Guatemala GDP per Capita

Latest nominal GDP per capita

Guatemala's nominal GDP per capita reached USD 6,149.75 in 2024, up from USD 4,477.58 in 2020. The nominal measure divides current-price GDP of USD 113.19 billion by the population, so it embeds both real output growth and price changes. Over the 2020s the series has risen 37.3 per cent across five data points, with the 2024 figure the maximum of the period and 2020 the minimum. Nominal GDP per capita remains the headline figure used in cross-country income comparisons denominated in US dollars.

Latest PPP GDP per capita

On a purchasing power parity basis, GDP per capita stood at USD 14,379.09 in 2024, against USD 10,947.37 in 2020. The PPP measure converts output using price levels rather than market exchange rates, so it reflects the volume of goods and services a resident can command domestically. The 2020s expansion on this basis is 31.3 per cent, with the mean across the five years at USD 12,783.12. The PPP figure exceeds the nominal one by a factor of roughly 2.3, a gap that signals a substantially lower domestic price level than in the United States.

Why the two measures diverge

The divergence is a price-level effect, not a statistical inconsistency. Nominal GDP per capita of USD 6,149.75 is converted at market exchange rates, while the PPP figure of USD 14,379.09 uses a basket-adjusted rate. For an economy where non-traded services are cheap relative to traded goods, PPP conversion raises measured income. The same pattern appears in GNI per capita, which was USD 5,780.00 in 2024, slightly below nominal GDP per capita and consistent with net factor income flows. The three indicators therefore describe one income level through different lenses.

Instant answer to the headline question

Guatemala's GDP per capita in 2024 is USD 6,149.75 at market exchange rates and USD 14,379.09 at purchasing power parity. The nominal figure is the appropriate reference for dollar-denominated comparisons and external transactions; the PPP figure is the appropriate reference for domestic living standards and cross-country welfare comparisons. Both are the highest values in the supplied series, which begins in 1980 at USD 1,120.22 nominal and USD 3,171.71 PPP. Neither measure accounts for distribution within the population.

Context against earlier peaks

The 2024 nominal value of USD 6,149.75 is more than double the 2010 opening value of USD 2,833.40, a 117 per cent increase over fourteen years. The PPP series shows a comparable trajectory, rising from USD 7,079.98 in 2010 to USD 14,379.09 in 2024, a gain of 103 per cent. Real GDP growth of 3.65 per cent in 2024 supported both measures, following the 2020 contraction of 1.79 per cent. The 2020s mean nominal value of USD 5,331.25 sits below the latest reading, indicating an upward trend within the period.

Reading the figures correctly

• Nominal: USD 6,149.75 in 2024, market exchange rates, current prices.
• PPP: USD 14,379.09 in 2024, price-level adjusted.
• GNI per capita: USD 5,780.00 in 2024, income rather than output basis.
• Ratio: PPP to nominal is approximately 2.34.

Users comparing Guatemala with other economies should state which basis is used. Mixing the two produces apparent income gaps that reflect price levels rather than output.

Overview and the 1980s Contraction

Guatemala's nominal GDP per capita stood at USD 1,120 in 1980 and closed the decade at USD 965 in 1989, a cumulative decline of 13.8 per cent. The decade mean was USD 1,071, with a trough of USD 810 and a peak of USD 1,306. The PPP series moved in the opposite direction over the same span, rising 22.6 per cent from USD 3,172 to USD 3,887. The divergence reflects domestic price dynamics and exchange rate movements rather than a difference in underlying output.

Aggregate GDP grew 8.8 per cent across the 1980s, from USD 7.80 billion to USD 8.49 billion, while average annual GDP growth was 0.97 per cent. Population growth outpaced output for much of the period, which explains the fall in the per capita measure. The 1980s therefore mark the only decade in the series with a negative nominal per capita result.

