Gender equality, disability and social inclusion analysis in Latin America: Guatemala 2025

This research provides an up-to-date analysis of data on gender equality, disability and social inclusion (GEDSI) in Guatemala, tracking key markers across political, economic, social and educational spheres.

Drawing on a broad range of methodologies including a literature review, data from statistical databases and key informant interviews, this research reveals the remaining gender and social inequality gaps in Guatemala, and the challenges that remain to improve GEDSI outcomes.

Guatemala is a diverse multiethnic country, composed of significant Indigenous (Maya, Xinka and Garífuna), Mestizo, and Afro-descendant populations. Across the country, more than half of the population live in poverty with similarly high rates for both men and women, but with extreme poverty concentrated among Indigenous groups and in rural areas. Although Guatemala is considered an upper middle-income country, there is an extremely unequal distribution of wealth.

Across several indicators, Guatemala lags behind other regional peers in terms of making progress on inclusion and gender equality. Particular gaps remain on educational attainment for all, equal labour force participation, distribution of unpaid care work, and a high prevalence of sexual and gender-based violence. However, Guatemala has made significant strides on women’s representation, with 58% of judges in the highest court being women, compared to the regional average of 30%.

While reductions in the homicide rate have been achieved since 2010, it remains high in the country, and Guatemala’s criminality score – a measure of overall levels of organised crime in the country – places it 9th in the Americas and 26th in the world.

This ODI Report provides recommendations for government, development partners and civil-society organisations working on GEDSI issues in Guatemala. Two country briefs synthesize the evidence on topics of particular relevance: gender-based violence and exploitation of children.

Key messages

• Around 56% of the total population in Guatemala live in poverty, with similar rates for men (57%) and women (56%).
• Extreme poverty is concentrated among Indigenous groups (30%) and in rural areas (24%).
• Gender gaps persist in employment, with only 52% of women in the labour force compared to 87% of men.
• Women continue to undertake most of the unpaid care and domestic work (41.9 hours per week compared with only 8.3 hours for men).
• Guatemala lags behind other countries in the region on education. While more girls than boys are in school, around only half of children complete lower-secondary education, and Indigenous peoples are still underrepresented in higher education.

The thematic country briefs focus on gender-based violence and exploitation of children. Published in English and Spanish, they cover:

• Gender-based violence against girls and young women, the gender norms driving a high prevalence of sexual violence and child marriage, and the heighted risk to girls and women who are Indigenous, poorer, have a disability or are migrants, who tend to be more vulnerable to GBV because of heightened discrimination.
• The main types of child exploitation include child sexual and labour exploitation, and exploitation by organised criminal groups. Most of the victims-survivors are children and women, with many of the victim-survivors receiving support are Mayan.