Demographics of Guatemala

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Guatemala population pyramid in 2020

This article is about the demographic features of the population of Guatemala, including population density, ethnicity, education level, health of the populace, economic status, religious affiliations and other aspects of the population.

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).[1] Approximately 56% of the population is "non-Indigenous",[1] referring to the Mestizo population (people of mixed European and indigenous descent) and the people of European origin. These people are called Ladino in Guatemala. The population is divided almost evenly between rural and urban areas.[2]

About 65% of the population speak Spanish, with nearly all the rest speaking indigenous languages (there are 23 officially recognized indigenous languages).[3]

Population census
YearPop.±%
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: [4][5]

Population[]

According to the 2019 revision of the World Population Prospects[6][7] 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.[8]

Guatemala City is home to almost 3 million inhabitants.[9] In 1900 Guatemala had a population of 1,885,000.[10] 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.[11] Although Guatemala does have an increase in population, the annual population isn't the superior in that region of the world as well.[11]

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 11 651 43.7 52.3 4.0
2005 13 096 42.3 53.6 4.2
2010 14 630 39.4 56.3 4.3
2015 16 252 36.2 59.3 4.5
2020 17 916 33.3 61.6 5.0

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.[12]

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)[13]

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.[14] In 2013, the Migration Policy Institute (MPI) estimated that there were about 900,000 Guatemalan Americans (persons of Guatemalan origin in the United States).[15]

Country Count
United States United States 480,665[16] – 1,489,426[17]
Mexico Mexico 23,529[17]
Belize Belize 14,693[17]
Canada Canada 14,256[17] – 34,665[18]
Germany Germany 5,989[17]
Honduras Honduras 5,172[17]
El Salvador El Salvador 4,209[17]
Spain Spain 2,491[17]

Ethnic groups[]

Indigenous girls in Chichicastenango

Official 2018 statistics indicate that approximately 56% of the population is "non-Indigenous",[1] referring to the Mestizo population of mixed indigenous and European origins (50-52%) and the people of European origin (4-6%), Most are of Spanish, German and Italian descent. These people are called Ladino in Guatemala. Genetic testing indicates that Mestizos are of predominantly indigenous ancestry, although they have a high level of European ancestry as well.[19]

Approximately 43.4% of the population is Indigenous[2] and consist of 23 Maya groups and one non-Maya group. In 2012 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).[3] They live all over the country, especially in the highlands. While the official censuses usually count around 40% of the Guatemalan population being indigenous, this percentage is actually much higher, with around 60-80% of Guatemalans being indigenous.[20]

In 2002 Census, 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.

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.[21]

Historically, the ethnicity 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 Spaniards, with a very small number of English traders.[22]

Other racial groups include numbers of Afro-Guatemalans, , and Garifuna of mixed African and Indigenous Caribbean origins who live in the country's eastern end. Some Garifunas live mainly in Livingston, and Puerto Barrios. They descend mainly from the Arawaks and Belizean Creoles.[3]

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 Hasidic communities Lev Tahor and 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.[23][24]

Asian Guatemalans are primarily of Korean descent[25] and Chinese descent, whose ancestors were farm workers and railroad laborers in the early 20th century.

Vital statistics[]

UN estimates[]

The Population Department of the United Nations prepared the following estimates.[8]

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 33.8 5.9 27.9 4.33 39 69.0 65.5 72.5
2005-2010 449 000 77 000 373 000 29.2 5.4 23.8 3.62 30 70.3 66.7 73.8
2010-2015 26.6 5.0 21.6 3.19
2015-2020 24.8 4.8 20.0 2.90
2020-2025 23.0 4.7 18.3 2.67
2025-2030 21.1 4.7 16.4 2.50
* 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[]

[26][27]

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 14,000,190 351,628 71,707 279,921 25.1 5.1 20.0 3.122
2010 14,259,687 361,906 72,748 289,158 25.4 5.1 20.3 3.095
2011 14,521,515 373,692 72,354 301,338 25.7 5.0 20.7 3.088
2012 14,781,942 388,613 72,657 315,956 26.3 4.8 21.5 3.105
2013 15,043,981 387,342 76,639 310,703 25.7 5.1 20.6 3.050
2014 15,306,316 386,195 77,807 308,388 25.2 5.1 20.1 3.046
2015 15,567,419 391,425 80,876 310,549 25.1 5.2 19.9 2.896
2016 15,827,690 390,382 82,585 307,797 24.7 5.2 19.5 2.804
2017 16,087,418 381,664 81,726 299,938 23.7 5.1 18.6 2.663
2018 (C) 16,346,950 383,263 83,071 300,192 23.4 5.1 18.3 2.617
2019 16,604,026 366,855 85,600 281,255 22.1 5.2 16.9 2.464
2020 16,858,333 95,798

(C) = Census results.

