If you lived in Guatemala instead of Central African Republic, you would:

Health

be 91.7% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS

In Central African Republic, 2.4% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Guatemala, that number is 0.2% of people as of 2024.

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live 15.1 years longer

In Central African Republic, the average life expectancy is 58 years (56 years for men, 60 years for women) as of 2024. In Guatemala, that number is 73 years (70 years for men, 75 years for women) as of 2024.

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see 6.8 times more spent on your healthcare

Central African Republic spends $137 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Guatemala spends $935 as of 2023.

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have 17.3 times more doctors per person

Central African Republic has 0.7 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Guatemala has 12.8 as of 2020.

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have 84.4% more access to essential health services

Central African Republic scores 32 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Guatemala scores 59 as of 2021.

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be 46.2% less likely to die by suicide

Central African Republic has a suicide rate of 9.2 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Guatemala, it is 4.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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be 2.6 times more likely to be obese

In Central African Republic, 10.9% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Guatemala, that number is 28.0% of people as of 2024.

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Economy

be 58.4% less likely to be unemployed

In Central African Republic, 6.2% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Guatemala, that number is 2.6% as of 2025.

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be 18.6% less likely to live below the poverty line

In Central African Republic, 68.8% live below the poverty line as of 2021. In Guatemala, however, that number is 56.0% as of 2023.

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make 11.9 times more money

Central African Republic has a GDP per capita of $556 as of 2025, while in Guatemala, the GDP per capita is $6,598 as of 2025.

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Life

be 86.4% less likely to die during childbirth

In Central African Republic, approximately 692.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Guatemala, 94.0 women do as of 2023.

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be 70.7% less likely to die during infancy

In Central African Republic, approximately 58.8 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.

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have 55.4% fewer children

In Central African Republic, there are approximately 46.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Guatemala, there are 20.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

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Basic Needs

be 5.7 times more likely to have access to electricity

In Central African Republic, approximately 18% of people have electricity access (37% in urban areas, and 2% in rural areas) as of 2023. In Guatemala, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2023.

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be 4.4 times more likely to have internet access

In Central African Republic, approximately 13.8% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Guatemala, about 60.2% do as of 2024.

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be 2.6 times more likely to have access to drinking water

In Central African Republic, approximately 36% of people have access to drinking water (48% in urban areas, and 27% in rural areas) as of 2024. In Guatemala, that number is 93% of people on average (97% in urban areas, and 89% in rural areas) as of 2024.

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Expenditures

spend 36.2% less on healthcare

Central African Republic spends 10.7% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Guatemala, that number is 6.8% of GDP as of 2023.

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spend 68.3% more on education

Central African Republic spends 1.8% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Guatemala spends 3.1% of total GDP on education as of 2024.

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Safety

be 51.4% less likely to die in a road accident

In Central African Republic, road accidents kill 25.9 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Guatemala, they kill 12.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Infrastructure

find 267.0 times more home broadband

Central African Republic has 0.0 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2022. Guatemala has 5.3 as of 2024.

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live with 16.9 times more strain on fresh water

Central African Republic withdraws 0% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Guatemala withdraws 6% as of 2022.

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Environment

be 59.2% less likely to die from air pollution

In Central African Republic, air pollution causes 98.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Guatemala, it causes 40.0 as of 2019.

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emit 18.5 times more CO2

Central African Republic emits 0.1 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Guatemala emits 1.1 tonnes as of 2024.

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Sources: World Bank (2020–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this

Guatemala: At a glance

Guatemala is a sovereign country in Central America/Caribbean, with a total land area of approximately 107,159 sq km. The Maya 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 internal conflict, which had left more than 200,000 people dead and had created, by some estimates, about 1 million refugees.
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How big is Guatemala compared to Central African Republic? See an in-depth size comparison.

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