with a very small number of Spaniards.[27]

Indigenous Guatemalans

The Amerindian populations in Guatemala include the K'iche' 9.1%, Kaqchikel 8.4%, Mam 7.9% and Q'eqchi 6.3%. 8.6% belongs to other Maya groups, 0.4% belong to non-Maya Indigenous peoples. The whole Indigenous community in Guatemala is about 40.5% of the population according to the census, but in reality, the Mayan population is much higher, with estimates ranging from 60% to 80% of the country's population, since many Mayans in Guatemala are culturally Mestizo.[28]

Vital statistics

UN estimates

The Population Department of the United Nations prepared the following estimates.[7]

Period	Live births per year	Deaths per year	Natural change per year	CBR*	CDR*	NC*	TFR*	IMR*	Life expectancy total	Life expectancy males	Life expectancy females
1950-1955	170 000	75 000	95 000	50.3	22.3	28.0	7.00	141	42.5	41.8	43.3
1955-1960	183 000	78 000	104 000	47.0	20.2	26.9	6.60	134	44.5	43.7	45.4
1960-1965	204 000	80 000	124 000	46.0	18.0	28.0	6.50	127	47.1	46.2	48.1
1965-1970	227 000	80 000	146 000	44.7	15.8	28.8	6.30	116	50.1	49.0	51.3
1970-1975	255 000	79 000	177 000	44.0	13.5	30.4	6.20	102	53.9	52.4	55.4
1975-1980	287 000	80 000	206 000	43.5	12.2	31.3	6.20	91	56.2	54.4	58.2
1980-1985	315 000	81 000	234 000	42.2	10.9	31.3	6.10	79	58.3	56.1	60.8
1985-1990	333 000	79 000	254 000	39.6	9.4	30.2	5.70	67	60.9	58.3	63.8
1990-1995	367 000	76 000	291 000	38.9	8.1	30.8	5.45	55	63.5	60.5	66.9
1995-2000	396 000	73 000	322 000	37.3	6.9	30.4	5.00	46	66.3	62.9	70.0
2000-2005	427 000	72 000	355 000	35.8	6.1	29.7	4.60	39	69.0	65.5	72.5
2005-2010	449 000	77 000	373 000	33.3	5.7	27.6	4.15	30	70.3	66.7	73.8
* CBR = crude birth rate (per 1000); CDR = crude death rate (per 1000); NC = natural change (per 1000); IMR = infant mortality rate per 1000 births; TFR = total fertility rate (number of children per woman)

Vital statistics

[29] [30]

