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Communications

Internet country code [time series]

.gt

Internet users (Internet hosts) [time series]

132,049 (2009) country comparison to the world: 69

Internet users [time series]

1.96 million (2008) country comparison to the world: 70

Broadcast media (Radio broadcast stations) [time series]

AM 130, FM 487, shortwave 15 (2000)

Telecommunication systems (Telephone system) [time series]

general assessment: fairly modern network centered in the city of Guatemala domestic: state-owned telecommunications company privatized in the late 1990s opening the way for competition; fixed-line teledensity 11 per 100 persons; fixed-line investments are being concentrated on improving rural connectivity; mobile-cellular teledensity exceeds 100 per 100 persons international: country code - 502; landing point for both the Americas Region Caribbean Ring System (ARCOS-1) and the SAM-1 fiber optic submarine cable system that together provide connectivity to South and Central America, parts of the Caribbean, and the US; connected to Central American Microwave System; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) (2008)

Telephones - fixed lines (Telephones - main lines in use) [time series]

1.449 million (2008) country comparison to the world: 65

Telephones - mobile cellular [time series]

14.949 million (2008) country comparison to the world: 42

Broadcast media (Television broadcast stations) [time series]

26 (plus 27 repeaters) (1997)

Economy

Agricultural products (Agriculture - products) [time series]

sugarcane, corn, bananas, coffee, beans, cardamom; cattle, sheep, pigs, chickens

Budget [time series]

revenues: $4.693 billion expenditures: $5.338 billion (2008 est.)

Central bank discount rate [time series]

NA%

Commercial bank prime lending rate [time series]

13.39% (31 December 2008) country comparison to the world: 63 12.84% (31 December 2007)

Current account balance [time series]

-$1.932 billion (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 137 -$1.754 billion (2007 est.)

Debt - external [time series]

$6.5 billion (31 December 2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 98 $5.908 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Gini Index coefficient - distribution of family income (Distribution of family income - Gini index) [time series]

55.1 (2007) country comparison to the world: 13 55.8 (1998)

Economic overview (Economy - overview) [time series]

Guatemala is the most populous of the Central American countries with a GDP per capita roughly one-half that of Argentina, Brazil, and Chile. The agricultural sector accounts for about one-tenth of GDP, two-fifths of exports, and half of the labor force. Coffee, sugar, and bananas are the main products, with sugar exports benefiting from increased global demand for ethanol. The 1996 signing of peace accords, which ended 36 years of civil war, removed a major obstacle to foreign investment, and Guatemala since then has pursued important reforms and macroeconomic stabilization. The Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA) entered into force in July 2006 and has since spurred increased investment in the export sector, but concerns over security, the lack of skilled workers and poor infrastructure continued to hamper foreign participation. The distribution of income remains highly unequal with more than half of the population below the national poverty line. Other ongoing challenges include increasing government revenues, negotiating further assistance from international donors, curtailing drug trafficking and rampant crime, and narrowing the trade deficit. Given Guatemala's large expatriate community in the United States, it is the top remittance recipient in Central America, with inflows serving as a primary source of foreign income equivalent to nearly two-thirds of exports. Economic growth will slow in 2009 as export demand from US and other Central American markets drop and foreign investment slows amid the global slowdown.

Electricity - consumption [time series]

7.115 billion kWh (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 96

Electricity - exports [time series]

131.9 million kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - imports [time series]

8.11 million kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - production [time series]

8.425 billion kWh (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 97

Exchange rates [time series]

quetzales (GTQ) per US dollar - 7.5895 (2008 est.), 7.6833 (2007), 7.6026 (2006), 7.6339 (2005), 7.9465 (2004)

Exports [time series]

$7.848 billion (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 95 $7.012 billion (2007 est.)

Exports - commodities [time series]

coffee, sugar, petroleum, apparel, bananas, fruits and vegetables, cardamom

Exports - partners [time series]

US 39.4%, El Salvador 12.6%, Honduras 9.5%, Mexico 6.6%, Nicaragua 4.2%, Costa Rica 4.1% (2008)

GDP (official exchange rate) [time series]

$38.98 billion (2008 est.)

