Guatemala with a population of more than 14,600,000 persons is the largest economy in Central America, accounting for about one-third of regional Gross Domestic Product. The economy is predominantly agricultural, with more than half of the country's labor force engaged in farming. Guatemalan society is sharply segmented, with highly skewed income and land distribution. Nearly half of the population are of Mayan origin, living in poverty and at the margins of modern society. Poverty is mostly concentrated in the rural areas where most of the indigenous groups live.  It afflicts over seventy five percent (75%) of the population, eighty-six percent (86%) of the rural population, and seventy percent (70%) of female-headed households (forty-nine percent (49%) of which are in extreme poverty).   The population with the highest ten-percent (10%) income receives 46% of the total income while forty-percent (40%) of the poorest population receive only 7.9% of the total income.  You will easily see this reflection, in the pictures of this website.

One of the immediate challenges facing the Government of Guatemala is to increase economic opportunities for the returning and displaced populations in order to rebuild the economic and social fabric after thirty six (36) years of internal conflict.  The Peace Accord lays the foundation and the commitments of the Government of Guatemala to promote sustainable and equitable development for its people.  The way to peace and prosperity is difficult and much remains to be done.

Maps of Guatemala