Country profile

Guatemala

Latin America & Caribbean Upper middle income18.41M inhabitants

Last updated December 1, 2025

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Composite GEFRI Score

Severely underprepared

Guatemala is severely underprepared (24th percentile worldwide). Key structural conditions limit capacity to plan, implement, and sustain forward-looking reforms. Higher scores indicate a system that is better prepared to anticipate and shape the future of learning.

31.74Composite score
Global percentile
24th
Global rank
#136
Regional rank
#25
Viewing data for
Infrastructure
53.05
33rd percentileGlobal avg. 56.53
Human Capital
35.31
23rd percentileGlobal avg. 47.25
Innovation
25.64
11th percentileGlobal avg. 43.36
Governance
34.72
32nd percentileGlobal avg. 47.71
Access & Parity
10.00
31st percentileGlobal avg. 49.41

Country profile

Guatemala trails global peers in Human Capital (35, 23rd percentile) and Innovation (26, 11th percentile). A coordinated reform effort is needed to strengthen education futures readiness.

All or most indicators are based on observed data, giving planners a dependable evidence base for decisions. Uneven scores across dimensions highlight areas that need targeted coordination. Low internet adoption slows digital participation and constrains system-wide modernization. Literacy or tertiary enrollment gaps thin the talent pipeline and limit the country’s capacity to develop future-ready skills.

Sparse R&D investment and a small research workforce slow experimentation and delay new ideas from reaching learners. Policy execution and regulatory capacity remain weak, leaving reforms fragmented and hard to sustain. Gender parity across secondary pathways reflects sustained commitment to equitable participation.

Infrastructure presents a near-term leapfrog opportunity: performance is just below the global average, backed by enough observed data to support forward planning. Regionally, School Access and Gender Parity lags peers the most, signalling where investment could have the highest impact.

Key insights

  • Falls below many peers at the 24th percentile.
  • Places 136th worldwide.
  • Holds a regional position of 25th within Latin America & Caribbean .
  • Scores range from Infrastructure (53.0) to Access & Parity (10.0), reflecting variation across dimensions.
  • Trails regional peers most clearly in Access & Parity.

Regional peers: Latin America & Caribbean

Composite GEFRI score

Global rankRegional rankCountryScore
341Chile69.86
412Argentina63.78
463Uruguay62.23
——Cayman IslandsMicrostate60.65
——Antigua and BarbudaMicrostate57.78
674Peru56.70
——GrenadaMicrostate56.16
——St. Kitts and NevisMicrostate55.76
745Colombia54.99
——Turks and Caicos IslandsMicrostate54.87
——CuracaoMicrostate54.63
756Mexico54.62
807Cuba52.99
818Brazil52.92
——BarbadosMicrostate52.49
849Puerto Rico (US)52.36
——DominicaMicrostate52.30
8810Ecuador50.82
——St. LuciaMicrostate50.58
9211Dominican Republic50.53
9412Bolivia49.89
9613Costa Rica49.46
——St. Vincent and the GrenadinesMicrostate48.23
10114Jamaica47.64
——Virgin Islands (U.S.)Microstate47.33
10215Bahamas, The47.10
10316Panama46.77
——ArubaMicrostate46.66
——St. Martin (French part)Microstate46.21
10517Belize46.05
——British Virgin IslandsMicrostate45.79
——Sint Maarten (Dutch part)Microstate45.13
10618Paraguay44.54
10919Trinidad and Tobago43.11
11520Venezuela, RBFCS39.24
12121Guyana36.76
12322El Salvador36.18
12523Suriname35.67
13224Honduras32.89
13625Guatemala31.74
14126Nicaragua29.41
16227HaitiFCS23.21