Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Ethiopia instead of Guatemala, you would:
Health
be 89.6% less likely to be obese
In Guatemala, 28.0% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Ethiopia, that number is 2.9% of people as of 2024.
live 5.2 years less
In Guatemala, the average life expectancy is 73 years (70 years for men, 75 years for women) as of 2024. In Ethiopia, that number is 68 years (64 years for men, 71 years for women) as of 2024.
see 90.8% less spent on your healthcare
Guatemala spends $935 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Ethiopia spends $86 as of 2023.
have 88.8% fewer doctors per person
Guatemala has 12.8 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2020. Ethiopia has 1.4 as of 2023.
have 40.7% less access to essential health services
Guatemala scores 59 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Ethiopia scores 35 as of 2021.
be 22.9% more likely to die by suicide
Guatemala has a suicide rate of 4.9 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Ethiopia, it is 6.1 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 40.9% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Guatemala, 56.0% live below the poverty line as of 2023. In Ethiopia, however, that number is 33.1% as of 2021.
be 27.7% more likely to be unemployed
In Guatemala, 2.6% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Ethiopia, that number is 3.3% as of 2025.
make 85.9% less money
Guatemala has a GDP per capita of $6,598 as of 2025, while in Ethiopia, the GDP per capita is $933 as of 2025.
Life
have 52.6% more children
In Guatemala, there are approximately 20.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Ethiopia, there are 31.5 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 2.1 times more 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 Ethiopia, 195.0 women do as of 2023.
be 26.4% less likely to be literate
In Guatemala, the literacy rate is 82.1% as of 2024. In Ethiopia, it is 60.5% as of 2022.
be 2.0 times more 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 Ethiopia, on the other hand, 34.5 children do as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 44.6% less likely to have access to electricity
In Guatemala, approximately 100% of people have electricity access (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2023. In Ethiopia, that number is 55% of people on average (95% in urban areas, and 44% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 63.6% less likely to have internet access
In Guatemala, approximately 60.2% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Ethiopia, about 21.9% do as of 2024.
be 40.3% less likely to have access to drinking water
In Guatemala, approximately 93% of people have access to drinking water (97% in urban areas, and 89% in rural areas) as of 2024. In Ethiopia, that number is 56% of people on average (83% in urban areas, and 47% in rural areas) as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 25.3% less on education
Guatemala spends 3.1% of its total GDP on education as of 2024. Ethiopia spends 2.3% of total GDP on education as of 2024.
spend 58.8% less on healthcare
Guatemala spends 6.8% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Ethiopia, that number is 2.8% of GDP as of 2023.
Safety
be 40.5% more likely to die in a road accident
In Guatemala, road accidents kill 12.6 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Ethiopia, they kill 17.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 89.0% less home broadband
Guatemala has 5.3 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Ethiopia has 0.6 as of 2024.
live with 5.6 times more strain on fresh water
Guatemala withdraws 6% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Ethiopia withdraws 32% as of 2022.
use 84.6% less electricity
Guatemala uses 733 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Ethiopia uses 113 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
emit 86.5% less CO2
Guatemala emits 1.1 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Ethiopia emits 0.1 tonnes as of 2024.
be 15.0% more likely to die from air pollution
In Guatemala, air pollution causes 40.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Ethiopia, it causes 46.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2020–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Guatemala vs. Ethiopia
Ethiopia: At a glance
How big is Ethiopia compared to Guatemala? See an in-depth size comparison.