Statistics Guatemala 
Guatemala in the World
Guatemala - Introduction 2016
top of pageBackground: The Maya civilization flourished in Guatemala and surrounding regions during the first millennium A.D. After almost three centuries as a Spanish colony Guatemala won its independence in 1821. During the second half of the 20th century it experienced a variety of military and civilian governments as well as a 36-year guerrilla war. In 1996 the government signed a peace agreement formally ending the internal conflict which had left more than 200,000 people dead and had created by some estimates about 1 million refugees.
Area
Total: 108,889 km²
Land: 107,159 km²
Water: 1730 km²
Rank: 107
Comparative: slightly smaller than Pennsylvania
Land boundaries
Total: 1667 km
Border countries: (4) Belize 266 km; El Salvador 199 km; Honduras 244 km; Mexico 958 km
Maritime claims
Territorial sea: 12 nm
Exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
Continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation
Elevation
Mean elevation: 759 m
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m: highest point: Volcan Tajumulco 4,211 m (highest point in Central America)
Land use
Agricultural land: 41.2%
arable land: 14.2%
permanent crops: 8.8%
permanent pasture: 18.2%
permanent crops: 8.8%
permanent pasture: 18.2%
Forest: 33.6%
Other: 25.2%
Natural hazards: numerous volcanoes in mountains with occasional violent earthquakes; Caribbean coast extremely susceptible to hurricanes and other tropical storms
Volcanism: significant volcanic activity in the Sierra Madre range; Santa Maria has been deemed a Decade Volcano by the International Association of Volcanology and Chemistry of the Earth's Interior worthy of study due to its explosive history and close proximity to human populations; Pacaya (elev. 2,552 m) which erupted in May 2010 causing an ashfall on Guatemala City and prompting evacuations is one of the country's most active volcanoes with frequent eruptions since 1965; other historically active volcanoes include Acatenango Almolonga Atitlan Fuego and Tacana
Guatemala - People 2016
top of pagePopulation
Distribution: the vast majority of the populace resides in the southern half of the country particularly in the mountainous regions; more than half of the population lives in rural areas: 15,189,958 (July 2016 est.)
Rank: 71
Growth rate: 1.79% (2016 est.)
Growth rate rank: 62
Below poverty line: 59.3% (2014 est.)
Ethnic groups: Mestizo (mixed Amerindian-Spanish - in local Spanish called Ladino) and European 59.4% K'iche 9.1% Kaqchikel 8.4% Mam 7.9% Q'eqchi 6.3% other Mayan 8.6% indigenous non-Mayan 0.2% other 0.1% (2001 census)
Languages: Spanish (official) 60% Amerindian languages 40%
Note: there are 23 officially recognized Amerindian languages including Quiche Cakchiquel Kekchi Mam Garifuna and Xinca
Demographic profile:
Guatemala is a predominantly poor country that struggles in several areas of health and development including infant child and maternal mortality malnutrition literacy and contraceptive awareness and use. The country's large indigenous population is disproportionately affected. Guatemala is the most populous country in Central America and has the highest fertility rate in Latin America. It also has the highest population growth rate in Latin America which is likely to continue because of its large reproductive-age population and high birth rate. Almost half of Guatemala's population is under age 19 making it the youngest population in Latin America. Guatemala's total fertility rate has slowly declined during the last few decades due in part to limited government-funded health programs. However the birth rate is still more than three children per woman and is markedly higher among its rural and indigenous populations.
Guatemalans have a history of emigrating legally and illegally to Mexico the United States and Canada because of a lack of economic opportunity political instability and natural disasters. Emigration primarily to the United States escalated during the 1960 to 1996 civil war and accelerated after a peace agreement was signed. Thousands of Guatemalans who fled to Mexico returned after the war but labor migration to southern Mexico continues.
Guatemalans have a history of emigrating legally and illegally to Mexico the United States and Canada because of a lack of economic opportunity political instability and natural disasters. Emigration primarily to the United States escalated during the 1960 to 1996 civil war and accelerated after a peace agreement was signed. Thousands of Guatemalans who fled to Mexico returned after the war but labor migration to southern Mexico continues.
Age structure
0-14 years: 35.02%
15-24 years: 21.8%
25-54 years: 33.53%
55-64 years: 5.23%
65 years and over: 4.42% (2016 est.)