Real GDP (purchasing power parity) (GDP (purchasing power parity)) [time series]

$68.75 billion (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 81 $66.1 billion (2007 est.) $62.18 billion (2006 est.) note: data are in 2008 US dollars

GDP - composition, by sector of origin (GDP - composition by sector) [time series]

agriculture: 13.1% industry: 25% services: 61.9% (2008 est.)

Real GDP per capita (GDP - per capita (PPP)) [time series]

$5,300 (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 136 $5,200 (2007 est.) $5,000 (2006 est.) note: data are in 2008 US dollars

Real GDP growth rate (GDP - real growth rate) [time series]

4% (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 103 6.3% (2007 est.) 5.4% (2006 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share [time series]

lowest 10%: 1.3% highest 10%: 42.4% (2006)

Imports [time series]

$13.42 billion (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 87 $12.48 billion (2007 est.)

Imports - commodities [time series]

fuels, machinery and transport equipment, construction materials, grain, fertilizers, electricity

Imports - partners [time series]

US 36.7%, Mexico 9.7%, China 5.8%, El Salvador 4.8% (2008)

Industrial production growth rate [time series]

1.4% (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 118

Industries [time series]

sugar, textiles and clothing, furniture, chemicals, petroleum, metals, rubber, tourism

Inflation rate (consumer prices) [time series]

11.4% (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 163 6.8% (2007 est.)

Investment (gross fixed) [time series]

18.6% of GDP (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 126

Labor force [time series]

4.056 million (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 87

Labor force - by occupation [time series]

agriculture: 50% industry: 15% services: 35% (1999 est.)

Market value of publicly traded shares [time series]

$NA

Natural gas - consumption [time series]

0 cu m (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 177

Natural gas - exports [time series]

0 cu m (2008) country comparison to the world: 72

Natural gas - imports [time series]

0 cu m (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 173

Natural gas - production [time series]

0 cu m (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 102

Natural gas - proved reserves [time series]

2.96 billion cu m (1 January 2006 est.) country comparison to the world: 93

Oil - consumption [time series]

76,000 bbl/day (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 85

Oil - exports [time series]

21,850 bbl/day (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 89

Oil - imports [time series]

72,440 bbl/day (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 77

Oil - production [time series]

15,550 bbl/day (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 78

Oil - proved reserves [time series]

83.07 million bbl (1 January 2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 71

Population below poverty line [time series]

56.2% (2004 est.)

Public debt [time series]

25.7% of GDP (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 80 32% of GDP (2004 est.)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold [time series]

$4.471 billion (31 December 2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 83 $4.139 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Stock of domestic credit [time series]

$14.82 billion (31 December 2008) country comparison to the world: 67 $13.96 billion (31 December 2007)

Stock of narrow money (Stock of money) [time series]

$6.106 billion (31 December 2008) country comparison to the world: 51 $6.227 billion (31 December 2007)

Stock of narrow money (Stock of quasi money) [time series]

$9.7 billion (31 December 2008) country comparison to the world: 51 $8.928 billion (31 December 2007)

Unemployment rate [time series]

3.2% (2005 est.) country comparison to the world: 36

Geography

Area [time series]

total: 108,889 sq km country comparison to the world: 106 land: 107,159 sq km water: 1,730 sq km

Area - comparative [time series]

slightly smaller than Tennessee

Climate [time series]

tropical; hot, humid in lowlands; cooler in highlands

Coastline [time series]

400 km

Elevation (Elevation extremes) [time series]

lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m highest point: Volcan Tajumulco 4,211 m

Environment - current issues [time series]

deforestation in the Peten rainforest; soil erosion; water pollution

International environmental agreements (Environment - international agreements) [time series]

party to: Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands, Whaling signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Total water withdrawal (Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural)) [time series]

total: 2.01 cu km/yr (6%/13%/80%) per capita: 160 cu m/yr (2000)

Geographic coordinates [time series]

15 30 N, 90 15 W

Geography - note [time series]

no natural harbors on west coast

Irrigated land [time series]

1,300 sq km (2003)

Land boundaries [time series]

total: 1,687 km border countries: Belize 266 km, El Salvador 203 km, Honduras 256 km, Mexico 962 km

Land use [time series]

arable land: 13.22% permanent crops: 5.6% other: 81.18% (2005)

