Guatemala

Home to much of Maya civilization, Guatemala is the most populous country in Central America, touching Mexico’s southern border and possessing coastlines on the Pacific Ocean and Caribbean Sea.

Guatemalans have traveled a painful road to present-day democracy. The country won independence from Spain in the early 19th century, but civil discord and authoritarian rule has marked much of the country’s history. A United Nations-commissioned panel that examined Guatemala’s 1960-1996 civil war charted extensive human-rights violations, most carried out by right-wing governments backed by the United States. The panel found more than 200,000 people had been killed during that period – the overwhelming majority being Mayan.

Guatemala has the largest economy in Central America, according to the World Bank, and it has grown steadily in the 21st century. Services, manufacturing and agriculture are top sectors. Remittances from Guatemalans living abroad are a major source of foreign income for the country.

Despite the size and growth of its economy, inequality persists. Poverty is widespread, with the country’s indigenous population being disproportionately affected, and the gap between rich and poor is among the highest in Latin America. Guatemala suffers from high malnutrition and infant mortality rates. Guatemala’s crime rate is among the highest in all of Latin America, and violence is negatively affecting the country’s economy, according to the World Bank. Tensions grew in 2017 between the government and a U.N. anti-corruption panel charged with rooting out public graft.