	Average population	Live births	Deaths	Natural change	Crude birth rate(per 1,000)	Death rate (per 1,000)	Natural change (per 1,000)	Fertility rate
1930	1,760,000	100,000	43,500	56,500	56.8	24.7	32.1
1931	1,810,000	99,000	44,000	55,000	54.7	24.3	30.4
1932	1,860,000	93,600	43,900	49,700	50.3	23.6	26.7
1933	1,910,000	90,700	52,100	38,600	47.5	27.3	20.2
1934	1,940,000	92,205	60,051	32,154	47.5	31.0	16.6
1935	1,980,000	96,031	54,789	41,242	48.5	27.7	20.8
1936	2,020,000	97,646	50,604	47,042	48.3	25.1	23.3
1937	2,070,000	96,981	51,027	45,954	46.9	24.7	22.2
1938	2,110,000	98,906	56,131	42,775	46.9	26.6	20.3
1939	2,150,000	102,908	64,117	38,791	47.9	29.8	18.0
1940	2,200,000	106,998	55,083	51,915	48.6	25.0	23.6
1941	2,250,000	103,688	56,444	47,244	46.1	25.1	21.0
1942	2,300,000	107,519	72,477	35,042	46.7	31.5	15.2
1943	2,340,000	112,407	72,837	39,570	48.0	31.1	16.9
1944	2,390,000	111,324	63,068	48,256	46.6	26.4	20.2
1945	2,440,000	118,912	59,732	59,180	48.7	24.5	24.3
1946	2,500,000	120,525	61,641	58,884	48.2	24.7	23.6
1947	2,570,000	134,066	63,316	70,750	52.2	24.6	27.5
1948	2,641,000	137,009	62,090	74,919	51.9	23.5	28.4
1949	2,724,000	140,596	59,277	81,319	51.6	21.8	29.9
1950	3,146,000	142,673	61,234	81,439	48.1	20.6	27.4
1951	3,238,000	151,416	56,550	94,866	49.6	18.5	31.1
1952	3,331,000	151,865	71,994	79,871	48.3	22.9	25.4
1953	3,426,000	156,377	70,794	85,583	48.3	21.9	26.4
1954	3,521,000	162,773	58,132	104,641	48.9	17.4	31.4
1955	3,619,000	158,856	67,088	91,768	46.3	19.6	26.7
1956	3,719,000	163,301	66,280	97,021	46.2	18.8	27.5
1957	3,820,000	170,381	70,933	99,448	46.9	19.5	27.4
1958	3,924,000	172,745	75,634	97,111	46.2	20.2	26.0
1959	4,031,000	181,740	63,010	118,730	47.2	16.4	30.8
1960	4,141,000	186,476	65,805	120,671	47.1	16.6	30.4
1961	4,253,000	193,833	63,287	130,546	47.5	15.5	32.0
1962	4,369,000	191,420	69,287	122,133	45.6	16.5	29.1
1963	4,488,000	197,671	71,449	126,222	45.8	16.6	29.2
1964	4,610,000	196,386	68,278	128,108	44.2	15.4	28.9
1965	4,736,000	201,059	74,830	126,229	44.0	16.4	27.6
1966	4,864,000	206,520	75,774	130,746	44.0	16.1	27.8
1967	4,996,000	201,816	71,191	130,625	41.8	14.8	27.1
1968	5,132,000	211,679	79,421	132,258	42.7	16.0	26.7
1969	5,271,000	215,397	85,174	130,223	42.2	16.7	25.5
1970	5,416,000	212,151	77,333	134,818	40.5	14.7	25.7
1971	5,565,000	229,674	75,223	154,451	42.6	14.0	28.6
1972	5,719,000	241,593	67,989	173,604	43.6	12.3	31.3
1973	5,877,000	238,498	69,454	169,044	41.8	12.2	29.6
1974	6,036,000	252,203	69,820	182,383	43.0	11.9	31.1
1975	6,194,000	249,332	78,708	170,624	41.4	13.1	28.4
1976	6,352,000	266,728	81,627	185,101	43.2	13.2	30.0
1977	6,510,000	284,747	71,777	212,970	45.0	11.3	33.6
1978	6,669,000	286,415	66,844	219,571	44.1	10.3	33.8
1979	6,832,000	295,972	72,274	223,698	44.5	10.9	33.6
1980	7,001,000	303,643	71,352	232,291	44.5	10.5	34.1
1981	7,177,000	308,413	75,658	232,755	44.1	10.8	33.3
1982	7,358,000	312,047	76,267	235,780	43.5	10.6	32.9
1983	7,543,000	306,827	74,462	232,365	41.7	10.1	31.6
1984	7,731,000	312,094	75,462	236,632	41.3	10.0	31.4
1985	7,920,000	326,849	69,455	257,394	42.2	9.0	33.3
1986	8,109,000	318,340	66,328	252,012	40.1	8.4	31.8
1987	8,299,000	319,942	66,404	253,538	39.4	8.2	31.2
1988	8,492,000	337,396	64,100	273,296	40.5	7.7	32.8
1989	8,688,000	340,807	61,548	279,259	39.9	7.2	32.7
1990	8,890,000	347,207	73,344	273,863	39.7	8.4	31.3
1991	9,099,000	359,904	72,896	287,008	39.6	8.0	31.5
1992	9,313,000	363,648	73,124	290,524	39.0	7.9	31.2
1993	9,533,000	370,138	73,870	296,268	38.8	7.7	31.1
1994	9,756,000	381,497	74,761	306,736	39.1	7.7	31.4
1995	9,984,000	371,091	65,159	305,932	37.2	6.5	30.6
1996	10,215,000	377,723	60,618	317,105	37.0	5.9	31.0
1997	10,450,000	387,862	67,691	320,171	37.1	6.5	30.6
1998	10,691,000	400,133	69,847	330,286	37.4	6.5	30.9
1999	10,942,000	409,034	65,139	343,895	37.4	6.0	31.4
2000	11,204,000	425,410	67,284	358,126	38.0	6.0	32.0
2001	11,479,000	415,338	68,041	347,297	36.2	5.9	30.3
2002	11,766,000	387,287	66,089	321,198	32.9	5.6	27.3
2003	12,063,000	375,092	66,695	308,397	31.1	5.5	25.6
2004	12,368,000	383,704	66,991	316,713	31.0	5.4	25.6
2005	12,679,000	374,066	71,039	303,027	29.5	5.6	23.9	3.796
2006	12,995,000	368,399	69,756	298,643	28.3	5.4	22.9	3.621
2007	13,318,000	366,128	70,030	296,098	27.4	5.2	22.2	3.461
2008	13,678,000	369,769	70,233	299,536	27.0	5.1	21.9	3.386
2009	14,017,000	351,628	71,707	279,921	25.1	5.1	20.0	3.122
2010	14,362,000	361,906	72,748	289,158	25.2	5.1	20.1	3.095
2011	14,714,000	373,692	72,354	301,338	25.4	4.9	20.5	3.088
2012	15,073,000	388,613	72,657	315,956	25.8	4.8	21.0	3.105
2013	15,438,000	387,342	76,639	310,703	25.1	5.0	20.1	3.050
2014	15,807,000	386,195	77,807	308,388	24.4	4.9	19.5	3.046
2015	16,176,000	391,425	80,876	310,549	24.2	5.0	19.2	2.896
2016	16,548,000	390,382	82,585	307,797	23.7	5.0	18.7	2.804
2017	16,924,000	381,664	81,726	299,938	22.5	4.8	17.7	2.663
2018 (C)	17,346,950	383,263	83,071	300,192	22.1	5.1	17.0
2019 (C)	17,915,568