Fertility and births (demographic and health surveys)[]

Total fertility rate (TFR) (wanted fertility rate) and crude birth rate (CBR):[28][29]

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):[30]

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):[31]

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.[32]

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.[32] 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.[33] Single Guatemalan women may choose midwives as their health care provider during pregnancy and delivery to avoid feeling ashamed.[33] Other women know the midwives in the community personally so they opt for a private healthcare provider.[33] Throughout the country, midwives are known as the providers of choice for approximately 80% of the births even though they are not professionally trained.[33] This contributes to the increasing infant mortality rate of 100 per 1,000 births as reported in some Guatemalan communities.[33]

Other demographic statistics[]

Demographic statistics according to the World Population Review in 2019.[34]

  • 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.[35]

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.[36] 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.[37] 21 Mayan languages, one indigenous, and one Arawakan are spoken in Guatemala.[38] The most significant are; Quiche, Cakchiquel, Kekchi, Mam, Garifuna and Xinca.[37]

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

[38]

Religion[]

Main article: Religion in Guatemala

Catholicism was the official religion during the colonial era, and today is the most professed Church in the population, but since the 1960s, with the Armed Conflict, Protestantism has increased progressively, today more than one-third of Guatemalans are Protestant, specially Evangelicals (with Pentecostals as the biggest branch).[39] Eastern and Oriental Orthodoxy claim rapid growth, especially among the Indigenous Maya. Other Churches include the Mormon Church, Jehovah's Witnesses, and other Christian minorities.

Indigenous beliefs are sometimes combined with Christianity.[39] Maya religion believers only account for less than 0.5 % of the population and since the mid-1990s the Constitution recognizes the rights of Maya Religion. The Islamic community in Guatemala is growing, with approximately 2,000 believers.[citation needed] There is a mosque in Guatemala City called the Islamic Da'wah Mosque of Guatemala (Spanish: Mezquita de Aldawaa Islámica). The president of the Islamic Community of the country is Jamal Mubarak.

Historically, the population has been nearly all Roman Catholic, because of gradual changes in State during the half of the 20th century, Protestantism began to grow quickly, in the 1970s and doubled their percentage, while Catholics were reduced considerably by the early 1980s. During the period 1980–1993 Guatemala accounted for 3 Protestant-evangelical presidents. After war during the 1980s, in public surveys there was a growth of non-religious people. Christianity still so influential in society, even in mundane areas people include religious aspects in social interation, more than 60% of Catholics and nearly 80% of Protestants are actives members,[39] today Catholicism and Protestantism are more unity to obtain the Politic control, this cannot undermine the growth of homosexual-marriage acceptance, but together are working intensely to teach their beliefs about society, and two-thirds (approx.) of Guatemalans are under of Christian-conservative influence. Possibly, the acceptance of Homosexuality and Human rights (specially for Womans) makes that a new group that left religion keep stable the "unaffiliated percent", because most of non-religious people in some decades ago, today is no longer. A lot of Catholics are still becoming Protestant, but today Catholic Church in the country retains more strongly their faithful. Other Christian denominations (neither Catholic and Protestant) are estimated at around 2% of population.

Religious evolution in Guatemala[39]
Year % Catholic % Protestant % Others % No religion
1940 96.6% 2.4% 0.6% 0.4%
1975 85.8% Decrease 12.7% Increase 0.3% Decrease 1.2% Increase
1982 75.1% Decrease 20.2% Increase 0.7% Increase 4.0% Increase
1986 63.5% Decrease 26.8% Increase 1.5% Increase 8.2% Increase
1990 62.1% Decrease 24.2% Decrease 2.1% Increase 11.6% Increase
1996 61.2% Decrease 26.2% Increase 2.5% Increase 10.1% Increase
2001 55.7% Decrease 29.3% Increase 2.3% Decrease 12.7% Increase
2006 56.8% Increase 31.1% Increase 2.8% Increase 9.3% Decrease
2011 51.7% Decrease 34.1% Increase 3.0% Increase 11.2% Increase
2017 48.1% Decrease 35.2% Increase 2.6% Decrease 14.1% Increase

References[]

