In Guatemala, the wealthiest 10% of the population receives almost one-half of all income; the top 20% receives two-thirds of all income. As a result, about 80% of the population lives in poverty, and two-thirds of that number –or 7.6 million people– live in extreme poverty. Guatemala’s social development indicators, such as infant mortality and illiteracy, are among the worst in the hemisphere. Chronic malnutrition among the rural poor worsened with the onset of the crisis in the world economy. About 50% of the urban population and less than 30% of the rural population, have access to infrastructure such as schools and hospitals, and only about one-third of the adult inhabitants are employed in the formal sector. The national illiteracy rate, 44%, is among the Central America’s highest, with the majority of the illiterate living in rural areas.
Why Guatemala:
In Guatemala, the wealthiest 10% of the population receives almost one-half of all income; the top 20% receives two-thirds of all income. As a result, about 80% of the population lives in poverty, and two-thirds of that number –or 7.6 million people– live in extreme poverty. Guatemala’s social development indicators, such as infant mortality and illiteracy, are among the worst in the hemisphere. Chronic malnutrition among the rural poor worsened with the onset of the crisis in the world economy. About 50% of the urban population and less than 30% of the rural population, have access to infrastructure such as schools and hospitals, and only about one-third of the adult inhabitants are employed in the formal sector. The national illiteracy rate, 44%, is among the Central America’s highest, with the majority of the illiterate living in rural areas.