Dependency ratios
Total dependency ratio: 70.9%
Youth dependency ratio: 62.6%
Elderly dependency ratio: 8.3%
Potential support ratio: 12.1%
Population distribution: the vast majority of the populace resides in the southern half of the country particularly in the mountainous regions; more than half of the population lives in rural areas
Urbanization
Urban population: 51.6% of total population
Rate of urbanization: 3.4% annual rate of change
Environment
Current issues: deforestation in the Peten rainforest; soil erosion; water pollution
International agreements party to: Antarctic Treaty Biodiversity Climate Change Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol Desertification Endangered Species Environmental Modification Hazardous Wastes Law of the Sea Marine Dumping Ozone Layer Protection Ship Pollution Wetlands Whaling
International agreements signed but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Sex ratio
At birth: 1.05 male/female
0-14 years: 1.04 male/female
15-24 years: 1.01 male/female
25-54 years: 0.91 male/female
55-64 years: 0.91 male/female
65 years and over: 0.87 male/female
Total population: 0.97 male/female
Infant mortality rate
Total: 22 deaths/1000 live births
Male: 23.9 deaths/1000 live births
Female: 19.9 deaths/1000 live births
Rank: 77
Drinking water source:
urban: 98.4% of population
rural: 86.8% of population
total: 92.8% of population
urban: 1.6% of population
rural: 13.2% of population
total: 7.2% of population (2015 est.)
rural: 86.8% of population
total: 92.8% of population
urban: 1.6% of population
rural: 13.2% of population
total: 7.2% of population (2015 est.)
Sanitation facility access:
urban: 77.5% of population
rural: 49.3% of population
total: 63.9% of population
urban: 22.5% of population
rural: 50.7% of population
total: 36.1% of population (2015 est.)
rural: 49.3% of population
total: 63.9% of population
urban: 22.5% of population
rural: 50.7% of population
total: 36.1% of population (2015 est.)
Hivaids
Adult prevalence rate: 0.57% (2015 est.)
Adult prevalence rate rank: 64
People living with hivaids: 54,600 (2015 est.)
People living with hivaids rank: 56
Deaths: 1700 (2015 est.)
Deaths rank: 58
Major infectious diseases
Degree of risk: high
Food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea hepatitis A and typhoid fever
Vectorborne disease: dengue fever and malaria
Note: active local transmission of Zika virus by Aedes species mosquitoes has been identified in this country ; it poses an important risk (a large number of cases possible) among US citizens if bitten by an infective mosquito; other less common ways to get Zika are through sex via blood transfusion or during pregnancy in which the pregnant woman passes Zika virus to her fetus (2016)
Literacy
Definition: age 15 and over can read and write
Total population: 81.5%
Male: 87.4%
Female: 76.3%
Guatemala - Government 2016
top of pageCountry name
Conventional long form: Republic of Guatemala
Conventional short form: Guatemala
Local long form: Republica de Guatemala
Local short form: Guatemala
Etymology: name derives from the Mayan word meaning 'land of trees'
Administrative divisions: 22 departments (departamentos singular - departamento); Alta Verapaz Baja Verapaz Chimaltenango Chiquimula El Progreso Escuintla Guatemala Huehuetenango Izabal Jalapa Jutiapa Peten Quetzaltenango Quiche Retalhuleu Sacatepequez San Marcos Santa Rosa Solola Suchitepequez Totonicapan Zacapa
Constitution: several previous; latest adopted 31 May 1985 effective 14 January 1986; suspended reinstated and amended in 1994 (2016)
International law organization participation: has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; accepts ICCt jurisdiction
Citizenship
Citizenship by birth: yes
Citizenship by descent: yes
Dual citizenship recognized: yes
Residency requirement for naturalization: 5 years with no absences of six consecutive months or longer or absences totaling more than a year
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal; note - active duty members of the armed forces and police by law cannot vote and are restricted to their barracks on election day
Executive branch
Chief of state: President Jimmy Ernesto MORALES Cabrera ; Vice President Jafeth CABRERA Franco (since 14 January 2016); note - the president is both chief of state and head of government