  1. ^ Jump up to: a b c Resultados Del Censo 2018
  2. ^ Jump up to: a b "Caracterización estadística República de Guatemala 2012" (PDF). INE. Archived from the original on November 2012. Retrieved 2014-11-02.
  3. ^ Jump up to: a b c "CIA - The World Factbook". Cia.gov. Retrieved 2013-04-22.
  4. ^ "Así ha crecido la población de Guatemala". República. Retrieved 18 September 2019.
  5. ^ "Censo de Población". Instituto Nacional de Estadística. Retrieved 18 September 2019.
  6. ^ ""World Population prospects – Population division"". population.un.org. United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division. Retrieved November 9, 2019.
  7. ^ ""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.
  8. ^ Jump up to: a b "World Population Prospects - Population Division - United Nations". population.un.org.
  9. ^ "CIA World Factbook, Guatemala". July 2011. Retrieved 22 December 2011.
  10. ^ Lahmeyer, Jan (2002). "Guatemala: historical demographical data of the whole country". Population Statistics. Retrieved 2015-05-03.
  11. ^ Jump up to: a b "World Population Prospects - Population Division - United Nations". esa.un.org. Retrieved 2017-03-28.
  12. ^ "Republica de Guatemala". 2009-04-16. Archived from the original on 2009-04-16. Retrieved 2018-03-25.
  13. ^ "Guatemalan population growth (by departament)" (web page). INE. Retrieved 2014-12-12.
  14. ^ Economic Migrants Replace Political Refugees see Table 1. Emigration Flows from Guatemala, 1960s through 2005. Retrieved on, 18 November 2014
  15. ^ "Largest U.S. Immigrant Groups over Time, 1960-Present". Migration Policy Institute. Retrieved 4 May 2015.
  16. ^ The 2000 U.S. Census recorded 480,665 Guatemalan-born respondents; see Smith (2006)
  17. ^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g h 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.
  18. ^ Da, Wei Wei (2002). "Guatemalans in Canada: Contexts of Departure and Arrival" (PDF). Latin American Study Group. Retrieved June 1, 2010.
  19. ^ Genomic insights on the ethno-history of the Maya and the ‘Ladinos’ from Guatemala
  20. ^ https://www.refworld.org/docid/526fb749b.html
  21. ^ "The World Factbook". Central Intelligence Agency. March 25, 2018.
  22. ^ "GUATEMALA: DEL MESTIZAJE A LA LADINIZACION, 1524-1964" (PDF). CIRMA. Retrieved 2014-11-04.
  23. ^ "Ancient Jewish Tradition of clothing". Archived from the original on 2015-04-02.
  24. ^ "More Lev Tahor sect members leaving Canada for Guatemala". July 3, 2014.
  25. ^ "Guatemala Population 2020". worldpopulationreview.com. Retrieved 2020-03-05.
  26. ^ "Demographic Yearbook System". United Nations Statistics Division - UNSD. Retrieved 28 January 2020.
  27. ^ "Estadísticas vitales". Instituto Nacional de Estadística - INE. Retrieved 28 January 2020.
  28. ^ "The DHS Program - Page Not Found" (PDF). www.dhsprogram.com. Cite uses generic title (help)
  29. ^ "The DHS Program - Survey Search". www.dhsprogram.com.
  30. ^ "United Nations Statistics Division - Demographic and Social Statistics". unstats.un.org.
  31. ^ "Tema / Indicadores". www.ine.gob.gt.
  32. ^ Jump up to: a b Sinclair, Stephanie (8 February 2015). "Child, Bride, Mother". New York Times. p. SR.6. ProQuest 1652674639.
  33. ^ Jump up to: a b c d e Wong, Po Yin (2011). "Mothers' Marital Status and Type of Delivery Medical Care in Guatemala". Population Research and Policy Review. 30 (1): 43–57. doi:10.1007/s11113-010-9177-y. JSTOR 41487854. S2CID 154606821.
  34. ^ "Guatemala Population 2019", World Population Review
  35. ^ "World Factbook CENTRAL AMERICA : GUATEMALA", The World Factbook, July 12, 2018
  36. ^ "CIA - The World Factbook". Cia.gov. Retrieved 2013-04-22.
  37. ^ Jump up to: a b "Central America and Caribbean :: GUATEMALA". CIA The World Factbook.
  38. ^ Jump up to: a b "What Languages Are Spoken In Guatemala?". WorldAtlas. Retrieved 2018-04-09.
  39. ^ Jump up to: a b c d Pdf. Crecimiento y Situación Actual de la Iglesia Evangélica de Guatemala. Public Religious Affiliation Surveys (CID-Gallup, CONELA-PROLADES, Joshua Project). Claudia Dary. 2019
Retrieved from ""