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Where does Guatemala lose against its regional competitors?

According to the cited documentsRegional benchmark

Guatemala loses on: (1) minimum labor cost, Nicaragua, the Dominican Republic and El Salvador pay maquila minimums 15-45% lower; (2) narrower and shorter tax incentives than Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, El Salvador and Nicaragua (only textiles + ICT under 29-89; 10 years with no extension against 15-20 renewable); 1.6% of GDP, a third of Costa Rica's or the Dominican Republic's in dollars; (4) logistics, the worst LPI in the group apart from Nicaragua (88/139), fragmented ports with no global operator; (5) rule of law and human capital, CPI 142/182, electrification 90.4% (second from last), mid-to-low English against Honduras, El Salvador and Costa Rica, homicides rising in the high group; (6) an oversold renewable grid (59.5%, fourth of six). The synthesis: Guatemala is Central America's macro bet and the weakest on micro-fundamentals, the opposite profile to Costa Rica.

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Sources

  • ECLAC

    Estadísticas del subsector eléctrico de los países del SICA, 2024

    repositorio.cepal.orgAccessed Aug 19, 2026Go to the source
  • InSight Crime

    2025 Homicide Round-Up

    insightcrime.orgAccessed Aug 19, 2026Go to the source