Guatemala vs United States: Relative poverty: Share of population below 40% of the median
Guatemala
12.9%
in 2023
United States
12.1%
in 2024
Guatemala rank
11th
United States rank
14th
Relative poverty: Share of population below 40% of the median over time
- Guatemala
- United States
How they compare
Guatemala currently reports 12.9% against 12.1% in United States, a difference of 0.8%.
That makes Guatemala's figure about 1.1 times United States's.
Across all 7 years both countries report, Guatemala has been ahead every year.
Guatemala ranks 11th and United States ranks 14th of 120 countries.
Guatemala has averaged higher in every one of the 5 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Guatemala | United States | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 20.8% | 12.4% | 8.3% | Guatemala |
| 1990s | 17.6% | 11.7% | 5.9% | Guatemala |
| 2000s | 16.7% | 11.4% | 5.3% | Guatemala |
| 2010s | 13.0% | 10.7% | 2.3% | Guatemala |
| 2020s | 12.9% | 11.9% | 1.0% | Guatemala |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher relative poverty: share of population below 40% of the median, Guatemala or United States?
- Guatemala, at 12.9% against 12.1% in United States as of 2023.
- What is the difference in relative poverty: share of population below 40% of the median between Guatemala and United States?
- 0.8%, with Guatemala ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Guatemala and United States?
- 7 years are reported by both, from 1986 to 2023.
- How do Guatemala and United States rank globally for relative poverty: share of population below 40% of the median?
- Guatemala ranks 11th and United States ranks 14th of 120 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as Relative poverty: Share of population below 40% of the median. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Percentage of population living in households with an income or consumption below 40% of the median.