Demographics of Guatemala
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According to the CIA World Fact Book, Mestizos (mixed Amerindian-Spanish - in local Spanish called Ladino) and Europeans comprise 59.4% of the population and Amerindians comprise 40.5% of the population (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%). CIA World Fact Book - https://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/gt.html
Most of Guatemala's population is rural, though urbanization is accelerating. The predominant religion is Roman Catholicism, once the main faith of the population, into which many indigenous Guatemalans have incorporated traditional forms of worship. Protestantism and traditional Maya religions are practiced by an estimated 40% and 1% of the population, respectively.
Though the official language is Spanish, it is not universally understood among the indigenous population. However, the Peace Accords signed in December 1996 provide for the translation of some official documents and voting materials into several indigenous languages (see summary of main substantive accords). For example, there are over a million speakers of Kwiche or Quiche, the language spoken by the ancient Maya across the country and in parts of nearby Mexico, Honduras and Belize.
Racial stratification is complex and fluid in Guatemalan politics, culture and identity. Over 40 percent of Guatemalans are Mestizo, 35 percent are perceived as "unmixed" indigenous or American Indian groups, and the rest are in the Ladino upper-middle class of more Spanish/European (including of English, French, German, Italian and Polish) ancestry even though they include lighter-skinned and educated Mestizos living in urban areas like Guatemala City, the largest city in Central America, home to over 6 million inhabitants - nearly half of Guatemala's population.
Other racial groups include small numbers of black Africans and Garifuna of mixed African and indigenous Caribbean origins live on the country's eastern end. Asians, mostly of Chinese descent made up 1% of the population, descendants of farm workers and railroad laborers in the early 20th century. And several thousands who are Middle Easterner descendants: Arabs, Armenians, Greeks, Lebanese, Palestinians, Syrians and Turks came to Guatemala after World War I.
In 1900, Guatemala had a population of just 885,000 [1]. Over the course of the twentieth century the population of the country grew by a factor of fourteen. No other western hemisphere country saw such rapid growth. This has brought on difficulties for Guatemala as more people puts pressure in the nation's economic progress in a country where 70% live in dire poverty, and political stability was weakened by an inability to have effective population growth programs.
Over a million Guatemalan emigrants went to the US in the 1980s and 1990's for a better life, the largest national subgroup of Central Americans in the US followed by Hondurans, Nicaraguans and Salvadorans. The largest population of Guatemalans is in Los Angeles, but they establish Guatemalan communities in Dallas, Houston, Miami, New York city, San Diego, San Francisco area, and Washington, DC. There are Guatemalan immigrants living abroad in Canada, Europe, Japan, Australia and Mexico, a major obstacle for Guatemalans attempting to reach the US.
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Also an estimated 600,000 Guatemalans since 1970 made the dangerous crossing of the Mexican/Guatemalan border to obtain asylum and employment in Mexico City, but Mexican border patrols often closed all possible illegal paths of entry and treated any Guatemalan or Central American caught crossing the border illegally harshly. This controversial approach to combat Guatemalans crossing its Mexican border received international criticism by human rights groups, and in the US, some politicians applauded the Mexican border patrol's handling of illegal immigrants, saying it is "better" than the US border patrol's approach in a similar situation on its borders.
Population: 12,639,939 (July 2000 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 42% (male 2,735,107; female 2,622,412)
15-64 years: 54% (male 3,411,575; female 3,413,932)
65 years and over: 4% (male 213,791; female 243,122) (2000 est.)
Population growth rate: 2.63% (2000 est.)
Birth rate: 35.05 births/1,000 population (2000 est.)
Death rate: 6.92 deaths/1,000 population (2000 est.)
Net migration rate: -1.89 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2000 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.88 male(s)/female
total population: 1.01 male(s)/female (2000 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 47.03 deaths/1,000 live births (2000 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 66.18 years
male: 63.53 years
female: 68.96 years (2000 est.)
Total fertility rate: 4.66 children born/woman (2000 est.)
Nationality:
noun: Guatemalan(s)
adjective: Guatemalan
Ethnic groups: Mestizo (mixed Amerindian-Spanish - in local Spanish called Ladino) and European 40%, K'iche 9.1%, Kaqchikel 8.4%, Mam 7.9%, Q'eqchi 6.3%, other Mayan 14.5%, indigenous non-Mayan 0.2%, White 3%, Black 2% (2001 census)
Religions: Roman Catholic, Protestant, indigenous Mayan beliefs
Languages: Spanish 60%, Amerindian languages 40% (more than 20 Amerindian languages, including Quiché, Cakchiquel, Kekchi, Mam, Garifuna, and Xinca).
Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 55.6%
male: 62.5%
female: 48.6% (1995 est.)