Head of government: President Jimmy Ernesto MORALES Cabrera ; Vice President Jafeth CABRERA Franco (since 14 January 2016)
Cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president
Electionsappointments: president and vice president directly elected on the same ballot by absolute majority popular vote in 2 rounds if needed for a 4-year term ; election last held in 2 rounds on 6 September and 25 October 2015 (next to be held in September 2019)
Election results: Jimmy Ernesto MORALES Cabrera elected president; percent of vote in first round - Jimmy Ernesto MORALES Cabrera (FNC) 23.8% Sandra TORRES (UNE) 19.8% Manuel BALDIZON (LIDER) 19.6%; percent of vote in second round - Jimmy Ernesto MORALES Cabrera (FNC) 67.4% Sandra TORRES (UNE) 32.6%
Legislative branch
Description: unicameral Congress of the Republic or Congreso de la Republica
Elections: last held on 6 September 2015
Election results: percent of vote by party - LIDER 19.10% UNE 14.83% TODOS 9.74% PP 9.43% FCN 8.75% EG 6.24% PU 5.69% UCN 5.43% Winaq-URNG-MAIZ 4.32% Convergence 3.84% VIVA 3.66% PAN 3.42 FUERZA 2.07% other 3.48%; seats by party - LIDER 44 UNE 36 TODOS 18 PP 17 FCN 11 EG 7 UCN 6 PU 5 Winaq-URNG-MAIZ 3 Convergence 3 VIVA 3 PAN 3 FUERZA 2
Judicial branch
Highest court: Supreme Court of Justice or Corte Suprema de Justicia ; note - the court president also supervises trial judges countrywide; Constitutional Court or Corte de Constitucionalidad (consists of 5 judges and 5 alternates)
Judge selection and term of office: Supreme Court magistrates elected by the Congress of the Republic from candidates proposed by the Postulation Committee an independent body of deans of the country's university law schools representatives of the country's law associations and representatives of the Courts of Appeal; magistrates elected for concurrent renewable 5-year terms; Constitutional Court judges - 1 elected by the Congress of the Republic 1 by the Supreme Court 1 by the president of the republic 1 by the University of San Carlos and 1 by the lawyers bar association; judges elected for concurrent renewable 5-year terms; the presidency of the court rotates among the magistrates for a single 1-year term
Subordinate courts: numerous first instance and appellate courts
Political parties and leaders:
Unionista Party or PU [Alvaro ARZU Irigoyen]
Victoria (Victory) [Amilcar RIVERA]
Vision with Values or VIVA [Harold CABALLEROS] (part of a coalition with EG during the last legislative election)
Victoria (Victory) [Amilcar RIVERA]
Vision with Values or VIVA [Harold CABALLEROS] (part of a coalition with EG during the last legislative election)
International organization participation: BCIE CACM CD CELAC EITI (compliant country) FAO G-24 G-77 IADB IAEA IBRD ICAO ICC (national committees) ICCt (signatory) ICRM IDA IFAD IFC IFRCS IHO ILO IMF IMO Interpol IOC IOM IPU ISO (correspondent) ITSO ITU ITUC (NGOs) LAES LAIA (observer) MIGA MINUSTAH MONUSCO NAM OAS OPANAL OPCW Pacific Alliance (observer) PCA Petrocaribe SICA UN UNCTAD UNESCO UNIDO UNIFIL Union Latina UNISFA UNITAR UNMISS UNOCI UNWTO UPU WCO WFTU (NGOs) WHO WIPO WMO WTO
Diplomatic representation
In the us chief of mission: Ambassador Gladys Marithza RUIZ SANCHEZ
In the us chancery: 2,220 R Street NW Washington DC 20,008
In the us telephone: [1] 745-4,952
In the us FAX: [1] 745-1908
In the us consulate: Del Rio San Bernadino (CA) Silver Spring (MD) Tucson (AZ)
In the us consulate general: Atlanta Chicago Denver Houston Los Angeles McAllen Miami New York Phoenix Providence (RI) San Francisco Silver Spring (MD) Tucson (AZ)
From the us chief of mission: Ambassador Todd D. ROBINSON
From the us embassy: 7-01 Avenida Reforma Zone 10 Guatemala City
From the us mailing address: DPO AA 34,024
From the us telephone: [502] 2,326-4,000
From the us FAX: [502] 2,326-4,654
Flag description: three equal vertical bands of light blue (hoist side) white and light blue with the coat of arms centered in the white band; the coat of arms includes a green and red quetzal (the national bird) representing liberty and a scroll bearing the inscription LIBERTAD 15 DE SEPTIEMBRE DE 1821 (the original date of independence from Spain) all superimposed on a pair of crossed rifles signifying Guatemala's willingness to defend itself and a pair of crossed swords representing honor and framed by a laurel wreath symbolizing victory; the blue bands represent the Pacific Ocean and Caribbean Sea; the white band denotes peace and purity
