Labour · Latin America & Caribbean · Upper-middle income
Guatemala: the labour market
Labour force is 7.7m (2025), 68th of 187 in the world and 9th of 31 in Latin America & Caribbean. Participation rate is 59.6% (2025), 107th of 187 in the world and 21st of 31 in Latin America & Caribbean. Women's participation is 38.3% (2025), 156th of 187 in the world and 29th of 31 in Latin America & Caribbean.
Labour force
Guatemala
Participation rate
GuatemalaLatin America & CaribbeanUpper-middle incomeWorld
13 indicators
Labour: Guatemala in detail
Latest reported value, world rank and rank within Latin America & Caribbean; values around 2000, 2010, 2020; group and world columns are World Bank aggregates.
| Indicator | Latest | World rank | In region | ~2000 | ~2010 | ~2020 | 10-year change | Region | Income group | World | Since 2000 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labour forceLabour force, total | 7.7m2025 | 68/187 | 9/31 | 4.4m | 5.3m | 6.8m | +25%since 2015 | 325m | 1.5bn | 3.7bn | |
| Participation rateLabour force participation, % of 15+ | 59.6%2025 | 107/187 | 21/31 | 66.9% | 60.5% | 58.8% | −1.0 ppsince 2015 | 62.7% | 62.7% | 61.0% | |
| Women's participationFemale labour force participation, % of women 15+ | 38.3%2025 | 156/187 | 29/31 | 46.1% | 41.6% | 38.3% | −0.1 ppsince 2015 | 51.4% | 53.4% | 48.9% | |
| Employment rateEmployment to population ratio, 15+ (ILO) | 58.1%2025 | 91/187 | 17/31 | 65.5% | 58.3% | 57.0% | −1.0 ppsince 2015 | 59.3% | 59.5% | 58.1% | |
| UnemploymentUnemployment, % of labour force (ILO) | 2.6%2025 | 162/187 | 30/31 | 2.1% | 3.5% | 3.0% | +0.1 ppsince 2015 | 5.5% | 5.2% | 4.8% | |
| Female unemploymentFemale unemployment, % of female labour force (ILO) | 3.3%2025 | 150/187 | 29/31 | 2.4% | 3.8% | 3.7% | −0.3 ppsince 2015 | 6.5% | 5.1% | 4.9% | |
| Youth unemploymentYouth unemployment, ages 15–24 (ILO) | 4.8%2025 | 163/187 | 30/31 | 3.3% | 5.3% | 5.2% | −0.8 ppsince 2015 | 12.2% | 15.6% | 13.4% | |
| Youth NEET rateYouth not in education, employment or training, % | 22.3%2025 | 63/170 | 9/28 | 24.5%2002 | 27.9% | 26.1%2021 | −4.4 ppsince 2015 | 18.1% | 17.3% | — | |
| Wage workersWage and salaried workers, % of total employment | 60.9%2025 | 107/187 | 20/31 | 57.5% | 59.2% | 58.3% | +0.6 ppsince 2015 | 64.4% | 61.3% | 53.6% | |
| Vulnerable employmentVulnerable employment, % of total employment (ILO) | 36.2%2025 | 74/187 | 10/31 | 39.3% | 37.6% | 38.3% | −0.8 ppsince 2015 | 31.5% | 34.8% | 42.4% | |
| Jobs in agricultureEmployment in agriculture, % of total employment | 29.1%2025 | 62/187 | 4/31 | 37.3% | 33.1% | 30.6% | −2.8 ppsince 2015 | 12.7% | 19.8% | 25.8% | |
| Jobs in industryEmployment in industry, % of total employment | 22.7%2025 | 59/187 | 6/31 | 21.0% | 22.4% | 20.4% | +3.8 ppsince 2015 | 20.5% | 27.7% | 23.7% | |
| Jobs in servicesEmployment in services, % of total employment | 48.2%2025 | 136/187 | 30/31 | 41.7% | 44.5% | 49.1% | −1.0 ppsince 2015 | 66.8% | 52.4% | 50.6% |
Source: World Bank, World Development Indicators (CC BY 4.0)“·” — no value reported within two years of that date. World rank counts countries with a recent value.
Better than ten years ago
- Female unemployment−0.3 pp3.3% in 2025
- Youth unemployment−0.8 pp4.8% in 2025
- Youth NEET rate−4.4 pp22.3% in 2025
- Wage workers+0.6 pp60.9% in 2025
Worse than ten years ago
- Women's participation−0.1 pp38.3% in 2025
- Employment rate−1.0 pp58.1% in 2025
- Unemployment+0.1 pp2.6% in 2025
Only indicators where higher or lower is clearly better are rated (for example, unemployment down is better, life expectancy up is better).
neighbours
Guatemala and its neighbours
Countries sharing a land border with Guatemala. Latest values since 2005; the highest in each row is marked.
| Indicator | Guatemala | Mexico | Honduras | El Salvador | Belize |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labour force | 7.7m2025 | 61.7m2025 | 4.3m2025 | 3.0m2025 | 184,2862025 |
| Participation rate | 59.6%2025 | 61.6%2025 | 56.6%2025 | 62.1%2025 | 59.1%2025 |
| Women's participation | 38.3%2025 | 47.5%2025 | 39.6%2025 | 49.1%2025 | 46.5%2025 |
| Employment rate | 58.1%2025 | 60.0%2025 | 53.8%2025 | 60.1%2025 | 53.9%2025 |
| Unemployment | 2.6%2025 | 2.7%2025 | 4.9%2025 | 3.3%2025 | 8.9%2025 |
| Female unemployment | 3.3%2025 | 2.7%2025 | 6.4%2025 | 3.6%2025 | 13.5%2025 |
| Youth unemployment | 4.8%2025 | 5.7%2025 | 8.5%2025 | 7.8%2025 | 19.3%2025 |
| Youth NEET rate | 22.3%2025 | 16.2%2025 | 29.0%2025 | 19.1%2025 | 24.9%2019 |
| Wage workers | 60.9%2025 | 69.2%2025 | 55.9%2025 | 64.3%2025 | 64.8%2025 |