Market Research Companies in Guatemala

Key figures for researchers

Population

14,901,286 counted (2018 census); 16,346,950 after INE’s adjustment³

Urban / rural

54% urban, 46% rural (2018 census)²

Guatemala department

3,599,257 people, 20.73% of the population (INE projection, 2022)⁴

Main municipalities

Guatemala City 1,195,727, Mixco 496,992, Villa Nueva 466,922 (INE, 2021)⁵

Peoples

56.0% Ladino, 41.7% Maya, 1.8% Xinka, 0.1% Garífuna (2018 census)¹

Largest Mayan mother tongues

Q’eqchi’ 1,127,387, K’iche’ 1,054,818, Mam 590,641 speakers (2018 census)⁶

Age structure / households

33.4% under 15, 5.6% aged 65+; 4.5 people per household (2018 census)¹

Literacy

81.5% of people aged 7+ (2018 census)¹

Internet users

60.2 per 100 people (2024)⁹

Mobile subscriptions

112.5 per 100 people (2024)¹⁰

GDP per capita

about US$6,600 (2025)¹¹

Research guide

Research landscape

Guatemala City is the business centre and the base of most research agencies. The Guatemala department alone holds 20.73% of the population (INE projection for 2022), and Guatemala City (1,195,727 people in 2021), Mixco (496,992) and Villa Nueva (466,922) form the core of the metropolitan market. Local agencies run consumer, social and opinion studies, and Guatemala is often covered as part of multi-country Central American projects.

Demand for opinion research rises before elections. The Supreme Electoral Tribunal (TSE) has set the general elections for 27 June 2027, with a possible presidential run-off on 22 August 2027. The official call is expected on 22 January 2027 and the campaign period runs from 29 March to 25 June 2027 (preliminary TSE schedule).

Languages and fieldwork

Spanish is the official language, and the Law on National Languages (Decree 19-2003) recognises the Mayan, Garífuna and Xinka languages; it also provides that health, education, justice and security services should inform and serve people in their own language. Guatemala has 25 officially recognised languages: Spanish, 22 Mayan languages, Xinka and Garífuna. In the 2018 census, 41.7% of people identified as Maya, 56.0% as Ladino, 1.8% as Xinka and 0.1% as Garífuna. The largest Mayan mother tongues are Q’eqchi’ (1,127,387 speakers), K’iche’ (1,054,818) and Mam (590,641): questionnaires are written in Spanish, with translations and bilingual interviewers for rural and highland samples.

The 2018 census counted 14,901,286 people; INE later adjusted the total to 16,346,950 to account for people the census missed, and estimated the omission rate at 9%. The population is young: 33.4% are under 15 and only 5.6% are 65 or older. About 54% live in urban areas and 46% in rural areas, across 22 departments and 340 municipalities. Literacy is 81.5% among people aged 7 and over (85.0% for men, 78.3% for women), but for people aged 15 and over it ranges from 93.5% in the Guatemala department to 66.2% in Alta Verapaz and 64.5% in Quiché, so self-completion questionnaires do not reach everyone.

Which methods work

There were 60.2 internet users and 112.5 mobile subscriptions per 100 people in 2024. Online and mobile surveys work for urban, younger and better-educated targets, mainly in the metropolitan area, and for B2B. Telephone interviews (CATI) reach a wider audience, but face-to-face interviews (CAPI) remain the reference for rural and indigenous populations. For a national sample, agree on quotas by department, urban/rural area, people and language, and plan interviewers who speak the main local language in each region.

Focus groups and in-depth interviews are mostly held in Guatemala City. Groups outside the capital, for example in Quetzaltenango or in the highlands, often need moderators and recruiters who speak K’iche’, Mam, Q’eqchi’ or another Mayan language, and a translated discussion guide.

Timing

Remaining national holidays in 2026 are 20 October (Revolution Day), 1 November, 24 December from noon, 25 December and 31 December from noon; 15 August is a holiday in Guatemala City only. Under the Labour Ministry list, paid holidays also include 1 January, Holy Thursday, Good Friday and Holy Saturday, 1 May, 30 June, 15 September and 20 October, plus each municipality’s local festival day. Holy Week is the main break of the first half of the year: avoid fieldwork that week.

The rainy season usually runs from May to October, with a drier spell (canícula) usually between July and August, according to the meteorological institute INSIVUMEH. Heavy rain can slow rural fieldwork, so allow extra time. The public school year runs from early in the year to November: the 2025 school year closed on 18 November and 2026 classes started on 2 February. In 2027, also plan around the election campaign (29 March to 25 June) and election day on 27 June.

Data protection

Guatemala does not have a general personal data protection law. The Law on Access to Public Information (Decree 57-2008) mainly governs public bodies, but it defines personal data and sensitive data (such as health, ethnic origin, political opinions and religious beliefs), and Article 31 forbids the bodies it covers from disseminating or selling personal data without the written consent of the person concerned. Under Article 64, anyone who sells or distributes files of personal or sensitive data without written authorisation faces five to eight years in prison and a fine.

A bill on personal data protection and digital rights (initiative 6464, filed in October 2024) was still under review by a congressional committee in July 2026 and had not been approved. Until a law is passed, agree in writing with your agency how consent is collected, where the data is hosted and how recordings are shared with you.

Working with a local agency

• Share a clear brief: objectives, target, sample size, departments, urban/rural split, method, languages and deadline.
• Ask which Mayan languages the interviewers and moderators speak, and who translates and back-translates the questionnaire.
• Ask about quality control: back-checks, GPS or audio checks for face-to-face interviews, supervision of CATI calls.
• Agree in writing how respondents give consent, where the data is hosted and who can access it, since there is no general data protection law.
• Compare several proposals: you can send one request to up to 5 companies from this page.