Guatemala vs Mexico
Guatemala vs Mexico: Government debt
Government debt in 2025: 26.7% of GDP in Guatemala and 61.7% of GDP in Mexico, by IMF estimates. In 2025 the value was higher in Mexico, by 35 percentage points, or 2.31 times that in Guatemala.
% of GDP · IMF
What the numbers say
- Mexico has been higher in every year both have figures for since 2000.
- In 2025, Guatemala ranked 134 and Mexico ranked 52 of 149 countries, counting from the highest.
- The IMF projection (World Economic Outlook, October 2026) puts Guatemala at 30.6% of GDP and Mexico at 64.5% of GDP in 2031.
Every year
% of GDP · IMF
| Year | Guatemala | Mexico |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 26.7 | 61.7 |
| 2024 | 26.3 | 59 |
| 2023 | 27.2 | 52.7 |
| 2022 | 29 | 53.8 |
| 2021 | 30.6 | 56.7 |
| 2020 | 31.5 | 58.5 |
| 2019 | 26.4 | 51.9 |
| 2018 | 26.4 | 52.2 |
| 2017 | 25.1 | 52.5 |
| 2016 | 24.9 | 55 |
| 2015 | 24.8 | 51 |
| 2014 | 24.7 | 47.1 |
| 2013 | 25 | 44.1 |
| 2012 | 24.6 | 40.8 |
| 2011 | 23.8 | 41.2 |
| 2010 | 24 | 40.2 |
| 2009 | 22.8 | 41.7 |
| 2008 | 19.6 | 40.6 |
| 2007 | 20.8 | 35.5 |
| 2006 | 20.9 | 35.8 |
| 2005 | 20 | 36.8 |
| 2004 | 20.6 | 38.9 |
| 2003 | 19.8 | 42.1 |
| 2002 | 17.4 | 39.9 |
| 2001 | 19.1 | 37.3 |
| 2000 | 18 | 38.5 |
| 1999 | – | 41.7 |
| 1998 | – | 39.7 |
| 1997 | – | 39.1 |
| 1996 | – | 42.5 |
IMF projection (World Economic Outlook, October 2026) · 2026–2031
| Year | Guatemala | Mexico |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 27.5 | 62.1 |
| 2027 | 28.4 | 62.9 |
| 2028 | 29.2 | 63.4 |
| 2029 | 29.7 | 64 |
| 2030 | 30.2 | 64.3 |
| 2031 | 30.6 | 64.5 |
Each country on its own
Good to know
- What the government owes, as a share of the economy’s yearly output.
- Source: IMF, World Economic Outlook, October 2026.
- The dashed line is the IMF projection (World Economic Outlook, October 2026), a scenario rather than a forecast.
- Ranks count the 149 countries with a value in 2025, highest first.
How the layers work, where their data comes from and what they can’t tell you: Countries through time
Guatemala vs Mexico
Health
- Life expectancyGuatemala: 72.6 years in 2023Mexico: 75.1 years in 2023
- Child mortalityGuatemala: 2.1 per 100 live births in 2024Mexico: 1.3 per 100 live births in 2024
- Infant mortalityGuatemala: 17.6 per 1,000 live births in 2023Mexico: 10.4 per 1,000 live births in 2023
- Safe drinking waterGuatemala: 56.3% in 2022Mexico: 43% in 2022
- DepressionGuatemala: 3.22% in 2017Mexico: 2.79% in 2017
- Suicide rateGuatemala: 5.9 per 100,000 people in 2017Mexico: 5.9 per 100,000 people in 2017
People
- PopulationGuatemala: 18.1 million people in 2023Mexico: 130 million people in 2023
- Population growthGuatemala: 1.55% a year in 2023Mexico: 0.88% a year in 2023
- Fertility rateGuatemala: 2.31 births per woman in 2023Mexico: 1.91 births per woman in 2023
- Urban populationGuatemala: 56.3% in 2025Mexico: 80% in 2025
- Median ageGuatemala: 22.6 years in 2023Mexico: 28.9 years in 2023
- People aged 65 and overGuatemala: 4.7% in 2023Mexico: 8% in 2023
- Net migration rateGuatemala: -0.5 per 1,000 people in 2023Mexico: -0.8 per 1,000 people in 2023
Economy
Education
Politics
Conflict
Military
- Military spendingGuatemala: 0.52% of GDP in 2025Mexico: 0.74% of GDP in 2025
- Military spending in US dollarsGuatemala: $617M in 2025Mexico: $13.8B in 2025
- Military spending per personGuatemala: $34 in 2025Mexico: $104 in 2025
- Military share of state spendingGuatemala: 3.5% of government spending in 2025Mexico: 2.5% of government spending in 2025
- Armed forces personnelGuatemala: 43,000 people in 2020Mexico: 341,000 people in 2020
- National powerGuatemala: 0.09% of world capability in 2022Mexico: 1.14% of world capability in 2022
- Armed forces, share of workersGuatemala: 0.64% of the labour force in 2020Mexico: 0.64% of the labour force in 2020
- Arms importsGuatemala: 6 million TIV in 2023Mexico: 9 million TIV in 2025