The 1990s Recovery

Nominal GDP per capita rose 86.0 per cent between 1990 and 1999, from USD 841 to USD 1,564, the strongest decade growth rate in the series. The PPP measure advanced 34.4 per cent, from USD 3,694 to USD 4,965. Aggregate GDP more than doubled, rising 135.4 per cent from USD 7.59 billion to USD 17.87 billion, supported by average annual growth of 3.89 per cent.

The 1990 starting value of USD 841 is the lowest nominal figure in the entire dataset, which amplifies the percentage gain. GNI per capita followed a similar path, rising 76.3 per cent from USD 930 to USD 1,640 over the decade.

The 2000s and 2010s Expansions

The 2000s delivered nominal per capita growth of 65.2 per cent, from USD 1,599 to USD 2,642, with a decade mean of USD 2,096. PPP per capita rose 35.8 per cent to USD 6,935. Average annual GDP growth of 3.40 per cent was the weakest of the post-1980s decades, and the 2009 growth rate of 0.48 per cent reflects the global financial crisis.

The 2010s produced nominal growth of 59.2 per cent, from USD 2,833 to USD 4,512, and PPP growth of 51.9 per cent, from USD 7,080 to USD 10,756. The PPP gain was the largest of any decade in the series. Aggregate GDP rose 87.8 per cent to USD 77.16 billion, with average annual growth of 3.54 per cent.

The 2020s to Date

The 2020s opened with a 1.79 per cent GDP contraction in 2020, yet nominal per capita still rose from USD 4,478 to USD 6,150 by 2024, a gain of 37.3 per cent across five years. PPP per capita climbed 31.3 per cent to USD 14,379. Aggregate GDP reached USD 113.19 billion in 2024, up 45.6 per cent from USD 77.72 billion in 2020, on average annual growth of 3.53 per cent.

GNI per capita reached USD 5,780 in 2024, below the nominal GDP per capita figure of USD 6,150, a gap consistent with net income flows abroad.

Decade Comparison

• 1980s: nominal per capita -13.8 per cent; PPP +22.6 per cent.
• 1990s: nominal +86.0 per cent; PPP +34.4 per cent.
• 2000s: nominal +65.2 per cent; PPP +35.8 per cent.
• 2010s: nominal +59.2 per cent; PPP +51.9 per cent.
• 2020s (2020 to 2024): nominal +37.3 per cent; PPP +31.3 per cent.

Nominal per capita rose from USD 1,120 in 1980 to USD 6,150 in 2024, a multiple of roughly 5.5. PPP per capita rose from USD 3,172 to USD 14,379, a multiple of roughly 4.5. The 1980s remain the sole decade of nominal contraction; every subsequent decade recorded expansion, with the 1990s the fastest in nominal terms and the 2010s the fastest on a PPP basis.

Remittances and Household Income

Guatemala's GDP per capita reached USD 6,149.75 in 2024, up from USD 4,477.58 in 2020, a 37.3 per cent increase across the five-year window. GNI per capita stood at USD 5,780.00 in 2024, below the GDP measure, a gap consistent with net factor income flowing abroad. Family remittances from the United States are the largest single external inflow and a core support to household consumption, which underpins the domestic demand component of the 3.65 per cent real growth recorded in 2024.

Export Composition and Informality

Merchandise exports remain concentrated in sugar, coffee, bananas, apparel under maquila arrangements, and palm oil, with limited movement into higher-value manufactures. The economy is dominated by micro and small enterprises, and informal employment is estimated to cover a majority of the labour force, which constrains productivity growth and the tax base. GDP per capita at PPP reached USD 14,379.09 in 2024 against USD 6,149.75 at market rates, a ratio near 2.3 that reflects the low domestic price level typical of economies with large informal service sectors.

Tax Revenue and Fiscal Capacity

Tax revenue has historically remained below 12 per cent of GDP, among the lowest ratios in Latin America, which limits public investment in infrastructure, education, and health. The 2024 nominal GDP of USD 113.19 billion compares with a 1990 figure of USD 7.59 billion, a 135.4 per cent expansion across the 1990s alone, yet revenue mobilisation has not tracked that growth proportionally. Weak fiscal capacity sustains reliance on remittances and on indirect taxes, both of which weigh more heavily on lower-income households and dampen the translation of output growth into income per person.