Location [time series]

Central America, bordering the North Pacific Ocean, between El Salvador and Mexico, and bordering the Gulf of Honduras (Caribbean Sea) between Honduras and Belize

Map references [time series]

Central America and the Caribbean

Maritime claims [time series]

territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200 m depth or to the depth of exploitation

Natural hazards [time series]

numerous volcanoes in mountains, with occasional violent earthquakes; Caribbean coast extremely susceptible to hurricanes and other tropical storms

Natural resources [time series]

petroleum, nickel, rare woods, fish, chicle, hydropower

Terrain [time series]

mostly mountains with narrow coastal plains and rolling limestone plateau

Total renewable water resources [time series]

111.3 cu km (2000)

Government

Administrative divisions [time series]

22 departments (departamentos, singular - departamento); Alta Verapaz, Baja Verapaz, Chimaltenango, Chiquimula, El Progreso, Escuintla, Guatemala, Huehuetenango, Izabal, Jalapa, Jutiapa, Peten, Quetzaltenango, Quiche, Retalhuleu, Sacatepequez, San Marcos, Santa Rosa, Solola, Suchitepequez, Totonicapan, Zacapa

Capital [time series]

name: Guatemala City geographic coordinates: 14 37 N, 90 31 W time difference: UTC-6 (1 hour behind Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in April; ends last Friday in September; note - there is no DST planned for 2007-2009

Constitution [time series]

31 May 1985, effective 14 January 1986; suspended 25 May 1993; reinstated 5 June 1993; amended November 1993

Country name [time series]

conventional long form: Republic of Guatemala conventional short form: Guatemala local long form: Republica de Guatemala local short form: Guatemala

Diplomatic representation from the US [time series]

chief of mission: Ambassador Stephen G. MCFARLAND embassy: 7-01 Avenida Reforma, Zone 10, Guatemala City mailing address: APO AA 34024 telephone: [502] 2326-4000 FAX: [502] 2326-4654

Diplomatic representation in the US [time series]

chief of mission: Ambassador Francisco VILLAGRAN de Leon chancery: 2220 R Street NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 745-4952 FAX: [1] (202) 745-1908 consulate(s) general: Atlanta, Chicago, Denver, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, Phoenix, Providence, San Francisco

Executive branch [time series]

chief of state: President Alvaro COLOM Caballeros (since 14 January 2008); Vice President Jose Rafael ESPADA (since 14 January 2008); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government head of government: President Alvaro COLOM Caballeros (since 14 January 2008); Vice President Jose Rafael ESPADA (since 14 January 2008) cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president elections: president elected by popular vote for a four-year term (may not serve consecutive terms); election last held 9 September 2007; runoff held 4 November 2007 (next to be held September 2011) election results: Alvaro COLOM Caballeros elected president; percent of vote - Alvaro COLOM Caballeros 52.8%, Otto PEREZ Molina 47.2%

Flag (Flag description) [time series]

three equal vertical bands of light blue (hoist side), white, and light blue, with the coat of arms centered in the white band; the coat of arms includes a green and red quetzal (the national bird) and a scroll bearing the inscription LIBERTAD 15 DE SEPTIEMBRE DE 1821 (the original date of independence from Spain) all superimposed on a pair of crossed rifles and a pair of crossed swords and framed by a wreath

Government type [time series]

constitutional democratic republic

Independence [time series]

15 September 1821 (from Spain)

International organization participation [time series]

BCIE, CACM, FAO, G-24, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO (correspondent), ITSO, ITU, ITUC, LAES, LAIA (observer), MIGA, MINUSTAH, MONUC, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, OPCW, PCA, RG, SICA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNIFIL, Union Latina, UNMIS, UNOCI, UNWTO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Judicial branch [time series]

Constitutional Court or Corte de Constitucionalidad is Guatemala's highest court (five judges are elected for concurrent five-year terms); Supreme Court of Justice or Corte Suprema de Justicia (13 members serve concurrent five-year terms and elect a president of the Court each year from among their number; the president of the Supreme Court of Justice also supervises trial judges around the country, who are named to five-year terms)

