Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Vietnam instead of Guatemala, you would:
Health
live 2.0 years longer
In Guatemala, the average life expectancy is 73 years (70 years for men, 75 years for women) as of 2024. In Vietnam, that number is 75 years (70 years for men, 79 years for women) as of 2024.
be 91.4% less likely to be obese
In Guatemala, 28.0% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Vietnam, that number is 2.4% of people as of 2024.
have 15.3% more access to essential health services
Guatemala scores 59 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Vietnam scores 68 as of 2021.
see 26.3% less spent on your healthcare
Guatemala spends $935 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Vietnam spends $690 as of 2023.
have 13.6% fewer doctors per person
Guatemala has 12.8 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2020. Vietnam has 11.1 as of 2021.
be 47.8% more likely to die by suicide
Guatemala has a suicide rate of 4.9 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Vietnam, it is 7.3 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 41.5% less likely to be unemployed
In Guatemala, 2.6% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Vietnam, that number is 1.5% as of 2025.
be 92.5% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Guatemala, 56.0% live below the poverty line as of 2023. In Vietnam, however, that number is 4.2% as of 2022.
make 23.2% less money
Guatemala has a GDP per capita of $6,598 as of 2025, while in Vietnam, the GDP per capita is $5,066 as of 2025.
Life
be 48.9% 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 Vietnam, 48.0 women do as of 2023.
be 17.1% more likely to be literate
In Guatemala, the literacy rate is 82.1% as of 2024. In Vietnam, it is 96.1% as of 2022.
be 30.2% 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 Vietnam, on the other hand, 12.0 children do as of 2024.
have 34.9% fewer children
In Guatemala, there are approximately 20.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Vietnam, there are 13.4 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 39.7% more likely to have internet access
In Guatemala, approximately 60.2% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Vietnam, about 84.2% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 32.9% less on healthcare
Guatemala spends 6.8% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Vietnam, that number is 4.6% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 8.6 times more coastline
Guatemala has a total of 400 km of coastline. In Vietnam, that number is 3,444 km.
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 Vietnam, they kill 17.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 4.4 times more home broadband
Guatemala has 5.3 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Vietnam has 23.7 as of 2024.
use 3.5 times more electricity
Guatemala uses 733 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Vietnam uses 2,585 kWh as of 2023.
live with 3.2 times more strain on fresh water
Guatemala withdraws 6% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Vietnam withdraws 18% as of 2022.
Environment
be 30.0% more likely to die from air pollution
In Guatemala, air pollution causes 40.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Vietnam, it causes 52.0 as of 2019.
emit 3.8 times more CO2
Guatemala emits 1.1 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Vietnam emits 4.3 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2020–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Guatemala vs. Vietnam
Vietnam: At a glance
How big is Vietnam compared to Guatemala? See an in-depth size comparison.