National anthem
Name: 'Himno Nacional de Guatemala'
Lyrics and music: Jose Joaquin PALMA/Rafael Alvarez OVALLE
Note: adopted 1897 modified lyrics adopted 1934; Cuban poet Jose Joaquin PALMA anonymously submitted lyrics to a public contest calling for a national anthem; his authorship was not discovered until 1911
Guatemala - Economy 2016
top of pageEconomy overview:
Guatemala is the most populous country in Central America with a GDP per capita roughly half the average for Latin America and the Caribbean. The agricultural sector accounts for 13.6% of GDP and 31% of the labor force; key agricultural exports include sugar coffee bananas and vegetables. Guatemala is the top remittance recipient in Central America as a result of Guatemala's large expatriate community in the US. These inflows are a primary source of foreign income equivalent to over one-half of the country's exports or one-tenth of its GDP.
The 1996 peace accords which ended 36 years of civil war removed a major obstacle to foreign investment and since then Guatemala has pursued important reforms and macroeconomic stabilization. The Dominican Republic-Central America Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA-DR) entered into force in July 2006 spurring increased investment and diversification of exports with the largest increases in ethanol and non-traditional agricultural exports. While CAFTA-DR has helped improve the investment climate concerns over security the lack of skilled workers and poor infrastructure continue to hamper foreign direct investment.
The distribution of income remains highly unequal with the richest 20% of the population accounting for more than 51% of Guatemala's overall consumption. More than half of the population is below the national poverty line and 23% of the population lives in extreme poverty. Poverty among indigenous groups which make up more than 40% of the population averages 79% with 39.8% of the indigenous population living in extreme poverty. Nearly one-half of Guatemala's children under age five are chronically malnourished one of the highest malnutrition rates in the world.
Guatemala is facing growing fiscal pressures exacerbated by multiple corruption scandals in 2015 that led to the resignation of the president vice president and numerous high-level economic officials.
The 1996 peace accords which ended 36 years of civil war removed a major obstacle to foreign investment and since then Guatemala has pursued important reforms and macroeconomic stabilization. The Dominican Republic-Central America Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA-DR) entered into force in July 2006 spurring increased investment and diversification of exports with the largest increases in ethanol and non-traditional agricultural exports. While CAFTA-DR has helped improve the investment climate concerns over security the lack of skilled workers and poor infrastructure continue to hamper foreign direct investment.
The distribution of income remains highly unequal with the richest 20% of the population accounting for more than 51% of Guatemala's overall consumption. More than half of the population is below the national poverty line and 23% of the population lives in extreme poverty. Poverty among indigenous groups which make up more than 40% of the population averages 79% with 39.8% of the indigenous population living in extreme poverty. Nearly one-half of Guatemala's children under age five are chronically malnourished one of the highest malnutrition rates in the world.
Guatemala is facing growing fiscal pressures exacerbated by multiple corruption scandals in 2015 that led to the resignation of the president vice president and numerous high-level economic officials.
Real gdp purchasing power parity:
$125.9 billion (2015 est.)
$121 billion (2014 est.)
$116.1 billion (2013 est.)
$121 billion (2014 est.)
$116.1 billion (2013 est.)
Note: data are in 2015 US dollars
Rank: 81
Real gdp per capita:
$7,700 (2015 est.)
$7,600 (2014 est.)
$7,500 (2013 est.)
$7,600 (2014 est.)
$7,500 (2013 est.)
Note: data are in 2015 US dollars
Rank: 149
Gross national saving:
13.1% of GDP (2015 est.)
11.6% of GDP (2014 est.)
11.5% of GDP (2013 est.)
11.6% of GDP (2014 est.)
11.5% of GDP (2013 est.)
