Quality of life comparison

compared to

If you lived in Guatemala instead of South Africa, you would:

Health

be 99.0% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS

In South Africa, 19.1% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2020. In Guatemala, that number is 0.2% of people as of 2020.

live 7.6 years longer

In South Africa, the average life expectancy is 65 years (64 years for men, 67 years for women) as of 2022. In Guatemala, that number is 73 years (71 years for men, 75 years for women) as of 2022.

be 25.1% less likely to be obese

In South Africa, 28.3% of adults are obese as of 2016. In Guatemala, that number is 21.2% of people as of 2016.

Economy

be 91.9% less likely to be unemployed

In South Africa, 28.5% of adults are unemployed as of 2019. In Guatemala, that number is 2.3% as of 2017.

pay a 84.4% lower top tax rate

South Africa has a top tax rate of 45.0% as of 2017. In Guatemala, the top tax rate is 7.0% as of 2016.

make 27.0% less money

South Africa has a GDP per capita of $11,500 as of 2020, while in Guatemala, the GDP per capita is $8,400 as of 2020.

be 3.6 times more likely to live below the poverty line

In South Africa, 16.6% live below the poverty line as of 2016. In Guatemala, however, that number is 59.3% as of 2014.

Life

be 20.2% less likely to die during childbirth

In South Africa, approximately 119.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2017. In Guatemala, 95.0 women do as of 2017.

have 20.4% more children

In South Africa, there are approximately 18.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2022. In Guatemala, there are 22.3 babies per 1,000 people as of 2022.

be 14.9% less likely to be literate

In South Africa, the literacy rate is 95.0% as of 2019. In Guatemala, it is 80.8% as of 2018.

Basic Needs

be 28.6% less likely to have internet access

In South Africa, approximately 70.0% of the population has internet access as of 2020. In Guatemala, about 50.0% do as of 2020.

Expenditures

spend 51.5% less on education

South Africa spends 6.8% of its total GDP on education as of 2020. Guatemala spends 3.3% of total GDP on education as of 2020.

spend 31.9% less on healthcare

South Africa spends 9.1% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2019. In Guatemala, that number is 6.2% of GDP as of 2019.

Geography

see 85.7% less coastline

South Africa has a total of 2,798 km of coastline. In Guatemala, that number is 400 km.

The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: Superintendence of the Tax Administration, The World Factbook, South African Revenue Service.

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 South Africa? See an in-depth size comparison.

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