The trade atlas
What Guatemala sells, and to whom.
Goods trade exactly as the country declares it to the United Nations: the chapters that earn the most, the countries that buy them, and the balance left between what leaves and what arrives. One year at a time, with the whole series behind it.
Where the value concentrates.
- Coffee, tea, maté and spicesUS$1,632.0 M
- Edible fruit and nutsUS$1,492.3 M
- Apparel and clothing accessories, knittedUS$1,411.0 M
- Sugars and sugar confectioneryUS$1,112.3 M
- Animal, vegetable or microbial fats and oilsUS$819.3 M
- Plastics and articles thereofUS$576.0 M
- Paper and paperboard and articles thereofUS$442.9 M
- Pharmaceutical productsUS$441.6 M
- Miscellaneous edible preparationsUS$440.6 M
- Soap, washing preparations, candlesUS$415.5 M
- Beverages, spirits and vinegarUS$411.8 M
- Mineral fuels and mineral oilsUS$389.9 M
It leaves these mountains and does not stop at the border.
Where Guatemalan goods land.
Borders: Natural Earth 110m (public domain). Country names follow the United Nations M49 nomenclature. The projection changes no value: it only places it. Source: UN Comtrade · retrieved Aug 19, 2026, 23:42. Figures print exactly as the record declares them, in current dollars.
Guatemalan trade fits inside a handful of countries.
- United States of AmericaUS$4,870.1 M
- El SalvadorUS$2,136.8 M
- HondurasUS$1,783.2 M
- NicaraguaUS$1,089.1 M
- MexicoUS$689.7 M
- Costa RicaUS$667.0 M
- NetherlandsUS$556.8 M
- PanamaUS$312.6 M
- Dominican RepublicUS$294.1 M
- CanadaUS$286.8 M
- SpainUS$205.3 M
- JapanUS$180.7 M
The full series
Follow one product through its years.
Coffee, tea, maté and spices
10.5%
| Year | Declared value |
|---|---|
| 2019 | US$1,320.8 M |
| 2020 | US$1,795.7 M |
| 2021 | US$1,597.4 M |
| 2022 | US$1,544.1 M |
| 2023 | US$1,331.9 M |
| 2024 | US$1,426.9 M |
| 2025 | US$1,632.0 M |
A country does not only sell. It also buys.
The balance
What leaves, what arrives, and the distance between them.
Exports
US$15,611.3 M
Imports
US$34,578.0 M
Balance
US$−18,966.7 M
Goods only: no services, no remittances, no income. The balance is exports minus imports, in current dollars of the declared year. Source: UN Comtrade · retrieved Aug 19, 2026, 23:42. Figures print exactly as the record declares them, in current dollars.
Two measurements
The same year, counted twice.
The United Nations and Banco de Guatemala measure the same year separately, and neither one corrects the other. They differ because they do not count the same things: which goods fall inside the coverage, at what value each is recorded, and which year re-exports land in. Both readings are printed here, and so is the distance between them.
US$15,611.3 M
UN Comtrade
Difference
9.1%
US$14,309.4 M
Banco de Guatemala
The two readings sit 9.1% apart, within what coverage and the timing of recording explain.
Source: UN Comtrade · retrieved Aug 19, 2026, 23:42. Figures print exactly as the record declares them, in current dollars.
The agreements, the ports and the customs house.
120 topics
The research is written in English; quoted figures, source names and the titles of legal instruments stay in the language their source published them in.
Agreements and preferences in force
43 topics- Guatemala's WTO membership and tariff binding coverage
- CAFTA-DR's entry into force and parties for Guatemala
- Guatemala's trade with CAFTA-DR partners 20 years on
- Timeline of the EU–Central America Association Agreement
- Entry into force of the Central America–Mexico FTA for Guatemala
- Tariff elimination and quotas under the Mexico FTA
- Guatemala's trade and balance with Mexico
- The CIRI and the Mexico FTA Administrative Commission's decisions
See the other 35
- The Guatemala–Peru FTA in force since July 1, 2026
- The Guatemala–Israel FTA in force since March 2024
- The UK continuity agreement after Brexit
- Guatemala's average import tariff
- Duty-free tariff lines, quotas and safeguards
- Tariff peaks on imports into Guatemala
- Guatemala's annual goods imports
- Guatemala's export markets and the tariffs it faces
- Canada, the no-FTA exception in the agreement network
- Duty-free Asian fabric versus duty-free access to the US
- The CAFTA-DR yarn-forward rule and the exports that qualify
- Revised Kyoto Convention (WCO): Guatemala's accession on 10 March 2022
- Guatemala's network of free trade agreements in force
- The yarn-forward rule for textiles and apparel under CAFTA-DR
- Exceptions to yarn-forward: short supply, wool and TPL
- Tariff access and bilateral trade with the European Union
- Guatemala's main exports to the European Union
- The EU sugar quota and its utilization
- Other export quotas into the EU: rum, tuna, beef and more
- Import quotas from the EU: cheese, dairy and pork
- Products excluded from the Central America–Mexico FTA
- The Chile FTA: entry into force and coverage for Guatemala
- The Colombia–Northern Triangle FTA and its status
- FTAs with Panama and the Dominican Republic
- The Guatemala–Taiwan FTA and its sugar quota
- Opportunities from the Peru FTA for Guatemalan exporters