(C) = Census results.

Fertility and births (demographic and health surveys)

Total fertility rate (TFR) (wanted fertility rate) and crude birth rate (CBR):[31][32]

Year	CBR (total)	TFR (total)	CBR (urban)	TFR (urban)	CBR (rural)	TFR (rural)
1987		5.6 (4.9)		4.1 (3.5)		6.5 (5.8)
1995		5.1 (4.0)		3.8 (3.0)		6.2 (4.8)
1998-99	38.0	5.0 (4.1)	34.8	4.1 (3.4)	40.1	5.8 (4.6)
2002		4.4		3.4		5.2
2008-09		3.6		2.9		4.2
2014-15	27.3	3.1 (2.6)	22.5	2.5 (2.0)	31.0	3.7 (3.0)

Structure of the population

Structure of the population (01.07.2005) (estimates):[33]

Age group	Male	Female	Total	%
Total	6 197 399	6 502 381	12 699 780	100
0-4	1 035 549	1 000 763	2 036 312	16,03
5-9	921 924	901 718	1 823 642	14,36
10-14	815 791	808 328	1 624 119	12,79
15-19	685 359	694 215	1 379 574	10,86
20-24	571 385	608 879	1 180 264	9,29
25-29	446 309	506 386	952 695	7,50
30-34	340 378	412 767	753 145	5,93
35-39	270 907	329 253	600 160	4,73
40-44	225 243	267 504	492 747	3,88
45-49	191 635	218 053	409 688	3,23
50-54	175 311	191 751	367 062	2,89
55-59	149 593	161 320	310 913	2,45
60-64	113 686	119 957	233 643	1,84
65-69	94 128	98 864	192 992	1,52
70-74	74 463	81 804	156 267	1,23
75-79	50 340	57 089	107 429	0,85
80+	35 398	43 730	79 128	0,62

Age group	Male	Female	Total	Percent
0-14	2 773 264	2 710 809	5 484 073	43,18
15-64	3 169 806	3 510 085	6 679 891	52,60
65+	254 329	281 487	535 816	4,22

Structure of the population (01.07.2010) (estimates) (projections based on the 2002 Population Census):

