Demographics of Guatemala

The demographics of Guatemala are diverse, constituting primarily of Mestizos, Amerindians and Europeans. About 60% of the population speak Spanish, with nearly all of the rest speaking Amerindian languages.

According to the CIA World Fact Book, in the 2001 census Mestizo (mixed Amerindian-Spanish - in local Spanish called Ladino) and European were 59.4% of the population, and 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%.^[1] Therefore, 40% of the population is Amerindian. The 1893 Guatemalan Census reported that 481,945 persons —or 35.3% of the population— were Ladinos (includes both whites and mixed-race persons), and 882,733 persons —or 64.7% of the population— were Indios (Natives).^[2]

Though the official language is Spanish, it is often the second language 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).

Racial stratification is complex and fluid in Guatemalan politics, culture and identity. Guatemala City, the largest city in Central America, is home to over 3 million inhabitants.

Other racial groups include small numbers of Afro-Guatemalans and Garifuna of mixed African and indigenous Caribbean origins who live in the country's Eastern end. Asians, mostly of Chinese descent are descendants of farm workers and railroad laborers in the early 20th century.

In 1900, Guatemala had a population of just 885,000.^[3] 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.

Population

Population growth 1961-2003, as reported by FAO, 2005. Population numbers are in thousands.

According to the 2012 revison of the World Population Prospects the total population was 14 342 000 in 2010, compared to only 3 146 000 in 1950. The proportion of children below the age of 15 in 2010 was 41.5%, 54.1% was between 15 and 65 years of age, while 4.4% was 65 years or older .^[4]

Vital statistics

UN estimates

The Population Departement of the United Nations prepared the following estimates. ^[4]

Registered annual data^[5][6]

Departments by population

Guatemala city.

Ethnic groups

The official 2012 statistics indicate that approximately 60% of the population is "non-indigenous",^[8] referring to those people of European or partial European origin, sometimes called mestizos. Locally this group is called Ladino. The majority live in the central region, east and south. But there are significant communities in the north.

Approximately 40% of the population is indigenous, consisting of 23 groups of mayans and 1 non-mayan group, divided as follows: (K'iche 9.1%, 8.4% Kaqchikel, Mam 7.9%, 6.3% Q'eqchi', other Mayans 8.6%, 0.2% indigenous non-Mayan). And they are distributed all over the country, although they live most in the highlands.

There is a small number of Garifunas who live mainly in Livingstone, San Vicente and Puerto Barrios. They are descendants mainly from the Arawak family, and Belizean Creole.^[1] There are also Asian Guatemalans, particularly from Korea.

Immigration

Guatemala experienced immigration of Germans, Spaniards and Belgians in the nineteenth century and twentieth century, who were granted estates to grow coffee, sugar and cardamom, mainly in Alta Verapaz, Zacapa, Izabal and Retalhuleu. Guatemala City was an important settlement of the European activities such as schools, transport, hotels, banks and European commerce.

• El Salvador: 31.484 (2010)
• Mexico: 14.481 (2010)
• Korea: 12.918 (2011)^[9]
• Honduras: 8.000 (2009)
• United States: 6.417 (2010)^[10]
• Germany: 5.000 (2010)^[11]
• Costa Rica: 4.345 (2010)
• Nicaragua: 4.230 (2008)
• Spain: 2.500 (2006)^[12]
• Italy: 1.800 (2007)^[13]
• France: 1.776 (2010)^[14]
• Colombia: 1.100 (2010)
• Other Countries: 1.000

Emigration

The Guatemalan civil war from 1960 to 1996 provoked migration of Guatemalans, with a large majority of those leaving for foreign countries living in the United States. According to the International Organization for Migration, between 1960-1995 the number of emigrants increased very considerably from 6.700 to 558.776, but by 2005 the number had surpassed the million.^[15] Over a million Guatemalan emigrants went to the US in the 1980s and 1990s for a better life mostly because of the Civil War. The 2010 U.S. Census counted 1,044,209 Guatemalans in the United States, up from 372,487 in 2000.^[16]

Country	Count
USA	480,665[17] – 1,489,426[18]
Mexico	23,529[18] – 190,000
Belize	14,693[18]
Canada	14,256[18] – 34,665[19]
Germany	5,989[18]
Honduras	5,172[18]
El Salvador	4,209[18]
Spain	2,491[18] – 5,000[20]

Languages

The official language of Guatemala is Spanish, it is spoken by more than 60% of the population and is found mainly in the departments of South region, east region, Guatemala City and Peten. An additional approximately 23 indigenous languages Mayana spoken by more than 30% of the population, and the most significant are (Quiche, Kaqchikel, Mam, Tz’utujil, Q'eqchi' and Pocomam), plus a non-Mayan indigenous language is xinca, this language is almost extinct as the speakers less than 10,000 people. About 50,000 people speak the Garifuna language, there are also significant nuclei of German, Chinese, French and English language.

Religion

The Article 36 of the Political Constitution of Guatemala states that everyone has the right to practice their religion or belief, in public and in private (in this Act include Protestants, practitioners of Mayan beliefs and with those who do not practice no religion). Since 1882 the country has no official religion, this was approved in the government of Justo Rufino Barrios. Catholicism was the official religion during the colonial era. However, Protestantism has been increased in recent decades. Around two-fifths of Guatemalans are Protestant, chiefly Evangelicals and Pentecostals. Eastern and Oriental Orthodoxy have also been expanding rapidly, especially among indigenous Mayans; Guatemala is now the most Orthodox country in the entire Western Hemisphere.

References

Languages of Guatemala Official language Spanish Other National Languages Achi Akatek Awaketek Chuj Garifuna Ch'orti Itza' Ixil Jakaltek K'iche' Kaqchikel Mam Mopan Poqomam Poqomchi' Q'anjob'al Q'eqchi' Sakapultek Sipakapense Tektitek Tz'utujil Uspantek Xinca Yucatec Maya

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