Rank: 133
Gdp composition by end use
Household consumption: 85%
Government consumption: 10.4%
Investment in fixed capital: 13.2%
Investment in inventories: 0.2%
Exports of goods and services: 21.3%
Imports of goods and services: -30%
Labor force: 4.528 million (2015 est.)
Rank: 89
By occupation agriculture: 31.2%
By occupation industry: 14.4%
By occupation services: 54.4%
Budget
Revenues: $6.909 billion
Expenditures: $7.824 billion
Surplus or deficit: -1.4% of GDP (2015 est.)
Surplus or deficit rank: 68
Commercial bank prime lending rate:
13.23% (31 December 2015 est.)
13.77% (31 December 2014 est.)
13.77% (31 December 2014 est.)
Rank: 55
Stock of narrow money:
$10.05 billion (31 December 2015 est.)
$9.19 billion (31 December 2014 est.)
$9.19 billion (31 December 2014 est.)
Rank: 79
Stock of broad money:
$23.19 billion (31 December 2015 est.)
$21.17 billion (31 December 2014 est.)
$21.17 billion (31 December 2014 est.)
Rank: 85
Stock of domestic credit:
$28.7 billion (31 December 2015 est.)
$26.3 billion (31 December 2014 est.)
$26.3 billion (31 December 2014 est.)
Rank: 77
Exports:
$10.83 billion (2015 est.)
$10.99 billion (2014 est.)
$10.99 billion (2014 est.)
Rank: 86
Commodities: sugar coffee petroleum apparel bananas fruits and vegetables cardamom manufacturing products precious stones and metals electricity
Partners: US 34.9% El Salvador 8.4% Honduras 7.3% Nicaragua 5% Canada 4.6% Mexico 4.3% Costa Rica 4.1% (2015)
Imports:
$16.38 billion (2015 est.)
$17.06 billion (2014 est.)
$17.06 billion (2014 est.)
Rank: 81
Commodities: fuels machinery and transport equipment construction materials grain fertilizers electricity mineral products chemical products plastic materials and products
Partners: US 38.3% China 13.4% Mexico 11.8% El Salvador 4.9% (2015)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
$7.746 billion (31 December 2015 est.)
$7.329 billion (31 December 2014 est.)
$7.329 billion (31 December 2014 est.)
Rank: 80
Exchange rates:
quetzales (GTQ) per US dollar -
7.6548 (2015 est.)
7.7322 (2014 est.)
7.7322 (2013 est.)
7.83 (2012 est.)
7.7854 (2011 est.)
7.6548 (2015 est.)
7.7322 (2014 est.)
7.7322 (2013 est.)
7.83 (2012 est.)
7.7854 (2011 est.)
Guatemala - Energy 2016
top of pageElectricity
Access population without electricity: 1,600,000
Access electrification total population: 78%
Access electrification urban areas: 85%
Access electrification rural areas: 72%
Production: 10 billion kWh (2014 est.)
Production rank: 98
Consumption: 8.915 billion kWh (2014 est.)
Consumption rank: 94
Exports: 1.025 billion kWh (2014 est.)
Exports rank: 55
Imports: 664 million kWh (2014 est.)
Imports rank: 71
Installed generating capacity: 3.73 million kW (2015 est.)
Installed generating capacity rank: 85
Generation sources fossil fuels: 61.9% of total installed capacity (2015 est.)
Generation sources fossil fuels rank: 127
Generation sources nuclear: 0% of total installed capacity (2015 est.)
Generation sources nuclear rank: 104
Generation sources hydroelectricity: 29.1% of total installed capacity (2015 est.)
Generation sources hydroelectricity rank: 80
Generation sources other renewable sources: 8.9% of total installed capacity (2015 est.)
Generation sources other renewable sources rank: 42
Petroleum
Petroleum total petroleum production: 10,040 bbl/day (2015 est.)
Petroleum total petroleum production rank: 80
Crude oil exports: 8,711 bbl/day (2015 est.)
Crude oil exports rank: 67
Crude oil imports: 0 bbl/day (2013 est.)
Crude oil imports rank: 200
Crude oil proven reserves: 83.07 million bbl (1 January 2016 es)
Crude oil proven reserves rank: 75
Refined petroleum
Products production: 1228 bbl/day (2015 est.)
Products production rank: 109
Products consumption: 87,840 bbl/day (2015 est.)
