Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Guatemala instead of Vietnam, you would:
Health
see 35.6% more spent on your healthcare
Vietnam spends $690 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Guatemala spends $935 as of 2023.
have 15.7% more doctors per person
Vietnam has 11.1 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2021. Guatemala has 12.8 as of 2020.
be 32.3% less likely to die by suicide
Vietnam has a suicide rate of 7.3 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Guatemala, it is 4.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
live 2.0 years less
In Vietnam, the average life expectancy is 75 years (70 years for men, 79 years for women) as of 2024. In Guatemala, that number is 73 years (70 years for men, 75 years for women) as of 2024.
be 11.7 times more likely to be obese
In Vietnam, 2.4% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Guatemala, that number is 28.0% of people as of 2024.
have 13.2% less access to essential health services
Vietnam scores 68 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Guatemala scores 59 as of 2021.
Economy
make 30.2% more money
Vietnam has a GDP per capita of $5,066 as of 2025, while in Guatemala, the GDP per capita is $6,598 as of 2025.
be 71.1% more likely to be unemployed
In Vietnam, 1.5% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Guatemala, that number is 2.6% as of 2025.
be 13.3 times more likely to live below the poverty line
In Vietnam, 4.2% live below the poverty line as of 2022. In Guatemala, however, that number is 56.0% as of 2023.
Life
have 53.7% more children
In Vietnam, there are approximately 13.4 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Guatemala, there are 20.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 95.8% more likely to die during childbirth
In Vietnam, approximately 48.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Guatemala, 94.0 women do as of 2023.
be 14.6% less likely to be literate
In Vietnam, the literacy rate is 96.1% as of 2022. In Guatemala, it is 82.1% as of 2024.
be 43.3% more likely to die during infancy
In Vietnam, approximately 12.0 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.
Basic Needs
be 28.4% less likely to have internet access
In Vietnam, approximately 84.2% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Guatemala, about 60.2% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 49.1% more on healthcare
Vietnam spends 4.6% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Guatemala, that number is 6.8% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 88.4% less coastline
Vietnam has a total of 3,444 km of coastline. In Guatemala, that number is 400 km.
Safety
be 28.8% less likely to die in a road accident
In Vietnam, road accidents kill 17.7 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Guatemala, they kill 12.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 68.3% less strain on fresh water
Vietnam withdraws 18% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Guatemala withdraws 6% as of 2022.
find 77.5% less home broadband
Vietnam has 23.7 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Guatemala has 5.3 as of 2024.
use 71.6% less electricity
Vietnam uses 2,585 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Guatemala uses 733 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
be 23.1% less likely to die from air pollution
In Vietnam, air pollution causes 52.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Guatemala, it causes 40.0 as of 2019.
emit 74.0% less CO2
Vietnam emits 4.3 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Guatemala emits 1.1 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: Vietnam vs. Guatemala
Guatemala: At a glance
How big is Guatemala compared to Vietnam? See an in-depth size comparison.