Age group	Male	Female	Total	%
Total	7 003 337	7 358 328	14 361 666	100
0-4	1 103 521	1 062 224	2 165 745	15,08
5-9	1 017 180	987 490	2 004 670	13,96
10-14	906 603	891 659	1 798 262	12,52
15-19	794 459	795 688	1 590 147	11,07
20-24	646 911	675 214	1 322 125	9,21
25-29	538 214	590 746	1 128 960	7,86
30-34	418 535	494 657	913 192	6,36
35-39	323 010	402 681	725 691	5,05
40-44	258 454	321 849	580 303	4,04
45-49	215 304	260 145	475 449	3,31
50-54	182 662	211 040	393 702	2,74
55-59	165 910	184 214	350 124	2,44
60-64	139 395	152 936	292 331	2,04
65-69	103 433	111 058	214 491	1,49
70-74	81 809	88 219	170 028	1,18
75-79	60 257	68 733	128 990	0,90
80+	47 678	59 778	107 456	0,75

Age group	Male	Female	Total	Percent
0-14	3 027 304	2 941 373	5 968 677	41,56
15-64	3 682 856	4 089 167	7 772 023	54,12
65+	293 177	327 788	620 965	4,32

Structure of the population (2015):[34]

Age group	Total	%
Total	16 176 133	100
0-4	2 262 514	13.99
5-9	2 142 308	13.24
10-14	1 988 541	12.29
15-19	1 776 352	10.98
20-24	1 553 450	9.60
25-29	1 286 639	7.95
30-34	1 099 039	6.79
35-39	889 673	5.50
40-44	707 191	4.37
45-49	563 431	3.48
50-54	459 432	2.84
55-59	377 242	2.33
60-64	330 803	2.05
65+	739 518	4.57%

Age group	Total	Percent
0-14	6 393 363	39.52
15-64	9 043 252	55.90
65+	739 518	4.57

Marriage and childbearing

The legal age for females to get married in Guatemala was 14, but was raised to 16 with parental consent and 18 without in November 2015. This phenomenon, known as child marriage, is prevalent in Central America; in rural areas of Guatemala, 53% of 20 to 24 year-old women married before their 18th birthday. Once married, young girls are likely to abandon their education and are exposed to domestic and sexual violence. They are no longer seen as girls; their husbands, who are often older men, see them as servants. Frequently births are at home. Most of these women are isolated without networks of support.[35]

In most cases, motherhood comes after marriage. However, due to the fact that these young women' bodies are not entirely developed, many pregnancies result in high complications and high risks for both the mother and baby, during and after labor.[36] Because there is limited access to health services, women in Guatemala choose a different alternative when it comes to the care during and after child delivery. Pregnancies before marriage are on the rise and unmarried women make their decision based on their image more than their safety.[37] Single Guatemalan women may choose midwives as their health care provider during pregnancy and delivery to avoid feeling ashamed.[37] Other women know the midwives in the community personally so they opt for a private healthcare provider.[37] Throughout the country, midwives are known as the providers of choice for approximately 80% of the births even though they are not professionally trained.[37] This contributes to the increasing infant mortality rate of 100 per 1,000 births as reported in some Guatemalan communities.[37]

Other demographic statistics

Demographic statistics according to the World Population Review in 2019.[38]

• One birth every 1 minutes
• One death every 6 minutes
• One net migrant every 58 minutes
• Net gain of one person every 2 minutes

Demographic statistics according to the CIA World Factbook, unless otherwise indicated.[39]

Population

16,581,273 (July 2018 est.)

Ethnic groups

mestizo (mixed Amerindian-Spanish - in local Spanish called Ladino) and European 60.1%, Maya 39.3% (K'iche 11.3%, Q'eqchi 7.6%, Kaqchikel 7.4%, Mam 5.5%, other 7.5%), non-Maya, non-mestizo 0.15% (Xinca (indigenous, non-Maya), Garifuna (mixed West and Central African, Island Carib, and Arawak)), other 0.5% (2001 est.)

