Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Guatemala instead of Belize, you would:
Health
be 83.3% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Belize, 1.2% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Guatemala, that number is 0.2% of people as of 2024.
be 35.6% less likely to be obese
In Belize, 43.4% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Guatemala, that number is 28.0% of people as of 2024.
see 63.1% more spent on your healthcare
Belize spends $573 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Guatemala spends $935 as of 2023.
have 18.0% more doctors per person
Belize has 10.9 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2018. Guatemala has 12.8 as of 2020.
live 1.0 years less
In Belize, the average life expectancy is 74 years (71 years for men, 77 years for women) as of 2024. In Guatemala, that number is 73 years (70 years for men, 75 years for women) as of 2024.
have 13.2% less access to essential health services
Belize scores 68 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Guatemala scores 59 as of 2021.
be 18.2% more likely to die by suicide
Belize has a suicide rate of 4.2 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Guatemala, it is 4.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 70.7% less likely to be unemployed
In Belize, 8.9% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Guatemala, that number is 2.6% as of 2025.
make 16.1% less money
Belize has a GDP per capita of $7,865 as of 2025, while in Guatemala, the GDP per capita is $6,598 as of 2025.
Life
have 14.2% more children
In Belize, there are approximately 18.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Guatemala, there are 20.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 40.3% more likely to die during childbirth
In Belize, approximately 67.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Guatemala, 94.0 women do as of 2023.
be 59.3% more likely to die during infancy
In Belize, approximately 10.8 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2024. In Guatemala, on the other hand, 17.2 children do as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 24.7% less likely to have internet access
In Belize, approximately 80.0% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Guatemala, about 60.2% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 33.3% less on education
Belize spends 4.6% of its total GDP on education as of 2024. Guatemala spends 3.1% of total GDP on education as of 2024.
spend 63.9% more on healthcare
Belize spends 4.2% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Guatemala, that number is 6.8% of GDP as of 2023.
Safety
be 16.7% less likely to be murdered
Belize has a homicide rate of 28.1 per 100,000 people as of 2022. In Guatemala, that number is 23.4 per 100,000 as of 2023.
be 28.0% less likely to die in a road accident
In Belize, road accidents kill 17.5 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Guatemala, they kill 12.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 45.2% less home broadband
Belize has 9.8 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2022. Guatemala has 5.3 as of 2024.
live with 4.6 times more strain on fresh water
Belize withdraws 1% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Guatemala withdraws 6% as of 2022.
Environment
be 90.5% more likely to die from air pollution
In Belize, air pollution causes 21.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Guatemala, it causes 40.0 as of 2019.
emit 19.4% more CO2
Belize emits 0.9 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Guatemala emits 1.1 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2018–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Belize vs. Guatemala
Guatemala: At a glance
How big is Guatemala compared to Belize? See an in-depth size comparison.