Products consumption rank: 80
Products exports: 12,960 bbl/day (2015 est.)
Products exports rank: 82
Products imports: 100,400 bbl/day (2015 est.)
Products imports rank: 52
Natural gas
Production: 0 m³ (2013 est.)
Production rank: 197
Consumption: 0 m³ (2013 est.)
Consumption rank: 151
Exports: 0 m³ (2013 est.)
Exports rank: 111
Imports: 0 m³ (2013 est.)
Imports rank: 205
Proven reserves: 2.96 billion m³ (1 January 2006 es)
Proven reserves rank: 96
Carbon dioxide emissions
From consumption of energy: 13 million Mt (2013 est.)
From consumption of energy rank: 95
Guatemala - Communication 2016
top of pageTelephones
Fixed lines total subscriptions: 1,718,851
Fixed lines subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 12
Fixed lines rank: 65
Mobile cellular total: 18.121 million
Mobile cellular subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 121
Mobile cellular rank: 63
Telephone system
General assessment: fairly modern network centered in the city of Guatemala
Domestic: state-owned telecommunications company privatized in the late 1990s opened the way for competition; fixed-line teledensity roughly 10 per 100 persons; fixed-line investments are being concentrated on improving rural connectivity; mobile-cellular teledensity about 120 per 100 persons
International: country code - 502; landing point for both the Americas Region Caribbean Ring System and the SAM-1 fiber-optic submarine cable system that together provide connectivity to South and Central America parts of the Caribbean and the US; connected to Central American Microwave System; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) (2015)
Broadcast media: 4 privately owned national terrestrial TV channels dominate TV broadcasting; multi-channel satellite and cable services are available; 1 government-owned radio station and hundreds of privately owned radio stations (2007)
Guatemala - Military 2016
top of pageMilitary expenditures:
0.42% of GDP (2014)
0.46% of GDP (2013)
0.44% of GDP (2012)
0.41% of GDP (2011)
0.42% of GDP (2010)
0.46% of GDP (2013)
0.44% of GDP (2012)
0.41% of GDP (2011)
0.42% of GDP (2010)
Rank: 129
Military service age and obligation: all male citizens between the ages of 18 and 50 are eligible for military service; in practice most of the force is volunteer however a selective draft system is employed resulting in a small portion of 17-21 year-olds conscripted; conscript service obligation varies from 1 to 2 years; women can serve as officers (2013)
Guatemala - Transportation 2016
top of pageNational air transport system
Number of registered air carriers: 3
Inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers: 8
Annual passenger traffic on registered air carriers: 93,129
Annual freight traffic on registered air carriers: 455,520 mt-km
Airports: 291 (2013)
Rank: 23
With paved runways total: 16
With paved runways 2438 to 3047 m: 2
With paved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 4
With paved runways 914 to 1523 m: 6
With paved runways under 914 m: 4
With unpaved runways total: 275
With unpaved runways 2438 to 3047 m: 1
With unpaved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 2
With unpaved runways 914 to 1523 m: 77
With unpaved runways under 914 m: 195
Waterways: 990 km (260 km navigable year round; additional 730 km navigable during high-water season) (2012)
Rank: 65
Guatemala - Transnational issues 2016
top of pageDisputes international: annual ministerial meetings under the Organization of American States-initiated Agreement on the Framework for Negotiations and Confidence Building Measures continue to address Guatemalan land and maritime claims in Belize and the Caribbean Sea; Guatemala persists in its territorial claim to half of Belize but agrees to Line of Adjacency to keep Guatemalan squatters out of Belize's forested interior; both countries agreed in April 2012 to hold simultaneous referenda scheduled for 6 October 2013 to decide whether to refer the dispute to the ICJ for binding resolution but this vote was suspended indefinitely; Mexico must deal with thousands of impoverished Guatemalans and other Central Americans who cross the porous border looking for work in Mexico and the US
Illicit drugs: major transit country for cocaine and heroin; in 2005 cultivated 100 hectares of opium poppy after reemerging as a potential source of opium in 2004; potential production of less than 1 metric ton of pure heroin; marijuana cultivation for mostly domestic consumption; proximity to Mexico makes Guatemala a major staging area for drugs (particularly for cocaine); money laundering is a serious problem; corruption is a major problem
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