If you lived in Guatemala instead of Rwanda, you would:

Health

be 90.0% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS

In Rwanda, 2.0% 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 4.7 years longer

In Rwanda, the average life expectancy is 68 years (66 years for men, 70 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 5.3 times more spent on your healthcare

Rwanda spends $177 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Guatemala spends $935 as of 2023.

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have 14.2 times more doctors per person

Rwanda has 0.9 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Guatemala has 12.8 as of 2020.

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have 20.4% more access to essential health services

Rwanda scores 49 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Guatemala scores 59 as of 2021.

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be 43.1% less likely to die by suicide

Rwanda has a suicide rate of 8.7 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Guatemala, it is 4.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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be 5.0 times more likely to be obese

In Rwanda, 5.6% 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 77.1% less likely to be unemployed

In Rwanda, 11.4% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Guatemala, that number is 2.6% as of 2025.

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make 5.9 times more money

Rwanda has a GDP per capita of $1,124 as of 2025, while in Guatemala, the GDP per capita is $6,598 as of 2025.

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be 2.0 times more likely to live below the poverty line

In Rwanda, 27.4% live below the poverty line as of 2023. In Guatemala, however, that number is 56.0% as of 2023.

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Life

be 59.0% less likely to die during childbirth

In Rwanda, approximately 229.0 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 41.5% less likely to die during infancy

In Rwanda, approximately 29.4 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 26.5% fewer children

In Rwanda, there are approximately 28.1 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 56.5% more likely to have access to electricity

In Rwanda, approximately 64% of people have electricity access (100% in urban areas, and 58% 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 90.0% more likely to have internet access

In Rwanda, approximately 31.7% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Guatemala, about 60.2% do as of 2024.

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be 51.8% more likely to have access to drinking water

In Rwanda, approximately 61% of people have access to drinking water (88% in urban areas, and 56% 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 33.2% less on education

Rwanda spends 4.6% of its total GDP on education as of 2024. Guatemala spends 3.1% of total GDP on education as of 2024.

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spend 32.6% more on healthcare

Rwanda spends 5.1% 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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Safety

be 6.5 times more likely to be murdered

Rwanda has a homicide rate of 3.6 per 100,000 people as of 2020. In Guatemala, that number is 23.4 per 100,000 as of 2023.

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Infrastructure

find 8.9 times more home broadband

Rwanda has 0.6 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Guatemala has 5.3 as of 2024.

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live with 71.6% less strain on fresh water

Rwanda withdraws 20% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Guatemala withdraws 6% as of 2022.

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use 9.6 times more electricity

Rwanda uses 77 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Guatemala uses 733 kWh as of 2023.

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Environment

be 35.5% less likely to die from air pollution

In Rwanda, air pollution causes 62.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Guatemala, it causes 40.0 as of 2019.

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emit 6.9 times more CO2

Rwanda emits 0.2 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 Rwanda? See an in-depth size comparison.

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