Share of births attended by skilled health staff in Guatemala
Guatemala: Share of births attended by skilled health staff was 69.6% in 2017. ▲ Rising
Share of births attended by skilled health staff in Guatemala, 1984–2017
Source: Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) and UNICEF, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in % of total.
Analysis
The most recent figure for share of births attended by skilled health staff in Guatemala is 69.6%, measured in 2017.
The figure is down 0.3% on the previous year and up 121.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of births attended by skilled health staff in Guatemala peaked at 69.8% in 2016 and was at its lowest, 29.1%, in 1987.
That places Guatemala 147th out of 169 countries with data for 2017, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 16 years of available data.
Share of births attended by skilled health staff in Guatemala, year by year
| Year | % of total | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1984 | 35.0% | — |
| 1987 | 29.1% | -16.9% |
| 1995 | 34.8% | +19.6% |
| 1999 | 40.4% | +16.1% |
| 2000 | 41.4% | +2.5% |
| 2001 | 41.4% | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 41.4% | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 31.4% | -24.2% |
| 2009 | 51.5% | +64.0% |
| 2010 | 52.3% | +1.6% |
| 2012 | 58.7% | +12.2% |
| 2013 | 62.8% | +7.0% |
| 2014 | 67.0% | +6.7% |
| 2015 | 65.5% | -2.2% |
| 2016 | 69.8% | +6.6% |
| 2017 | 69.6% | -0.3% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 32.0% | 29.1% | 35.0% | 2 |
| 1990s | 37.6% | 34.8% | 40.4% | 2 |
| 2000s | 41.4% | 31.4% | 51.5% | 5 |
| 2010s | 63.7% | 52.3% | 69.8% | 7 |
Countries ranked near Guatemala
More health data for Guatemala
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -1.92 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate 0.7968 % change on previous year (2090)
- Estimated changes in temperature-related death rates compared to projected death rates 1,202 deaths per 1,000 people (2090)
- Number of infants who die before age 1 1,022 deaths (2100)
- Population ages 80 and above, female, per capita 0.0043 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 80 and above, male, annual growth rate 4.74 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 80 and above, male, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 80 and above, male, per capita 0.0032 units per person (2025)
- Pertussis - number of reported cases, gaps filled 356 (2025)
- Pertussis - number of reported cases, per capita 0 units per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of births attended by skilled health staff in Guatemala?
- Share of births attended by skilled health staff in Guatemala was 69.6% in 2017, according to Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) and UNICEF, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of births attended by skilled health staff recorded in Guatemala?
- The highest recorded value was 69.8% in 2016.
- What is the lowest share of births attended by skilled health staff recorded in Guatemala?
- The lowest recorded value was 29.1% in 1987.
- How does Guatemala rank for share of births attended by skilled health staff?
- Guatemala ranks 147th out of 169 countries with data for 2017.
- Is share of births attended by skilled health staff rising or falling in Guatemala?
- Over the last ten years it is up 121.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Guatemala data come from?
- The figures come from Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) and UNICEF, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of births attended by skilled health staff. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 16 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Skilled health staff refers to professionals trained to give the necessary supervision, care, and advice to women during pregnancy, labor, and the postpartum period; to conduct deliveries on their own; and to care for newborns.