Age structure

Population pyramid of Guatemala in 2017

0-14 years: 34.55% (male 2,919,281 /female 2,810,329)

15-24 years: 20.23% (male 1,688,900 /female 1,665,631)

25-54 years: 35.47% (male 2,878,075 /female 3,002,920)

55-64 years: 5.28% (male 407,592 /female 468,335)

65 years and over: 4.46% (male 336,377 /female 403,833) (2018 est.)

Median age

total: 22.5 years. Country comparison to the world: 179th

male: 22 years

female: 23.1 years (2018 est.)

Birth rate

24.6 births/1,000 population (2018 est.) Country comparison to the world: 50th

Death rate

5 deaths/1,000 population (2018 est.) Country comparison to the world: 194th

Total fertility rate

2.87 children born/woman (2018 est.) Country comparison to the world: 58th

Net migration rate

-2.4 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2018 est.) Country comparison to the world: 168th

Population growth rate

1.72% (2018 est.) Country comparison to the world: 59th

Mother's mean age at first birth

21.2 years (2014/15 est.)

note: median age at first birth among women 25-29

Contraceptive prevalence rate

60.6% (2014/15)

Dependency ratios

total dependency ratio: 68.7 (2015 est.)

youth dependency ratio: 61.1 (2015 est.)

elderly dependency ratio: 7.6 (2015 est.)

potential support ratio: 13.1 (2015 est.)

Life expectancy at birth

total population: 71.8 years

male: 69.8 years

female: 73.9 years (2018 est.)

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.)

note: the 2003 Law of National Languages officially recognized 23 indigenous languages, including 21 Maya languages, Xinka, and Garifuna

Urbanization

urban population: 51.1% of total population (2018)

rate of urbanization: 2.68% annual rate of change (2015-20 est.)

Education expenditures

2.8% of GDP (2017) Country comparison to the world: 149th

Literacy

definition: age 15 and over can read and write (2015 est.)

total population: 81.5%

male: 87.4%

female: 76.3% (2015 est.)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education)

total: 11 years

male: 11 years

female: 11 years (2014)

Unemployment, youth ages 15–24

total: 6.1%. Country comparison to the world: 151st

male: 4.6%

female: 9.1% (2016 est.)

Languages

Main article: Languages of Guatemala

The official language of Guatemala is Spanish. It is spoken by nearly 93% of the population and is found mainly in the departments of the Southern region, Eastern region, Guatemala City and Peten.[40] Though the official language is Spanish, it is often the second language among the Indigenous population.

Approximately 23 additional Amerindian languages are spoken by more than 40% of the population.[41] 21 Mayan languages, one indigenous, and one Arawakan are spoken in Guatemala.[42] The most significant are; Quiche, Cakchiquel, Kekchi, Mam, Garifuna and Xinca.[41]

There are also significant numbers of German, Chinese, French and English speakers.

Rank	Language	Language family
1	Spanish	Indo-European
2	K’iche’	Mayan
3	Q'eqchi'	Mayan
4	Kaqchikel	Mayan
5	Mam	Mayan
6	Poqomchi	Mayan
7	Tz’utujil	Mayan
8	Achí	Mayan
9	Q’anjob’al	Mayan
10	Ixil	Mayan
11	Akatek	Mayan
12	Jakaltek	Mayan
13	Chuj	Mayan
14	Poqomam	Mayan
15	Ch'orti'	Mayan
16	Awakatek	Mayan
17	Sakapultek	Mayan
18	Sipakapa	Mayan
19	Garífuna	Arawakan
20	Uspantek	Mayan
21	Tektitek	Mayan
22	Mopan	Mayan
23	Xincan languages	Isolate
24	Itza	Mayan

[42]

Religion

Main article: Religion in Guatemala

Religion in Guatemala (1996)[43]
Religion
Roman Catholic			54%
Evangelical			25%
Atheist, none, agnostic			8%
Others			9%
NS/NC			4%

Religion in Guatemala (2013)[43]
Religion
Roman Catholic			47%
Evangelical			40%
Atheist, none, agnostic			9%
Others			3%
NS/NC			1%

Catholicism was the official religion during the colonial era. Protestantism has increased in recent decades. More than one third of Guatemalans are Protestant, chiefly Evangelicals and Pentecostals. Eastern and Oriental Orthodoxy claim rapid growth, especially among the Indigenous Maya.