Institutional Legacy and Long-Run Path

The 1980s recorded a 13.8 per cent fall in GDP per capita, from USD 1,120.22 in 1980 to USD 965.13 in 1989, a lost decade shaped by civil conflict, capital flight, and macroeconomic instability. Recovery followed in the 1990s, with GDP per capita rising 86.0 per cent over the decade, and continued through the 2000s at 65.2 per cent and the 2010s at 59.2 per cent. The 2020 contraction of 1.79 per cent in real GDP interrupted that path, and the rebound to 8.04 per cent in the same period illustrates the volatility of a small, open economy exposed to external shocks.

Growth Quality and Distribution

Real GDP growth averaged 3.54 per cent across the 2010s and 3.53 per cent across the 2020s to date, a stable but modest trend that has not closed the income gap with regional peers. GDP per capita at PPP rose 51.9 per cent across the 2010s, from USD 7,079.98 to USD 10,755.88, outpacing the market-rate measure and indicating that price-level effects account for part of the convergence. Persistent inequality, low human capital accumulation, and limited formal credit access remain the binding constraints on converting aggregate growth into broad-based income gains.

Regional Standing

Guatemala's GDP per capita reached USD 6,149.75 in 2024, up from USD 4,477.58 in 2020, a rise of 37.3 per cent across the five years. On a purchasing power parity basis the figure is USD 14,379.09, more than double the nominal measure. Within Central America this places Guatemala in the lower-middle tier: Costa Rica and Panama record substantially higher nominal levels, while Honduras and Nicaragua sit below. The PPP adjustment narrows but does not close the gap, reflecting lower domestic price levels relative to the regional average.

GNI per Capita and Distribution

Gross national income per capita stood at USD 5,780 in 2024, below the GDP per capita figure of USD 6,149.75. The 369.75 dollar difference points to net factor income flowing abroad, including remittance-related and profit repatriation effects. GNI per capita rose 32.6 per cent over the 2020s to date, against 37.3 per cent for GDP per capita. Neither average captures distribution: Guatemala records among the highest Gini coefficients in Latin America, and a large share of output originates in the capital department while rural highland departments record far lower output per head.

Limits of the Headline Figure

GDP per capita divides total output by total population, so it says nothing about median income, informality or unpaid work. Guatemala's labour market is heavily informal, which means measured output may understate activity in subsistence agriculture and household enterprises. The 2020 contraction of 1.79 per cent and the 2021 rebound to 8.04 per cent show how sharply the series can move with external shocks. Dollar-denominated values also shift with the exchange rate and with base-year revisions, so cross-decade comparisons carry measurement noise.

Growth Record in Context

Decade growth in nominal GDP per capita was 86.0 per cent in the 1990s, 65.2 per cent in the 2000s and 59.2 per cent in the 2010s. Much of this reflects price and exchange-rate effects rather than volume gains. Real GDP growth averaged 3.54 per cent in the 2010s and 3.53 per cent in the 2020s to date, a stable but modest pace. At that rate, convergence with higher-income regional peers is slow, and the 2024 level of USD 6,149.75 remains well below the PPP figure of USD 14,379.09.

What to Read Alongside It

• GNI per capita of USD 5,780 for 2024, which nets out cross-border income flows.
• Real GDP growth of 3.65 per cent in 2024, close to the 2020s mean of 3.53 per cent.
• Distributional indicators such as the Gini coefficient and poverty headcounts, which the average does not reflect.
• PPP conversion, which raises the 2024 figure from USD 6,149.75 to USD 14,379.09.

These measures together give a fuller picture than the headline alone. The nominal series is best read as an indicator of scale and trend, not of household welfare.