Guatemala's population is youthful, with 87% of its inhabitants less than 45 years old. The capital city of Guatemala City, located in the center of the country, is by a significant margin the largest city in Central America, with over 2 million inhabitants.
Source: ECLAC, Data Base
Political Division of Guatemala
Regional Distribution
Demographic Statistics by Region
Year 2004
Región |
Pop. |
Urban |
Women |
Men |
Prod. Age1 |
EAP2 |
Metro |
22.5% |
86.0% |
51.9% |
48.1% |
52.3% |
39.7% |
North |
8.8% |
22.4% |
50.4% |
49.6% |
41.2% |
27.5% |
Northwest |
8.5% |
31.1% |
50.7% |
49.3% |
44.3% |
29.4% |
Southeast |
8.3% |
30.8% |
50.8% |
49.2% |
42.9% |
28.7% |
Central |
10.9% |
55.5% |
50.3% |
49.7% |
45.6% |
32.2% |
Southwest |
24.1% |
38.5% |
51.2% |
48.8% |
42.3% |
27.9% |
Northwest |
13.3% |
23.5% |
51.5% |
48.5% |
40.0% |
25.5% |
Petén |
3.2% |
30.1% |
48.9% |
51.1% |
40.6% |
30.4% |
Total |
12.6 MM |
46.1% |
51.1% |
48.9% |
44.7% |
34.0% |
(1) Population between 18-59 yrs. old
(2) Economically Active Population/ Total Population
Source: National Population Census
The country’s labor force, as measured by its Economically Active Population - EAP -, is approximately 4.1 million inhabitants, the equivalent of 34% of the total population.
The growth rate of the EAP is 4% annually, due to population growth (2.6% annually) and the aging of the young labor force (23% is less than 20 years old).
Agriculture represents 42.1% of the EAP of the country, while trade and the manufacturing industry represent 16.5% and 13.4% respectively. The services and construction fields employ 7.7% and 6.0% of this population.
In comparison to the other Central American countries:
- Guatemala possesses the largest economically active population.
- According to ECLAC projections, in 2020 Guatemala will have the most inhabitants of productive age.
- In the last ten years, Guatemala has shown the largest percentage growth of both economically active men and women.
Source: ECLAC Data Base
With an enrolled population of more than 160,000, Guatemala has the most university students in the Central American region. Guatemala has the ability to offer a highly educated and bilingual work force. For many Guatemalan institutions the TOEFL Exam (Test of English as a Foreign Language) is required for graduation.
Guatemala boasts the largest private university in Central America with 21,033 students (Rafael Landivar University) as well as the largest public university in the region, third largest in Latin America, with a student population of 113,944 (San Carlos University).
All these characteristics, along with its productive and efficient labor force, help position Guatemala as the most attractive country for investment in Latin America.
Source: www.investinguatemala.org
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