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By: Stella Clark
Country Overview
Guatemala is a lower-middle-income country in Central America with a significant indigenous population and marked rural-urban disparities. Economic growth is moderate. Many Guatemalans migrate abroad or transit through as part of broader regional mobility, motivated by economic hardship, violence, and limited opportunities.
Key Labor Export Statistics
Approximately 1.2 million Guatemalans work abroad (UN DESA 2023)
50.6% of labor migrants from Belize are female, while 49.4% are male (UN DESA)
Main employment sectors abroad: agriculture, construction, domestic work, services (MPI 2006)
Top Destination Countries
United States
Canada
Belize
(UN DESA 2023; IOM 2023)
Remittance Data
Annual remittance inflow (2024): About 18,177 Million USD
Share of GDP: About 19. 1% (World Bank 2024)
Legal Gaps
Protection of Guatemalan migrant workers abroad is limited by weak bilateral labour migration agreements and lack of structured protections once workers are abroad. As a transit country, Guatemala faces challenges in migration management, including irregular flows, smuggling, and human-trafficking risks, which affect its nationals as well as others passing through. The fact that such large remittances feed consumption rather than investment suggests structural issues in turning migration into sustainable development. (ILO 2024; U.S. Department of State 2024).
NGO & Support Resources
International Organization for Migration (IOM):IOM
Alianza Americas:Alianza
UNHCR Guatemala: Guatemala | UNHCR
“Remittances to Guatemala now approach one in five quetzales in the economy, yet for many households they still serve as a lifeline rather than a springboard to upward mobility.”
— Derived from findings in Migration Policy Institute (2025) and World Bank data.
Sources
Migration Policy Institute. 2025. “Guatemalan Immigrants in the United States.” Accessed October 18, 2025.
migrationpolicy.org
Diaspora for Development. 2024. “Diaspora Engagement Mapping – Guatemala.” Accessed October 18, 2025.
IMF. 2024. “Guatemala: Staff Concluding Statement of the 2024 Article IV Mission.” Accessed October 18, 2025.
International Organization for Migration. 2023. “Guatemala at a Glance 2023.” San José: IOM Regional Office. Accessed October 18, 2025.
Alianza Americas. 2024. “Conditions Guatemalan Deportees Will Return To.” Accessed October 18, 2025.
Migration Policy Institute. 2021. “Guatemala in Context.” Accessed October 18, 2025.
UNHCR. “Guatemala Country Page – Key Statistics.” Accessed October 18, 2025
Smith, James P. 2006. “Guatemala: Economic Migrants Replace Political Refugees.” Migration Policy Institute, April 1.
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