Guatemala: Fertility rate, total (births per woman)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2024, Guatemala's fertility rate, total (births per woman) fell 0.02 on 2023 (from 2.31 to 2.29).

Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1994 to 2023), the average change was −0.1 and a typical year strayed about 0.03 from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 2.3 standard deviations above that average, so it was unusually large compared with the rest of the record.

On record, the biggest yearly fall was 0.16 in 2005. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2015 to 2024 the straight-line trend is downward, about 0.09 a year. A straight line explains 96% of the movement over 10 observed years.

Worked out from the yearly values above. How the checks work: standard deviation, z-scores and straight-line trends.

How it compares

In 2024, Guatemala had the 86th highest value of the 217 economies reporting that year. Higher is not always better: for some indicators the lowest value is the one to aim for. See the full ranking.

Closest to Guatemala in the 2024 ranking

• Northern Mariana Islands — 83rd of 217: 2.32
• Saudi Arabia — 84th of 217: 2.31
• Libya — 85th of 217: 2.3
• Fiji — 87th of 217: 2.27
• American Samoa — 88th of 217: 2.27
• Suriname — 89th of 217: 2.23

What this measures

Total fertility rate represents the number of children that would be born to a woman if she were to live to the end of her childbearing years and bear children in accordance with age-specific fertility rates of the specified year.

Limitations: Annual data series from United Nations Population Division's World Population Prospects are interpolated data from 5-year period data. Therefore they may not reflect real events as much as observed data.

Regional and income-group figures are computed by the World Bank as a weighted average.

All 65 values

Fertility rate, total (births per woman) in nearby economies

• Antigua and Barbuda — 1.58 (2024)
• Argentina — 1.5 (2024)
• Aruba — 1.61 (2024)
• Bahamas, The — 1.37 (2024)
• Barbados — 1.71 (2024)
• Belize — 2.02 (2024)
• Bolivia — 2.52 (2024)
• Brazil — 1.61 (2024)
• British Virgin Islands — 1.05 (2024)
• Cayman Islands — 1.53 (2024)
• Chile

More health data for Guatemala

• Population ages 00-04, female (% of female population) — 9.66% (2025)
• Population ages 00-04, male (% of male population) — 10.15% (2025)
• Population ages 0-14, female — 2.85 million (2025)
• Population ages 0-14, female (% of female population) — 30.31% (2025)
• Population ages 0-14, male — 2.94 million (2025)
• Population ages 0-14, male (% of male population) — 31.75% (2025)
• Population ages 0-14, total — 5.8 million (2025)
• Population ages 0-14 (% of total population) — 31.03% (2025)
• Population ages 05-09, female (% of female population) — 10.34% (2025)

Reading data like this

• Where to find free public data, and how to check it before you trust it — 2 min read
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• Real change or random noise? A plain guide to reading your numbers — 2 min read

Questions people ask

What is Guatemala's fertility rate, total (births per woman)?

2.29 in 2024, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1960?

It is down 67.32% from 7 in 1960 (1.73% a year on average, compounded). The highest value was 7 in 1960 and the lowest 2.29 in 2024.

How does Guatemala rank?

86th highest of 217 economies with data for 2024.

Is the latest change in fertility rate, total (births per woman) unusual for Guatemala?

In 2024, Guatemala's fertility rate, total (births per woman) fell 0.02 on 2023 (from 2.31 to 2.29). Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1994 to 2023), the average change was −0.1 and a typical year strayed about 0.03 from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 2.3 standard deviations above that average, so it was unusually large compared with the rest of the record.

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator SP.DYN.TFRT.IN, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN), publisher: UN Population Division; Statistical databases and publications from national statistical offices, National Statistical Offices (NSOs); Demographic Statistics, Eurostat (ESTAT) Figures are fetched from the World Bank API and refreshed monthly; see the series on data.worldbank.org. The full definition and method are in the World Bank's metadata glossary. Comparisons use the same World Bank release.

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