Share of urban population who live in the largest city in Guatemala
Guatemala: Share of urban population who live in the largest city was 21.7% in 2020. ▼ Falling
Share of urban population who live in the largest city in Guatemala, 1950–2020
Source: European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2020, share of urban population who live in the largest city in Guatemala stood at 21.7%. That is the lowest value across all 15 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 11.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of urban population who live in the largest city in Guatemala peaked at 28.3% in 1975 and was at its lowest, 21.7%, in 2020.
Guatemala ranks 109th of 179 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 15 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 24.6% | 23.9% | 25.3% | 2 |
| 1960s | 27.0% | 26.5% | 27.5% | 2 |
| 1970s | 28.2% | 28.1% | 28.3% | 2 |
| 1980s | 26.9% | 26.1% | 27.8% | 2 |
| 1990s | 24.5% | 24.3% | 24.6% | 2 |
| 2000s | 24.8% | 24.7% | 24.8% | 2 |
| 2010s | 23.9% | 23.3% | 24.5% | 2 |
| 2020s | 21.7% | 21.7% | 21.7% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Guatemala
More population data for Guatemala
- Population growth rate, by level of development -0.3% (2100)
- Number of children under 5, by world region 1.24 million people (2100)
- Population density 241.81 people per km² (2100)
- World population growth -0.3% (2100)
- Total fertility rate vs. wanted fertility rate 2.29 births per woman (2024)
- Refugees by country of asylum 1,306 people (2024)
- Fertility rate vs. unmet need for contraception 2.29 births per woman (2024)
- Total fertility rate vs. contraceptive prevalence 2.29 births per woman (2024)
- Natural population growth rate 1.6% (2023)
- Fertility rate: births per woman 2.31 live births per woman (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of urban population who live in the largest city in Guatemala?
- Share of urban population who live in the largest city in Guatemala was 21.7% in 2020, according to European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of urban population who live in the largest city recorded in Guatemala?
- The highest recorded value was 28.3% in 1975.
- What is the lowest share of urban population who live in the largest city recorded in Guatemala?
- The lowest recorded value was 21.7% in 2020.
- How does Guatemala rank for share of urban population who live in the largest city?
- Guatemala ranks 109th out of 179 countries with data for 2020.
- Is share of urban population who live in the largest city rising or falling in Guatemala?
- Over the last ten years it is down 11.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Guatemala data come from?
- The figures come from European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of urban population who live in the largest city. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Percentage of the urban population living in the country's largest city (by population). City boundaries are defined using a consistent global approach based on satellite imagery and population data.