Legal system [time series]

civil law system; judicial review of legislative acts; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Legislative branch [time series]

unicameral Congress of the Republic or Congreso de la Republica (158 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms) elections: last held 9 September 2007 (next to be held in September 2011) election results: percent of vote by party - UNE 30.4%, GANA 23.4%, PP 18.9%, FRG 9.5%, PU 5.1%, other 12.7%; seats by party - UNE 48, GANA 37, PP 30, FRG 15, PU 8, CASA 5, EG 4, PAN 4, UCN 4, URNG 2, UD 1

National holiday [time series]

Independence Day, 15 September (1821)

Political parties (Political parties and leaders) [time series]

Center of Social Action or CASA [Eduardo SUGER]; Democracy Front or FRENTE [Alfonso CABRERA]; Democratic Union or UD [Manuel CONDE Orellana]; Encounter for Guatemala or EG [Nineth MONTENGRO]; Grand National Alliance or GANA [Alfredo VILLA]; Guatemalan National Revolutionary Unity or URNG [Hector NUILA]; Guatemalan Republican Front or FRG [Efrain RIOS Montt]; National Advancement Party or PAN [Juan Guillermo GUTIERREZ]; National Unity for Hope or UNE [Juan Jose ALFARO Lemus]; Nationalist Change Union or UCN [Mario ESTRADA]; Patriot Party or PP [Ret. Gen. Otto PEREZ Molina]; Unionista Party or PU [Fritz GARCIA-GALLONT]

Political parties (Political pressure groups and leaders) [time series]

Agrarian Owners Group or UNAGRO; Alliance Against Impunity or AAI; Committee for Campesino Unity or CUC; Coordinating Committee of Agricultural, Commercial, Industrial, and Financial Associations or CACIF; Mutual Support Group or GAM

Suffrage [time series]

18 years of age; universal; note - active duty members of the armed forces may not vote and are restricted to their barracks on election day

Introduction

Background [time series]

The Mayan civilization flourished in Guatemala and surrounding regions during the first millennium A.D. 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 100,000 people dead and had created, by some estimates, some 1 million refugees.

Military

Manpower available for military service [time series]

males age 16-49: 2,861,696 females age 16-49: 3,062,967 (2008 est.)

Manpower fit for military service [time series]

males age 16-49: 2,401,297 females age 16-49: 2,725,572 (2009 est.)

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually [time series]

male: 165,910 female: 163,760 (2009 est.)

Military and security forces (Military branches) [time series]

Army, Navy (includes Marines), Air Force

Military expenditures [time series]

0.4% of GDP (2006) country comparison to the world: 165

Military service age and obligation [time series]

all male citizens between the ages of 18 and 50 are liable for military service; conscript service obligation varies from 12 to 24 months; women can serve as officers (2008)

People

Age structure [time series]

0-14 years: 39.4% (male 2,664,058/female 2,573,006) 15-64 years: 56.8% (male 3,655,184/female 3,884,331) 65 years and over: 3.8% (male 231,652/female 268,286) (2009 est.)

Birth rate [time series]

27.98 births/1,000 population (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 55

Death rate [time series]

5.11 deaths/1,000 population (July 2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 185

Education expenditure (Education expenditures) [time series]

2.6% of GDP (2006) country comparison to the world: 154

Ethnic groups [time series]

Mestizo (mixed Amerindian-Spanish - in local Spanish called Ladino) and European 59.4%, K'iche 9.1%, Kaqchikel 8.4%, Mam 7.9%, Q'eqchi 6.3%, other Mayan 8.6%, indigenous non-Mayan 0.2%, other 0.1% (2001 census)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate [time series]

0.8% (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 61

HIV/AIDS - deaths [time series]

3,900 (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 51

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS [time series]

59,000 (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 61

Infant mortality rate [time series]

total: 27.84 deaths/1,000 live births country comparison to the world: 79 male: 30.2 deaths/1,000 live births female: 25.35 deaths/1,000 live births (2009 est.)

Languages [time series]

Spanish 60%, Amerindian languages 40% (23 officially recognized Amerindian languages, including Quiche, Cakchiquel, Kekchi, Mam, Garifuna, and Xinca)

Life expectancy at birth [time series]

total population: 70.29 years country comparison to the world: 142 male: 68.49 years female: 72.19 years (2009 est.)

