Guatemala has a population of 15,824,463 (2014 estimate). With only 885,000 inhabitants in 1900, it is the fastest growing population in the Western Hemisphere during the 20th century.
Guatemala is highly centralised: Transport, communication, economy, politics and the most important urban activities take place in the capital Guatemala City, which has about 2 million inhabitants within the city limits and more than 5 million in the metropolis, i.e. more than a third of the country’s population.
The estimated median age in Guatemala is 20 years, with 19.4 years for men and 20.7 years for women. Guatemala is demographically one of the youngest countries in the Western Hemisphere, comparable to most Central African countries and Iraq. In 2010, the proportion of the population under 15 years of age was 41.5%, 54.1% were between 15 and 65 years of age, and 4.4% were 65 years or older.
A significant number of Guatemalans live outside their country. The majority of the Guatemalan diaspora is in the United States of America, with estimates ranging from 480,665 to 1,489,426. It is difficult to obtain accurate figures for Guatemalans abroad, as many are asylum seekers waiting for their status to be determined. Emigration to the United States of America has led to the growth of Guatemalan communities in California, Delaware, Florida, Illinois, New York, New Jersey, Texas, Rhode Island and elsewhere since the 1970s.
Ethnic groups
Guatemala is a very diverse country, populated by a variety of ethnic, cultural, racial and linguistic groups. According to the 2010 census conducted by the National Institute of Statistics (INE), about 41.5 % of the population are mestizos (also known as ladinos), reflecting a mix of indigenous and European heritage. A similar proportion of Guatemalans (41 %) are entirely of Amerindian descent, one of the highest percentages in Latin America after Peru and Bolivia. Most Guatemalans belong to the Maya people, namely the K’iche’ (11.0% of the total population), the Q’eqchi (8.3%), the Kaqchikel (7.8%), the Mam (5.2%) and the “other Maya” (7.6%). Less than 1% are indigenous non-Maya.
White Guatemalans of European descent (also known as Criollo) make up 18.5 percent of the population. The majority are descendants of German and Spanish settlers, followed by other Europeans such as Italians, British, French, Swiss, Belgians, Dutch, Russians and Danes.
Smaller communities are present, including about 110,000 Salvadorans. The Garífuna, who are mainly descended from black Africans who lived on St. Vincent and mixed with indigenous people, live mainly in Livingston and Puerto Barrios. The Afro-Guatemalans and mulattos are mainly descended from banana plantation workers. There are also Asians, mainly of Chinese origin, but also Arabs of Lebanese and Syrian origin. The growing Korean community in Guatemala City and nearby Mixco currently numbers about 50,000. Guatemala’s German population is credited with introducing the Christmas tree tradition to the country.
Religion
Christianity remains strong and important to the life of Guatemalan society, but its composition has changed over generations of social and political turmoil. Roman Catholicism, introduced by the Spanish during the colonial period, remains the dominant church, representing 48.4% of the population in 2007. Predominantly evangelical Protestants (most Protestants are called evangelicos in Latin America) made up 33.7% of the population at that time, followed by 1.6% of other religions (such as Judaism, Islam and Buddhism) and 16.1% who reported no religious affiliation. A more recent survey in 2012 found that Catholics made up 47.6% of the population, Protestants 38.2%, other religions 2.6% and non-religious 11.6%.
From 1970 to 2016, and especially since the 1990s, Guatemala has experienced rapid growth in evangelical Protestantism, which currently accounts for over 38% of the population and continues to grow.
In the last two decades, especially since the end of the civil war, Guatemala has experienced increased missionary activity. Protestant denominations have grown significantly in recent decades, especially the Evangelical and Pentecostal varieties; growth has been particularly strong among the ethnic Maya, with the National Evangelical Presbyterian Church of Guatemala maintaining 11 presbyteries in indigenous languages. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has grown from 40,000 members in 1984 to 164,000 in 1998, and continues to grow.
The growth of the Eastern Orthodox Church in Guatemala has been particularly strong, with hundreds of thousands of conversions in the last five years, giving the country the highest proportion of Orthodox adherents in the Western Hemisphere.
Traditional Mayan religion persists through the process of inculturation, where certain practices are integrated into Catholic ceremonies and services when they are compatible with the meaning of the Catholic faith. Indigenous religious practices are increasing due to the cultural protection introduced by the peace accords. The government has introduced a policy of providing altars in each Mayan ruin to facilitate traditional ceremonies.
Between 1990 and 2012, PROLADES conducted a study of public opinion polls in Guatemala. The data shows a relative decline in Catholicism and significant growth in evangelical Protestantism, people who do not subscribe to any religion and minority religions (including indigenous traditions).