The Islamic community in Guatemala is growing, Muslim population of Guatemala is approximately 1,200. Of this population, 95% are Palestinian Arab immigrants. There is a mosque in the outskirts of Guatemala City called the Islamic Da'wah Mosque of Guatemala (Spanish: Mezquita de Aldawaa Islámica) which is available for the five daily prayers and offers classes in Islamic studies.

The president of the Islamic Community of the country is Jamal Mubarak.

Traditionally a large proportion of Guatemalans have been Catholics. This has declined, from 90% of the population in 1950, 61% in 1986, 65% in 1991 (after the visit of the Pope John Paul II), 57% in 2006,[44] and 47% in 2013.[43] Between 1882 and 1940, 2% of the population were Protestants, 17.98% were Protestant in 1978, 30% in 1986, 21% in 1991, 25.27% in 2001, 30.70% in 2006[44] and 40% Protestant in 2014.[43]

3% of Guatemalans follow other religions.[43] 9% are non-religious.[43] Guatemalans who self-identify as atheists/agnostics were 3.25% of the population in 1982, 12% in 1991, and 9,9%% in 2006.[44] According to the Latinobarómetro, 8% of the population were irreligious in 1996, 15% in 2000, 16% in 2007, 11% in 2008, 13% in 2010, with 10% irreligious in 2014.[43] The "other religions" were 9% in 1996 to 14% one year later, and 3% in 2013.[43]

Religious evolution in Guatemala (by national census)
Year	% Catholic	% Evangelic	% others	% no religion
1882-1940	97%	2%	0.1%	0.4%
1978	80.1%	17.9%	0.8%	1.2%
1980	77%	19.1%	1.1%	2.8%
1982	73.4%	22.3%	1.1%	3.2%
1986	62.9%	30%	2%	6%
1991	64.6%	21%	2.4%	12%
1992	60.4%	26.4%	2.1%	11.1%
2001	58.1%	25.2%	2.5%	14.2%
2006	57.3%	30.7%	2.1%	9.9%
2010	47.6%	31.7%	2.4%	18.3%
2012	47.9%	38.2%	2.3%	11.6%

Religious identity in Guatemala (1996-2013)
Year	% Catholics	% Protestants	% atheists/non-religious	% others
1996	54%	25%	8%	13%
1997	54%	24%	6%	16%
1998	69%	19%	8%	3%
1999	60%	27%	9%	3%
2000	52%	29%	15%	4%
2001	58%	29%	7%	6%
2002	57%	29%	8%	6%
2003	59%	32%	7%	2%
2004	53%	33%	12%	2%
2005	57%	31%	10%	2%
2006	54%	34%	10%	2%
2007	48%	36%	15%	1%
2008	51%	36%	11%	2%
2009	54%	34%	9%	3%
2010	47%	39%	12%	2%
2011	55%	30%	11%	4%
2013	47%	40%	10%	3%