Literacy [time series]

definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 69.1% male: 75.4% female: 63.3% (2002 census)

Major infectious diseases [time series]

degree of risk: high food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever vectorborne disease: dengue fever and malaria water contact disease: leptospirosis (2009)

Median age [time series]

total: 19.4 years male: 18.9 years female: 20 years (2009 est.)

Nationality [time series]

noun: Guatemalan(s) adjective: Guatemalan

Net migration rate [time series]

-2.21 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 140

Population [time series]

13,276,517 (July 2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 68

Population growth rate [time series]

2.066% (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 55

Religions [time series]

Roman Catholic, Protestant, indigenous Mayan beliefs

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education) [time series]

total: 10 years male: 11 years female: 10 years (2006)

Sex ratio [time series]

at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.03 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.94 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.86 male(s)/female total population: 0.97 male(s)/female (2009 est.)

Total fertility rate [time series]

3.47 children born/woman (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 58

Urbanization [time series]

urban population: 49% of total population (2008) rate of urbanization: 3.4% annual rate of change (2005-10 est.)

Transnational Issues

Disputes - international [time series]

annual ministerial meetings under the OAS-initiated Agreement on the Framework for Negotiations and Confidence Building Measures continue to address Guatemalan land and maritime claims in Belize and the Caribbean Sea; the Line of Adjacency created under the 2002 Differendum serves in lieu of the contiguous international boundary to control squatting in the sparsely inhabited rain forests of Belize's border region; Mexico must deal with thousands of impoverished Guatemalans and other Central Americans who cross the porous border looking for work in Mexico and the United States

Illicit drugs [time series]

major transit country for cocaine and heroin; in 2005, cultivated 100 hectares of opium poppy after reemerging as a potential source of opium in 2004; potential production of less than 1 metric ton of pure heroin; marijuana cultivation for mostly domestic consumption; proximity to Mexico makes Guatemala a major staging area for drugs (particularly for cocaine); money laundering is a serious problem; corruption is a major problem

Refugees and internally displaced persons [time series]

IDPs: undetermined (the UN does not estimate there are any IDPs, although some NGOs estimate over 200,000 IDPs as a result of over three decades of internal conflict that ended in 1996) (2007)

Trafficking in persons [time series]

current situation: Guatemala is a source, transit, and destination country for Guatemalans and Central Americans trafficked for the purposes of commercial sexual exploitation and forced labor; human trafficking is a significant and growing problem in the country; Guatemalan women and children are trafficked within the country for commercial sexual exploitation, primarily to Mexico and the United States; Guatemalan men, women, and children are also trafficked within the country, and to Mexico and the United States, for forced labor tier rating: Tier 2 Watch List - for a second consecutive year, Guatemala is on the Tier 2 Watch List for its failure to provide evidence of increasing efforts to combat trafficking in persons, particularly with respect to ensuring that trafficking offenders are appropriately prosecuted for their crimes; while prosecutors initiated trafficking prosecutions, they continued to face problems in court with application of Guatemala's comprehensive anti-trafficking law; the government made modest improvements to its protection efforts, but assistance remained inadequate overall in 2007 (2008)

Transportation

Airports [time series]

371 (2009) country comparison to the world: 21

Airports - with paved runways [time series]

total: 13 2,438 to 3,047 m: 3 1,524 to 2,437 m: 3 914 to 1,523 m: 4 under 914 m: 3 (2009)

Airports - with unpaved runways [time series]

total: 358 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 3 914 to 1,523 m: 84 under 914 m: 270 (2009)

Pipelines [time series]

oil 480 km (2008)

Ports (Ports and terminals) [time series]

Puerto Quetzal, Santo Tomas de Castilla

Railways [time series]

total: 332 km country comparison to the world: 120 narrow gauge: 332 km 0.914-m gauge (2008)

Roadways [time series]

total: 14,095 km country comparison to the world: 124 paved: 4,863 km (includes 75 km of expressways) unpaved: 9,232 km (2000)

Waterways [time series]

990 km country comparison to the world: 66 note: 260 km navigable year round; additional 730 km navigable during high-water season (2007)