Costa Rica vs Guatemala: Proportion of people living below 50 percent of median income
Costa Rica
20.0%
in 2025
Guatemala
19.1%
in 2023
Costa Rica rank
10th
Guatemala rank
13th
Proportion of people living below 50 percent of median income over time
- Costa Rica
- Guatemala
How they compare
Costa Rica currently reports 20.0% against 19.1% in Guatemala, a difference of 0.9%.
The two have swapped places 1 time across 7 shared years of data; in 1986 it was Guatemala ahead.
Costa Rica ranks 10th and Guatemala ranks 13th of 130 countries.
Across the 5 decades both report, Costa Rica averaged higher in 2 and Guatemala in 3.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Costa Rica | Guatemala | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 20.4% | 26.6% | 6.2% | Guatemala |
| 1990s | 19.6% | 23.8% | 4.2% | Guatemala |
| 2000s | 20.0% | 22.9% | 2.9% | Guatemala |
| 2010s | 19.7% | 19.6% | 0.1% | Costa Rica |
| 2020s | 19.5% | 19.1% | 0.4% | Costa Rica |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher proportion of people living below 50 percent of median income, Costa Rica or Guatemala?
- Costa Rica, at 20.0% against 19.1% in Guatemala as of 2025.
- What is the difference in proportion of people living below 50 percent of median income between Costa Rica and Guatemala?
- 0.9%, with Costa Rica ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Costa Rica and Guatemala?
- 7 years are reported by both, from 1986 to 2023.
- How do Costa Rica and Guatemala rank globally for proportion of people living below 50 percent of median income?
- Costa Rica ranks 10th and Guatemala ranks 13th of 130 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database, published as Proportion of people living below 50 percent of median income (%). Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.