guatemla_fact_sheet_final
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Fact Sheet: Guatemala Guatemala is located in Central America, bordering the North Pacific Ocean, between El Salvador and Mexico, and bordering the Gulf of Honduras between Honduras and Belize. The country itself is slightly smaller than the state of Tennessee. As of July 2010, the population was 13.6 million. Compared to other Latin American countries, Guatemala ranks among the poorest and its maternal mortality rate is also one of the worst in the region—with only Haiti posting higher death rates. In Guatemala, there is a large indigenous population and the conservative religious establishment is especially influential, constraining open dialogue regarding reproductive health options. General information about fertility and maternal mortality: ■ Guatemalan women had an average of 3.6 children in 2010 i but for indigenous women, the average is 6.1 children. ii ■ The Maternal mortality ratio (MMR) is reported to be between 153 iii and 290 iv and per 100,000 live births, one of the highest rates in the region. ■ The top causes of maternal mortality in Guatemala are postpartum hemorrhage, sepsis, eclampsia, and unsafe abortion. v ■ In 2002, only 41% of women had a skilled attendant at delivery during childbirth. vi Many Guatemalan women get married and have children at a young age: ■ 46% of all Guatemalan women are married by age 18. vii ■ Guatemala has the third highest adolescent birthrate in Central America—every year, there are 114 births for every 1,000 girls aged 15–19. viii ■ 44% of 20–24 year-olds became mothers by age 20; the proportion is higher among young women with no education (68%) and among indigenous women (54%). ix Education leads to better health outcomes for women: ■ Across Guatemala, only 40% of 20–24 year-old women have completed primary school. In rural areas, the percentage drops to 25% with only 10% of indigenous women have completed primary school. x ■ There is a relationship between education rates and the age of marriage. ■ 75% of girls with no formal schooling are married or in a formal or consensual union by age 20 compared with 25% of girls with a primary education or more. xi
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Transcript of guatemla_fact_sheet_final
Fact Sheet: Guatemala
Guatemala is located in Central America, bordering the North Pacific Ocean, between El Salvador and Mexico, and bordering the Gulf of Honduras between Honduras and Belize. The country itself is slightly smaller than the state of Tennessee. As of July 2010, the population was 13.6 million. Compared to other Latin American countries, Guatemala ranks among the poorest and its maternal mortality rate is also one of the worst in the region—with only Haiti posting higher death rates. In Guatemala, there is a large indigenous population and the conservative religious establishment is especially influential, constraining open dialogue regarding reproductive health options.
General information about fertility and maternal mortality: ■ Guatemalan women had an average of 3.6 children in 2010i but for indigenous women,
the average is 6.1 children.ii ■ The Maternal mortality ratio (MMR) is reported to be between 153iii and 290iv and per
100,000 live births, one of the highest rates in the region. ■ The top causes of maternal mortality in Guatemala are postpartum hemorrhage,
sepsis, eclampsia, and unsafe abortion.v ■ In 2002, only 41% of women had a skilled attendant at delivery during childbirth.vi
Many Guatemalan women get married and have children at a young age: ■ 46% of all Guatemalan women are married by age 18.vii ■ Guatemala has the third highest adolescent birthrate in Central America—every year,
there are 114 births for every 1,000 girls aged 15–19.viii ■ 44% of 20–24 year-olds became mothers by age 20; the proportion is higher among
young women with no education (68%) and among indigenous women (54%).ix
Education leads to better health outcomes for women: ■ Across Guatemala, only 40% of 20–24 year-old women have completed primary school.
In rural areas, the percentage drops to 25% with only 10% of indigenous women have completed primary school.x
■ There is a relationship between education rates and the age of marriage. ■ 75% of girls with no formal schooling are married or in a formal or consensual union by
age 20 compared with 25% of girls with a primary education or more.xi
Guatemalan women’s use of family planning is lower than the average for the region:
■ Contraception use is low, with a prevalence of use at about 43.3% in 2002 compared to the average for Latin America of 64%.xii
■ Only 18% of 15-19xiii year olds and 35%xiv of the 20-24 year olds who are in a union report using contraception.
