Tobacco Use and Trends
- In 2022, an estimated 1.4 million people (1.3 million males and 101.9 thousand females) aged 15 years and older were tobacco product users in Guatemala. This positions the country as the 72nd globally and the 10th in the WHO Region of the Americas in terms of number of tobacco users.1,2
The latest but outdated data in 2015 revealed that 17.1% of youths (19.5% boys and 14.4% girls) aged 13-15 years in Guatemala were current tobacco users. In the same year, 12.9% of youths (14.7% boys and 11.1% girls) aged 13-15 years in Guatemala were current cigarette smokers.
In 2015, 2.4% of youths (3% boys and 1.8% girls) aged 13-15 years were current smokeless tobacco product users.
Nicotine Alternatives
- In 2015, 5.6% of youths (5.7% boys and 5.2% girls) aged 13-15 were current e-cigarette users in Guatemala.
Health and Economic Burden From Tobacco Use
Tobacco was responsible for an estimated 3.1 thousand deaths, which is about 6.9% of total deaths.
Of tobacco-related deaths, 2.2 thousand or 72.7% were due to smoking, and 885.1 or 29.0% were due to secondhand smoke.
In 2021, the top 10 causes of the most deaths in Guatemala included Ischemic Heart Disease (IHD) ranking 2nd, and Stroke ranking 7th.
Tobacco was responsible for an estimated 775.2 or 9.7% of all IHD deaths, 281.8 or 8.5% of all Stroke deaths, 169.4 or 48.1% of all Lung Cancer deaths, and 307.8 or 29.8% of all COPD deaths.
In 2021, tobacco use caused an estimated loss of 101.8 thousand disability-adjusted life years (DALYs), which was about 5.3% of total DALYs. Tobacco accounts for 20.3 thousand DALYs for IHD, 8.1 thousand DALYs for Stroke, 3.9 thousand DALYs for Lung Cancer, and 6.8 thousand DALYs for COPD.
Regulatory Environment and Economics
Public Health Commitment
- Guatemala ratified the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) in 2005.
Diverse Tobacco Market
- Heated Tobacco Products (HTPs) and e-cigarettes with or without nicotine are available in Guatemala, but do not have any specific classifications.
Taxation Policy
In 2022, total tax rate on retail prices of a pack of cigarette was 49.0%.
In 2023, 38.27% excise tax is applied on retail prices of CCs. Although excise is not imposed on HTPs, their retail price of GTQ 22.0/pack is close to the price of cigarettes at GTQ 27.0/pack.
Smoking and Advertising Bans3
- Complete smoking bans with moderate level of compliance, and weak advertising bans with unknown level of compliance were enforced in Guatemala in 2022.
Age Restrictions
- Tobacco products cannot be sold to individuals younger than 18 years of age in Guatemala.
Illicit Cigarette Trade
- Estimated figures indicate that illicit cigarette trade in Guatemala had an increasing trend from 4.7% in 2008, peaking at 26.1% in 2019, then declining to 22.3% in 2022. (Euromonitor [accessed November 2023])
Tobacco Production and Diversification
In 2022, Guatemala produced about 30.2 thousand tons of unmanufactured tobacco, accounting for approximately 0.5% of the global production of 5.8 million tons. This positioned Guatemala as the 22nd largest tobacco producer in the world.
When compared to 2010, when Guatemala produced about 26.9 thousand tons of unmanufactured tobacco, there was a 12.2% increase by 2022.
In 2022, Guatemala utilized approximately 14.4 thousand hectares of land for tobacco cultivation, reflecting a 12.3% increase compared 2010. (FAOSTAT [accessed January 2024])