El Salvador vs Guatemala

El Salvador and Guatemala compared on 10 key figures from official sources. Each value is the latest one published for that country, so the year is shown with it.

• Guatemala has about 2.9 times as many people as El Salvador: 18.7 million against 6.4 million in 2025.
• GDP per person in Guatemala ($6,598) is 14% higher than in El Salvador ($5,767) in 2025.
• The economy grew faster in Guatemala (4.3%) than in El Salvador (3.9%), a difference of 0.4 percentage points in 2025.
• Consumer prices rose faster in Guatemala (1.5%) than in El Salvador (0.3%), a difference of 1.2 percentage points in 2025.
• The unemployment rate was higher in El Salvador (3.3%) than in Guatemala (2.6%), a difference of 0.7 percentage points in 2025.
• A baby born in Guatemala can expect to live 0.4 years longer than one born in El Salvador: 72.7 years against 72.3 years in 2024.
• The population of El Salvador is older: half of its people are over 27 years, against 22.6 years in Guatemala in 2023.
• A larger share of people used the internet in El Salvador (66.5%) than in Guatemala (60.2%), a difference of 6.3 percentage points in 2024.
• CO2 emissions per person in El Salvador (1.5 tonnes) are 36% higher than in Guatemala (1.1 tonnes) in 2024.
• Forest covers a larger share of the land in Guatemala (33.1%) than in El Salvador (33%), a difference of 0.1 percentage points in 2024.