The risks of poor maternal health increase for women living in rural areas and rises even further for indigenous women:
■ Indigenous people make up 40% of the population but account for 62% of all maternal deaths.xv
■ The Guatemalan government’s baseline maternal mortality study for the year 2000 showed that the MMR was three times higher for indigenous women than for non-indigenous women (311 vs. 70 per 100,000).xvi
■ According to a national survey in 2002, 45% of all women, and 66% of indigenous women could not name any modern family planning methods.xvii
■ On average, 70% of 15–24 year-olds non-indigenous women who recently gave birth made at least one prenatal care visit, but only 50% of the indigenous population did so.xviii
■ A 1999 survey showed that while 66% of urban women had a skilled attendant at birth, only 25% of rural woman had a skilled attendant.xix
In Guatemala where abortion is illegal, unsafe abortion is one of the leading causes of reproductive injury and mortality
■ Complications from abortion are a leading cause of maternal mortality in Guatemala.xx ■ In Guatemala abortion is illegal except to save a woman’s life. ■ Nearly 65,000 unsafe abortions are performed annually in Guatemalaxxi ■ There were 21,600 women treated in the hospital for induced abortion complications in
2003.xxii
i CIA. The World Factbook – Guatemala. https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/gt.html ii World Health Organization. Country Cooperation Strategy at a Glance: Guatemala. May 2007. http://www.who.int/countryfocus/cooperation_strategy/ccsbrief_gtm_en.pdf iii Guttmacher Institute. Early Childbearing in Guatemala: A continuing challenge. In Brief Series, no 4. 2006. http://www.guttmacher.org/pubs/2006/11/09/rib-Guatemala-en.pdf iv Countdown to 2015: Maternal, Newborn & Child Survival. Guatemala. http://www.countdown2015mnch.org/documents/2010report/Profile-Guatemala.pdf v Foster J, et al. A report of a midwifery model for training traditional midwives in Guatemala. Midwifery (2004:20) 217-225 http://www.midwivesformidwives.org/pdf/MidwiferymodelGuatemala.pdf vi World Health Organization. Guatemala Country Profile. Department of Making Pregnancy Safer. http://www.who.int/making_pregnancy_safer/countries/gut.pdf
vii Population Coucil, UNFPA. The Adolescent Experience in Depth. Guatemala 2002/2006. http://www.popcouncil.org/pdfs/PGY_AdolDataGuides/Guatemala2002-06.pdf viii Guttmacher Institute. Early Childbearing in Guatemala: A continuing challenge. In Brief Series, no 4. 2006. http://www.guttmacher.org/pubs/2006/11/09/rib-Guatemala-en.pdf ix Ibid. x Ibid. xi Ibid. xii Smith R, et al. Family Planning Saves Lives. Fourth Edition. Population Reference Bureau. 2009. http://www.prb.org/pdf09/familyplanningsaveslives.pdf xiii Guttmacher Institute. Early Childbearing in Guatemala: A continuing challenge. In Brief Series, no 4. 2006. http://www.guttmacher.org/pubs/2006/11/09/rib-Guatemala-en.pdf xiv Bertrand, J.T., Seiber, E., and Escudero, G. (2001). Contraceptive dynamics in Guatemala: 1978-1998. International Family Planning Perspectives (27:3)112–118. xv UNFPA. A Bumpy Ride Can Mean the Difference between Life and Death in Guatemala April 14 2008. http://www.unfpa.org/public/News/pid/1011 xvi Franco de Mendez N. Maternal Mortality in Guatemala: A Preventable Tragedy. Population Ref. Bureau. June 2003 http://www.prb.org/Articles/2003/MaternalMortalityinGuatemalaAPreventableTragedy.aspx?p=1 xvii Sing, S, Prada E, Kestler E. Induced Abortion and Unintended Pregnancy in Guatemala. International Family Planning Perspectives. September 2006 (32:3) xviii Ibid. xix World Health Organization. Making Preganacy Safer: Guatemala Country Profile. http://www.who.int/making_pregnancy_safer/countries/gut.pdf xx Sing, S, Prada E, Kestler E. Induced Abortion and Unintended Pregnancy in Guatemala. International Family Planning Perspectives. September 2006 (32:3) xxi Sing, S, Prada E, Kestler E. Induced Abortion and Unintended Pregnancy in Guatemala. International Family Planning Perspectives. September 2006 (32:3) xxii Ibid.
