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Guatemala Population and Religion
Guatemala, officially the Republic of Guatemala, is a country in Central America. It’s the most populous country in Central America and has the 11th-largest national population in the Americas.
According to the Census of Guatemala 2018, the population of Guatemala as of 2018 is 14,901,286 (14.9 million) and the estimated population of Guatemala in 2024 is 18,358,430 (18.3 million)
Source: https://www.censopoblacion.gt
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| Guatemala | 2024 Estimates |
| Total Population | 18,358,430 |
| Central America Rank | 1st |
| Land Area | 107,159 sq.km (41,374 sq. mi) |
| Area Rank | 3rd |
| Pop. Density | 167 people/sq. km |
| Capital City | Guatemala City |
| Fertility Rate* | 2.90 |
| Infant mortality rate ** | 17.4 |
| Median Age | 22.9 Years |
| Life Expectancy | 75.05 years |
| Urban Population | 52% |
Source: https://www.censopoblacion.gt
Religion in Guatemala
Christianity is the largest religion in Guatemala and 85.9% of the population follows Christianity. A 2015 report found that Catholics and Protestants, both above 40% of the population. The Eastern Orthodox Church and Oriental Orthodoxy also claim rapid growth, especially among the indigenous Maya peoples.
For the Latest figures, According to the 2020 report by the Latino barometer, 41.2% of the population are Roman Catholic, 42.8% are Protestant (41.30% are Evangelical, 0.7% Adventist; 0.2% Methodist; 0.7% Other Protestant). Among other Christian affiliations, 0.4% are Jehovah’s Witnesses, and 1.5% are Mormons.
About 14.2% of the population doesn’t affiliate with any religion. Other Non-Christian-based faiths population is less than 1 %. Non-Christian Faith includes Jewish, Islam, Baháʼí Faith, and Buddism are the main minority religions.
Religion percentage in Guatemala is as follows
| Religion/Affiliations | Percent |
| Catholic | 41.2% |
| Protestant | 42.8% |
| – Evangelical | – 41.3% |
| – Evangelical Methodist | – 0.2% |
| – Adventist | – 0.7% |
| – Protestant others | – 0.6% |
| Other Christians | |
| Jehovah’s Witnesses | 0.4% |
| Mormón | 1.5% |
| Unaffiliated | |
| None | 13.3% |
| Atheist | 0.3% |
| Don´t know | 0.2% |
| No answer | 0.2% |
| Other | 0.1% |
Source: https://www.latinobarometro.org/
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Guatemala Historical Population
| Year | Population | Absolute Change | Percentage Change |
| 1930 | 1,760,000 | – | – |
| 1940 | 2,200,000 | 440,000 | 0.25 |
| 1950 | 3,123,095 | 923,095 | 0.419589 |
| 1960 | 4,128,880 | 1,005,785 | 0.322048 |
| 1970 | 5,455,197 | 1,326,317 | 0.321229 |
| 1980 | 6,890,346 | 1,435,149 | 0.263079 |
| 1990 | 9,050,115 | 2,159,769 | 0.313449 |
| 2000 | 11,589,761 | 2,539,646 | 0.28062 |
| 2010 | 14,259,687 | 2,669,926 | 0.230369 |
| 2020 | 16,858,333 | 2,598,646 | 0.182237 |
Source: https://www.censopoblacion.gt
Future Projection
| Year | Projected Population |
| 2023 | 17,602,431 |
| 2030 | 19,201,062 |
| 2040 | 21,150,662 |
| 2050 | 22,703,298 |
Source: https://www.censopoblacion.gt
Top Cities in Guatemala by Population
| # | City | Population |
| 1 | Guatemala City | 9,23,392 |
| 2 | Mixco | 4,63,019 |
| 3 | Villa Nueva | 4,26,316 |
| 4 | Cobán | 2,12,047 |
| 5 | Quetzaltenango | 1,80,706 |
| 6 | Jalapa | 1,59,840 |
| 7 | Escuintla | 1,56,313 |
| 8 | San Juan Sacatepéquez | 1,55,965 |
| 9 | Jutiapa | 1,45,880 |
| 10 | Petapa | 1,29,124 |
Race in Guatemala
Guatemala has an ethnic, cultural, racial, and linguistically diverse country. According to the 2018 Census conducted by the National Institute of Statistics (INE), 56% of the population is Ladino reflecting mixed indigenous and European heritage. Indigenous people account for 41.7% of the population. Indigenous are mainly Maya people, namely K’iche’ (11.0% of the total population), Q’eqchi (8.3%), Kaqchikel (7.8%), Mam (5.2%), and “other Maya” (7.6%). 2% of the national population is indigenous non-Maya. Xinka another non-Maya Indigenous accounts for 1.77% of the population.
About 10% of the population is descended primarily from Black Africans who lived and intermarried with indigenous peoples. Other minor groups include Asians, mostly of Chinese descent, and also Arabs of Lebanese and Syrian descent
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