Costa Rica vs Guatemala: Proportion of people living below 50 percent of median income
Proportion of people living below 50 percent of median income over time
- Costa Rica
- Guatemala
How they compare
Costa Rica currently reports 20.0% against 19.1% in Guatemala, a difference of 0.9%.
The two have swapped places 1 time across 7 shared years of data; in 1986 it was Guatemala ahead.
Costa Rica ranks 12th and Guatemala ranks 15th of 123 countries.
Across the 5 decades both report, Costa Rica averaged higher in 2 and Guatemala in 3.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Costa Rica | Guatemala | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 20.4% | 26.6% | 6.2% | Guatemala |
| 1990s | 19.6% | 23.8% | 4.2% | Guatemala |
| 2000s | 20.0% | 22.9% | 2.9% | Guatemala |
| 2010s | 19.7% | 19.6% | 0.1% | Costa Rica |
| 2020s | 19.5% | 19.1% | 0.4% | Costa Rica |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher proportion of people living below 50 percent of median income, Costa Rica or Guatemala?
- Costa Rica, at 20.0% against 19.1% in Guatemala as of 2025.
- What is the difference in proportion of people living below 50 percent of median income between Costa Rica and Guatemala?
- 0.9%, with Costa Rica ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Costa Rica and Guatemala?
- 7 years are reported by both, from 1986 to 2023.
- How do Costa Rica and Guatemala rank globally for proportion of people living below 50 percent of median income?
- Costa Rica ranks 12th and Guatemala ranks 15th of 123 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- World Bank, Poverty and Inequality Platform. Data are based on primary household survey data obtained from government statistical agencies and World Bank country departments. Data for high-income econ, published as Proportion of people living below 50 percent of median income (%). Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
The percentage of people in the population who live in households whose per capita income or consumption is below half of the median income or consumption per capita. The median is measured at 2021 Purchasing Power Parity (PPP) using the Poverty and Inequality Platform (http://www.pip.worldbank.org). For some countries, medians are not reported due to grouped and/or confidential data. The reference year is the year in which the underlying household survey data was collected. In cases for which the data collection period bridged two calendar years, the first year in which data were collected is reported.