What is the population of Guatemala?
Population | 17,153,288 |
Population Growth Rate | 1.91% |
Urban Population | 49.8% |
Population in Major Urban Areas | GUATEMALA CITY (capital) 1.168 million |
Nationality Noun | Guatemalan(s) |
Nationality Adjective | Guatemalan |
Ethnic Groups | Mestizo (mixed Amerindian-Spanish or assimilated Amerindian - in local Spanish called Ladino), approximately 55%, Amerindian or predominantly Amerindian, approximately 43%, whites and others 2% |
Languages Spoken | Spanish 60%, Amerindian languages 40% (23 officially recognized Amerindian languages, including Quiche, Cakchiquel, Kekchi, Mam, Garifuna, and Xinca) |
What is school like in Guatemala?
Even when schools have sufficient desks and teachers, which is too often not the case, they usually lack books. Very often, as much as 80% of the class time is taken up in copying material from the blackboard at the front of the classroom because students don’t have books. This lack of books also prevents teachers from requiring homework, which means that students do not practice their study skills at home either. Teachers also are not well trained, especially in rural schools. Currently it is possible to become a teacher right after passing the exam at the conclusion of secondary school.
Guatemalan schools are not well equipped with computers or other electronic technology. Although some universities are making good progress in this area, schools for the younger children lack even the basics, especially in the mountainous, rural areas. Students who are able to afford such technology often take courses offered outside the country via the Internet.
Most schools require a uniform, which families must pay for in addition to the school enrollment fee and monthly tuition.
Many children in
Because of the rather significant adult reading problem in the country (the country produces one million illiterate citizens every nine years),
Another challenge in some parts of the country is that the Indian populations often feel discriminated against and will not send their children to school. The lessons are in Spanish, and they include nothing of the local customs or culture.
School in
Spanish is the official language of
At the end of each school year, students are given a test. If a student fails any part of that test, he or she must repeat that entire school year. Compulsory education ends at the end of elementary school.
Like many Latin American countries, the quality of education can vary widely throughout the country, with money being the most important influence. In communities with more money, the schools have better resources; in poor villages, the local school can struggle to even provide the most basic education.
A higher quality of education is available from private schools, but only the upper-middle and upper-class families can afford to send their children there. The biggest problem throughout the country and in all levels of schools is the lack of money.
Children are home for lunch, which may consist of a traditional Guatemalan stew made of chicken, potatoes, and local vegetables and seasonings. It might also include rice and tortillas. Lunch is the biggest meal of the day for most areas, especially in the country and mountainous regions.
In some schools, mothers will take turns preparing lunch for the children, but the government provides the money to buy the food.
What are the health conditions in Guatemala?
Contraceptive Prevalence Rate - female 15-49 | 43.3% |
Death Rate - deaths/1,000 population | 4.87 |
Drinking Water Source - percent of rural population improved | 88.6% |
Drinking Water Source - percent of total population unimproved | 6.2% |
Drinking Water Source - percent of urban population improved | 99.1% |
Food or Waterborne Disease (s) | bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever |
Health Expenditures - percent of GDP | 6.7% |
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate | 0.8% |
HIV/Aids Deaths | 3,400 |
Hospital Bed Density - beds/1,000 population | .7 |
Infant Mortality Rate - female deaths/1,000 live births | 22.09 |
Infant Mortality Rate - male deaths/1,000 live births | 26.44 |
Infant Mortality Rate - total deaths/1,000 live births | 24.32 |
Major Infectious Diseases - degree of risk | high |
Maternal Mortality Rate - deaths/100,000 live births | 120 |
Mean Age for Mother's First Birth | 20.3 |
Obesity - adult prevalence rate | 19.2% |
People Living with HIV/AIDS | 62,000 |
Physicians Density - physicians/1,000 population | .93 |
Sanitation Facility Access - percent of total population unimproved | 19.7% |
Sanitation Facility Access - percent of urban population improved | 88.4% |
Sanitation Facility Access - percent of rural population improved | 72.1% |
Total Fertility Rate - children born/woman | 3.08 |
Underweight - percent of children under five years | 13% |
Vectorborne Disease (s) | dengue fever and malaria |
How long do people live in Guatemala?
Life Expectancy at Birth | 71 Years |
Life Expectancy at Birth - female | 73 Years |
Life Expectancy at Birth - male | 69 Years |
Median Age | 20 Years |
Median Age - female | 21 Years |
Median Age - male | 20 Years |
Birth Rate - births/1,000 population | 26 |
Death Rate - deaths/1,000 population | 4.87 |
Median Age | 20 Years |
Median Age - female | 21 Years |
Median Age - male | 20 Years |
Net Migration Rate - migrant(s)/1,000 population | -2.04 |
Population Growth Rate | 1.91% |
Sex Ratio 0-14 Years - male/female | 1.04 |
Sex Ratio 15-24 Years - male/female | 1.01 |
Sex Ratio 25-54 Years - male/female | .91 |
Sex Ratio 55-64 Years - male/female | .97 |
Sex Ratio at Birth - male/female | 1.05 |
Sex Ratio of Total Population - male/female | .97 |
Sex Ratio Over 64 Years - male/female | .87 |
What are the health conditions in Guatemala?
What is school like in Guatemala?
Education Expenditures - percent of GDP | 3% |
Literacy - female | 63.3% |
Literacy - male | 78% |
Literacy - total population | 69.1% |
Literacy Definition | age 15 and over can read and write |
School Life Expectancy - female | 10 Years |
School Life Expectancy - male | 11 Years |
Total School Life Expectancy - (primary to tertiary) | 11 Years |
Can people in Guatemala read?
Literacy - female | 63.3% |
Literacy - male | 78% |
Literacy - total population | 69.1% |
Literacy Definition | age 15 and over can read and write |
Predominant Language | Spanish 60%, Amerindian languages 40% (23 officially recognized Amerindian languages, including Quiche, Cakchiquel, Kekchi, Mam, Garifuna, and Xinca) |
Is Guatemala a safe place to visit?