Statistics & Information

Almost 80% of the population live in poverty (less than $2 per day); 60% of those are in extreme poverty.
67% of indigenous children suffer from chronic malnutrition (Unicef)

Of a population of over 12,000,000 people, 45% are indigenous.
50% of the people are Catholic. 40% are evangelicals.
71% of the population are literate.
GDP: $2,200 per capita (2005 est) - but it's really much worse because of the grossly uneven distribution.
50% of the Mayan children, even today, receive no schooling. Less than 30% complete primary school (6th grade).
In Latin America, Guatemala has the lowest life expectancy and the highest infant mortality rate.
A woman is 15 times more likely to die in childbirth in Guatemala than in the U.S. The average woman has 4 to 5 children, and 42% of the population is under 15. Only 43% of women use any form of birth control, including "natural" methods. This falls to 21% among indigenous women. Nearly a third of women report an unmet desire for family planning. Cervical cancer is the most common cause of cancer-related deaths among women of reproductive age.
There were 80,000 new high school graduates last year. There were only 5,000 new jobs.
200,000 people were killed during the 36 year long civil war. Although the peace accords were signed in 1996, violence is still widespread. The murder rate of women has increased dramatically. From the beginning of 2001 to April 2007, 2,300 women and girls were murdered. 70% of these murders are not investigated and no arrests have been made in 97% of the cases, which involve incredible brutality, mutilation, dismemberment, sexual violence. The murder rate overall has doubled since 2000 and is 6 times the rate of the U.S.