# Guatemala and Mexico compared

Guatemala and Mexico side by side: 43 shared sourced indicators across 9 domains, and the 1 events their chronicles record of each other.

Canonical: https://terralore.co/compare/gtm-vs-mex
Updated: 2026-08-10 (latest of the two dossiers' refreshes and the two chronicles' verification dates)

Two sourced records set beside each other — nothing on this page was written for the pair. Every figure is the same observation, with the same source, as on the two national dossiers; every event is the same record, with the same sources, as on its own chronicle. Figures are compared, never graded. A "—" is an absence in the source data, never a zero; each value shows its own observation year — vintages differ by indicator and nation.

## Formation

- Guatemala: 15 September 1821 — The Act of Independence of Central America is enacted at Guatemala City
- Mexico: 27 September 1821 — The Treaty of Córdoba ends Spanish rule and the Mexican Empire is declared

## Economy

| Metric | Guatemala | Observed | Mexico | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GDP | $113 B | 2024 | $1.86 T | 2024 |
| GDP per capita | $6,150 | 2024 | $14,186 | 2024 |
| GDP growth | 3.7% | 2024 | 1.4% | 2024 |
| Inflation | 2.9% | 2024 | 4.7% | 2024 |
| Trade openness | 47.3% | 2024 | 74.6% | 2024 |

## Society

| Metric | Guatemala | Observed | Mexico | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 18 m | 2024 | 131 m | 2024 |
| Life expectancy | 72.7 yrs | 2024 | 75.3 yrs | 2024 |
| Urban population | 56.0% | 2024 | 79.8% | 2024 |
| Fertility rate | 2.3 | 2024 | 1.9 | 2024 |

## Governance

| Metric | Guatemala | Observed | Mexico | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Voice & accountability | 48.6 | 2024 | 50.9 | 2024 |
| Political stability | 62.3 | 2024 | 53.7 | 2024 |
| Government effectiveness | 33.7 | 2024 | 47.1 | 2024 |
| Regulatory quality | 50.0 | 2024 | 51.8 | 2024 |
| Rule of law | 40.4 | 2024 | 37.1 | 2024 |
| Control of corruption | 28.7 | 2024 | 28.8 | 2024 |

## Health

| Metric | Guatemala | Observed | Mexico | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Health spending | 6.8% | 2023 | 5.5% | 2023 |
| Physicians | 1.28 | 2020 | 2.59 | 2022 |
| Under-5 mortality | 20.5 | 2024 | 13.1 | 2024 |
| Measles immunisation | 90.0% | 2024 | 80.0% | 2024 |
| Safe drinking water | 48.8% | 2024 | 43.0% | 2024 |

## Education

| Metric | Guatemala | Observed | Mexico | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adult literacy | 82.1% | 2024 | 95.6% | 2024 |
| Education spending | 3.1% | 2024 | 4.1% | 2022 |
| Primary enrolment | 101.5% | 2024 | 102.3% | 2024 |
| Secondary enrolment | 49.6% | 2024 | 103.1% | 2024 |
| Tertiary enrolment | 27.3% | 2023 | 48.2% | 2024 |

## Technology

| Metric | Guatemala | Observed | Mexico | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| R&D spending | 0.0% | 2023 | 0.3% | 2024 |
| Researchers (per million) | 1 | 2023 | 438 | 2024 |
| Internet users | 60.2% | 2024 | 83.1% | 2024 |
| Mobile subscriptions | 113 | 2024 | 116 | 2024 |
| High-tech exports | 5.4% | 2024 | 19.3% | 2024 |

## Geography

| Metric | Guatemala | Observed | Mexico | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Land area | 107,160 km² | 2023 | 1,943,950 km² | 2023 |
| Forest area | 32.6% | 2023 | 33.6% | 2023 |
| Agricultural land | 43.0% | 2023 | 50.7% | 2023 |
| CO₂ per capita (t) | 1.1 | 2024 | 3.6 | 2024 |
| Renewable energy | 62.1% | 2021 | 13.0% | 2021 |

## Resources

| Metric | Guatemala | Observed | Mexico | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Resource rents | 1.9% | 2021 | 3.6% | 2021 |
| Oil rents | 0.1% | 2021 | 2.1% | 2021 |
| Mineral rents | 1.1% | 2021 | 1.4% | 2021 |
| Forest rents | 0.7% | 2021 | 0.1% | 2021 |
| Electricity access | 100.0% | 2023 | 99.7% | 2023 |
| Copper (mined) | — | — | 690 kt | 2025 |
| Iron ore | — | — | 7.7 Mt | 2025 |
| Gold (mined) | — | — | 140 t | 2025 |
| Zinc (mined) | — | — | 780 kt | 2025 |
| Phosphate rock | — | — | 450 kt | 2025 |

## Military

| Metric | Guatemala | Observed | Mexico | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Military burden | 0.4% | 2024 | 0.9% | 2024 |
| Defense spending | $415 M | 2024 | $17 B | 2024 |
| Armed forces | 43,000 | 2020 | 341,000 | 2020 |

Each metric is also ranked across all nations: https://terralore.co/rankings (markdown twins at /rankings/<metric>.md). Full dossiers: https://terralore.co/country/GTM.md and https://terralore.co/country/MEX.md.

## Entangled histories (1 event)

Events in which either nation's sourced chronicle names the other — including under earlier names of the same state. Each is the record exactly as its own chronicle carries it, with that chronicle's sources.

- 1524 CE: **Conquest under Pedro de Alvarado** — Alvarado invades from Mexico, defeats the K'iche', and burns their capital Q'umarkaj, beginning Spanish rule in Guatemala. (from the Guatemala chronicle; sources: Pedro de Alvarado; Guatemala: History (Postcolonial period and after))

## Sources

- World Development Indicators — World Bank · CC BY 4.0 · accessed 2026-06-14 · https://data.worldbank.org
- Worldwide Governance Indicators (via World Bank API) — Worldwide Governance Indicators / World Bank · CC BY 4.0 · accessed 2026-08-10 · https://www.worldbank.org/en/publication/worldwide-governance-indicators
- Global Health Observatory (WHO, via World Bank WDI) — WHO / World Bank · CC BY 4.0 · accessed 2026-08-10 · https://www.who.int/data/gho
- Child mortality & immunisation estimates (UN IGME and WHO/UNICEF, via World Bank WDI) — UNICEF and WHO / World Bank · CC BY 4.0 · accessed 2026-08-10 · https://childmortality.org
- R&D statistics (UNESCO UIS, via World Bank WDI) — UNESCO Institute for Statistics / World Bank · CC BY 4.0 · accessed 2026-06-15 · https://uis.unesco.org
- ICT indicators (ITU, via World Bank WDI) — ITU / World Bank · CC BY 4.0 · accessed 2026-06-15 · https://www.itu.int/en/ITU-D/Statistics
- Military Expenditure Database (via World Development Indicators) — SIPRI / World Bank · CC BY 4.0 · accessed 2026-06-14 · https://www.sipri.org/databases/milex
- Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026 — U.S. Geological Survey · Public domain (U.S. Government work) · accessed 2026-08-10 · https://www.usgs.gov/centers/national-minerals-information-center

Chronicle references are cited inline above and resolve in full at https://terralore.co/country/GTM/chronicle.md and https://terralore.co/country/MEX/chronicle.md.

Citation template: Terralore, "Guatemala and Mexico compared", terralore.co/compare/gtm-vs-mex, retrieved <YYYY-MM-DD>.