Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Ecuador instead of Guatemala, you would:
Health
live 4.8 years longer
In Guatemala, the average life expectancy is 73 years (70 years for men, 75 years for women) as of 2024. In Ecuador, that number is 78 years (75 years for men, 80 years for women) as of 2024.
see 32.4% more spent on your healthcare
Guatemala spends $935 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Ecuador spends $1,238 as of 2023.
have 80.6% more doctors per person
Guatemala has 12.8 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2020. Ecuador has 23.1 as of 2020.
have 30.5% more access to essential health services
Guatemala scores 59 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Ecuador scores 77 as of 2021.
be 53.0% more likely to die by suicide
Guatemala has a suicide rate of 4.9 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Ecuador, it is 7.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 61.8% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Guatemala, 56.0% live below the poverty line as of 2023. In Ecuador, however, that number is 21.4% as of 2025.
be 27.3% more likely to be unemployed
In Guatemala, 2.6% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Ecuador, that number is 3.3% as of 2025.
Life
be 41.5% less likely to die during childbirth
In Guatemala, approximately 94.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Ecuador, 55.0 women do as of 2023.
be 13.9% more likely to be literate
In Guatemala, the literacy rate is 82.1% as of 2024. In Ecuador, it is 93.5% as of 2024.
be 36.6% less likely to die during infancy
In Guatemala, approximately 17.2 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2024. In Ecuador, on the other hand, 10.9 children do as of 2024.
have 28.1% fewer children
In Guatemala, there are approximately 20.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Ecuador, there are 14.8 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 28.1% more likely to have internet access
In Guatemala, approximately 60.2% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Ecuador, about 77.2% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 19.8% more on education
Guatemala spends 3.1% of its total GDP on education as of 2024. Ecuador spends 3.7% of total GDP on education as of 2024.
spend 11.2% more on healthcare
Guatemala spends 6.8% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Ecuador, that number is 7.6% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 5.6 times more coastline
Guatemala has a total of 400 km of coastline. In Ecuador, that number is 2,237 km.
Safety
be 95.6% more likely to be murdered
Guatemala has a homicide rate of 23.4 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Ecuador, that number is 45.7 per 100,000 as of 2023.
be 85.7% more likely to die in a road accident
In Guatemala, road accidents kill 12.6 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Ecuador, they kill 23.4 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 3.2 times more home broadband
Guatemala has 5.3 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Ecuador has 17.2 as of 2024.
use 2.3 times more electricity
Guatemala uses 733 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Ecuador uses 1,676 kWh as of 2023.
live with 18.1% more strain on fresh water
Guatemala withdraws 6% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Ecuador withdraws 7% as of 2022.
Environment
be 42.5% less likely to die from air pollution
In Guatemala, air pollution causes 40.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Ecuador, it causes 23.0 as of 2019.
emit 2.4 times more CO2
Guatemala emits 1.1 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Ecuador emits 2.6 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2020–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Guatemala vs. Ecuador
Ecuador: At a glance
How big is Ecuador compared to Guatemala? See an in-depth size comparison.