References

1. Guatemala: Estimaciones de la Población total por municipio. Período 2008-2020 Archived 2015-04-04 at the Wayback Machine
2. "Caracterización estadística República de Guatemala 2012" (PDF). INE. Archived from the original on November 2012. Retrieved 2014-11-02.
3. "Así ha crecido la población de Guatemala". República. Retrieved 18 September 2019.
4. "Censo de Población". Instituto Nacional de Estadística. Retrieved 18 September 2019.
5. "CIA - The World Factbook". Cia.gov. Retrieved 2013-04-22.
6. https://www.censopoblacion.gt/mapas
7. "Population Division of the Department of Economic and Social Affairs of the United Nations Secretariat, World Population Prospects: The 2012 Revision".
8. ""World Population prospects – Population division"". population.un.org. United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division. Retrieved November 9, 2019.
9. ""Overall total population" – World Population Prospects: The 2019 Revision" (xslx). population.un.org (custom data acquired via website). United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division. Retrieved November 9, 2019.
10. "CIA World Factbook, Guatemala". July 2011. Retrieved 22 December 2011.
11. Lahmeyer, Jan (2002). "Guatemala: historical demographical data of the whole country". Population Statistics. Retrieved 2015-05-03.
12. "World Population Prospects - Population Division - United Nations". esa.un.org. Retrieved 2017-03-28.
13. "Republica de Guatemala". 2009-04-16. Archived from the original on 2009-04-16. Retrieved 2018-03-25.
14. "Guatemalan population growth (by departament)" (web page). INE. Retrieved 2014-12-12.
15. Economic Migrants Replace Political Refugees see Table 1. Emigration Flows from Guatemala, 1960s through 2005. Retrieved on, 18 November 2014
16. "Largest U.S. Immigrant Groups over Time, 1960-Present". Migration Policy Institute. Retrieved 4 May 2015.
17. The 2000 U.S. Census recorded 480,665 Guatemalan-born respondents; see Smith (2006)
18. Smith, James (April 2006). "DRC Migration, Globalisation and Poverty". Archived from the original on 2016-12-27. Retrieved 2015-04-22. Used the Version 4 data.
19. Da, Wei Wei (2002). "Guatemalans in Canada: Contexts of Departure and Arrival" (PDF). Latin American Study Group. Retrieved June 1, 2010.
20. National population of the National Institute of Statistics (INE). demographic info 2010.
21. "Ancient Jewish Tradition of clothing". Archived from the original on 2015-04-02.
22. "Ultra-orthodox Lev Tahor settlement has spurred tension in Guatemalan village, CIJA says".
23. "More Lev Tahor sect members leaving Canada for Guatemala".
24. "Guatemala Population 2020". worldpopulationreview.com. Retrieved 2020-03-05.
25. "The World Factbook". Central Intelligence Agency. March 25, 2018.
26. "Guatemala - Central America: guatemala history, guatemala population, culture dominant, guatemala republic, independence spain". www.countriesquest.com.
27. "GUATEMALA: DEL MESTIZAJE A LA LADINIZACION, 1524-1964" (PDF). CIRMA. Retrieved 2014-11-04.
28. "Belize" (PDF). 2010 Belize Housing and Population Census. Statistical Institute of Belize. Archived from the original (PDF) on 12 August 2011. Retrieved 7 June 2012.
29. "Demographic Yearbook System". United Nations Statistics Division - UNSD. Retrieved 28 January 2020.
30. "Estadísticas vitales". Instituto Nacional de Estadística - INE. Retrieved 28 January 2020.
31. "The DHS Program - Page Not Found" (PDF). www.dhsprogram.com.
32. "The DHS Program - Survey Search". www.dhsprogram.com.
33. "United Nations Statistics Division - Demographic and Social Statistics". unstats.un.org.
34. "Tema / Indicadores". www.ine.gob.gt.
35. Sinclair, Stephanie. "Child, Bride, Mother." New York Times, Feb 8, 2015. https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2015/02/08/opinion/sunday/exposures-child-bride-mother-stephanie-sinclair.html
36. Sinclair, Stephanie. "Child, Bride, Mother." New York Times, Feb 08, 2015, Late Edition (East Coast). https://search.proquest.com/docview/1652674639
37. Wong, Po Yin. "Mothers' Marital Status and Type of Delivery Medical Care in Guatemala." Population Research and Policy Review 30, no. 1 (2011): 43-57. JSTOR 41487854.
38. "Guatemala Population 2019", World Population Review
39. "World Factbook CENTRAL AMERICA : GUATEMALA", The World Factbook, July 12, 2018
40. "CIA - The World Factbook". Cia.gov. Retrieved 2013-04-22.
41. "Central America and Caribbean :: GUATEMALA". CIA The World Factbook.
42. "What Languages Are Spoken In Guatemala?". WorldAtlas. Retrieved 2018-04-09.
43. "Las religiones en tiempos del Papa Francisco" (in Spanish). Latinobarómetro. April 2014. p. 6. Archived from the original (pdf) on 10 May 2015. Retrieved 4 April 2015.
44. El crecimiento de las Iglesias Evangélicas en Guatemala: Una mirada Socio-religiosa Archived 2014-01-15 at the Wayback Machine Guatemala, November 2010