Guatemala Demographics

Population of Guatemala (2026)

View live population, charts & trends: Population of Guatemala

Guatemala Population
18,967,978
see live
Yearly Change
+1.50%
Global Share
0.23%
Global Rank
69

Median Age

The median age in Guatemala is 23.8 years (2026).

Fertility in Guatemala

A Total Fertility Rate (TFR) of 2.1 represents the Replacement-Level Fertility : the average number of children per woman needed for each generation to exactly replace itself without needing international immigration. A value below 2.1 will cause the native population to decline


Total Fertility Rate (TFR)
2.23
(Live Births per Woman, 2026)

Life Expectancy in Guatemala

See also: Countries in the world ranked by Life Expectancy

Both Sexes
73.0
(life expectancy at birth, both sexes combined)
Females
75.4
(life expectancy at birth, females)
Males
70.7
(life expectancy at birth, males)


Infant Mortality Rate and Deaths of Children under 5 Years Old in Guatemala


Infant Mortality
16.4
(infant deaths per 1,000 live births)
Deaths under age 5
20.2
(per 1,000 live births)


Guatemala Urban Population

Currently, 56.6% of the population of Guatemala is urban (10,742,591 people in 2026)


Population Density

The 2026 population density in Guatemala is 177 people per km² (458 people per mi2), calculated on a total land area of 107,159 km² (41,374 sq. miles).

Largest Cities and Towns in Guatemala

The 30 largest of 139 cities and towns, ranked by population at the census of July 23, 2018 (by National Institute of Statistics, Guatemala).

RankCity or TownPopulation
1Guatemala City923,392
2Mixco463,019
3Villa Nueva426,316
4Cobán212,047
5Quetzaltenango180,706
6Jalapa159,840
7Escuintla156,313
8San Juan Sacatepéquez155,965
9Jutiapa145,880
10San Miguel Petapa129,124
11Villa Canales124,680
12Huehuetenango117,818
13Chiquimula111,505
14Chinautla104,972
15Totonicapán103,952
16Puerto Barrios100,593
17Amatitlán98,176
18Chimaltenango96,985
19Retalhuleu90,505
20Sololá88,612
21Santa Cruz del Quiché78,279
22Mazatenango77,431
23Chichicastenango71,394
24Santa Catarina Pinula70,982
25San José Pinula67,327
26Salamá65,275
27Palín62,095
28Zacapa60,370
29Santa Lucía Cotzumalguapa58,877
30San Pedro Sacatepéquez49,589
See all 139 cities and towns in Guatemala

See also

Sources

Definitions

Population Pyramid

A Population pyramid (also called "Age-Sex Pyramid") is a graphical representation of the age and sex of a population.

Types:

  • Expansive - pyramid with a wide base (larger percentage of people in younger age groups, indicating high birth rates and high fertility rates) and narrow top (high death rate and lower life expectancies). It suggests a growing population. Example: Nigeria Population Pyramid
  • Constrictive - pyramid with a narrow base (lower percentage of younger people, indicating declining birth rates with each succeeding age group getting smaller than the previous one). Example: United States
  • Stationary - with a somewhat equal proportion of the population in each age group. The population is stable, neither increasing nor decreasing.

Stages:

Population pyramid stages

Dependency Ratio

There are three types of age dependency ratio: Youth, Elderly, and Total. All three ratios are commonly multiplied by 100.

Youth Dependency Ratio

Definition: population ages 0-15 divided by the population ages 16-64.

Formula: ([Population ages 0-15] ÷ [Population ages 16-64]) × 100

Elderly dependency ratio

Definition: population ages 65-plus divided by the population ages 16-64.

Formula: ([Population ages 65-plus] ÷ [Population ages 16-64]) × 100

Total dependency ratio

Definition: sum of the youth and old-age ratios.

Formula: (([Population ages 0-15] + [Population ages 65-plus]) ÷ [Population ages 16-64] ) × 100

NOTE: Dependency Ratio does not take into account labor force participation rates by age group. Some portion of the population counted as "working age" may actually be unemployed or not in the labor force whereas some portion of the "dependent" population may be employed and not necessarily economically dependent.