- The South Korea FTA: ratified, not yet in force
- Partial-scope agreements: Belize, Cuba, Ecuador and Venezuela
- Unsettled status of EFTA, Trinidad and Tobago and CARICOM ties
- The Guatemala–Honduras customs union and Central American integration
- Sources for trade statistics by partner and product
- Guatemala's case for nearshoring
- Unverified facts about Guatemala's trade agreements
- The 2025 US reciprocal tariff and Guatemalan-made apparel
- Buyers of Guatemalan apparel and sales through trading companies
Ports, cargo and corridors
40 topics- Guatemala's port system and its share of foreign trade
- Port cargo handled in 2024 and its composition
- Containers handled in 2024
- Annual ship calls and their split between ports
- TEU handled in 2025 and their breakdown by type and flow
- Draft and overload at Santo Tomás de Castilla
- Passenger traffic at La Aurora international airport
- Modernisation investments at La Aurora and the runway's condition
See the other 32
- Decree 29-2024 and the CIV's road project portfolio
- Guatemala in the World Bank's Logistics Performance Index
- Export Time Release Study (SAT, 2nd edition): from 2 days 5 h at Santo Tomás de Castilla to 5 days 19 h at Puerto Quetzal's container terminal
- Import release times: results of the 2020–2023 National Action Plan (SAT, to October 2023)
- 2020–2023 National Action Plan: measures by port (Tecún Umán II, Santo Tomás, Puerto Quetzal, APM Terminals, COMBEX-IM)
- Containers by port 2016–2023: verified CPN TEU (table C-8)
- Guatemala's Central American ranking in container traffic
- Legal framework for port concessions and private terminals
- Puerto Quetzal's pier capacity and its draft and congestion limits
- Puerto Quetzal's cranes and Yilport's role
- Puerto Quetzal pier expansion project
- The TCQ case and APM Terminals' arrival at Puerto Quetzal
- Legal status of the APM Terminals Quetzal contract and the transition
- Capacity and throughput of the APM Terminals Quetzal terminal
- Containers and finances at Santo Tomás de Castilla
- Modernisation works at Santo Tomás de Castilla
- Future plans for Santo Tomás and shipping-line surcharges
- Puerto Barrios' operator and its terminal capacity
- Air cargo at La Aurora and its warehouse operator
- Petén's airport and its passenger traffic
- Widening of the CA-9 North highway to the Atlantic ports
- Management and tolling of the Palín–Escuintla highway
- The 'dry canal' or Interoceanic Corridor and its progress
- The Guatemala–Honduras customs union and the FYDUCA
- Main land border crossings and their wait times
- Rail freight: network control and projects
- RDC's railway arbitration against Guatemala (CAFTA)
- Customs clearance times and the SAT's modernisation
- The Authorised Economic Operator (AEO) programme and its certifications
- Export document processing: VUPE, SEADEX, DUCA and DEPREX
- Sea freight costs and times, and official logistics statistics
- Industrial-park distances to Puerto Quetzal
Exporting agricultural produce
33 topics- Requirements and cost of the phytosanitary export certificate
- Phytosanitary permit for importing seeds and agricultural inputs
- PIPAA and the crops requiring pre-certification
- Phytosanitary export certificates issued per year
- Mayacert: organic, GLOBALG.A.P. and Rainforest Alliance certification
- 3PL cold storage: Emergent Cold and its locations
- COMBEX-IM courier capacity and DGAC air cargo statistics
- Guatemala–Miami air cargo capacity for perishables
See the other 25
- Production, packing and export of snow peas and French beans
- Actual status of Hass avocado exports to the United States
- Mango exports to the US and the sector's 2030 target
- Irrigated land and the 2024-2033 National Irrigation Policy
- The 2026 agricultural minimum wage
- Foreign capital entry into the coffee chain
- Foreign investment in the sugar industry
- Structure of the cardamom chain and its exporters
- Control of export bananas and investor entry routes
- Oil palm: acreage, producers and EUDR risk in Europe
- VISAR as the sanitary and phytosanitary authority for exports
- Farm registration with VISAR and food safety regulation 969-99
- Agricultural export document flow: SEADEX, DEPREX and DUCA F
- Issuance of electronic phytosanitary certificates (ePhyto)
- FDA requirements for exporters and DWPE detention risks
- International certifiers (PrimusGFS, Kiwa, SCS) and palm risk
- Other cold logistics providers and port reefer capacity
- Perishable air cargo via La Aurora and COMBEX-IM's limits
- Melon and berry clusters and their exporters
- Inventory of state irrigation units and rehabilitations
- Soil suitability maps for evaluating farmland
- Labor rules for farm workers, crews and harvest
- M&A and foreign capital in export vegetables and berries
- Guatemalan agricultural products admissible into the United States
- Sequence for setting up an agro-export operation
Plant services: power, water, license
4 topicsThis layer is research: read from public sources by the archive's own team, every claim cited with the date it was consulted, and audited where it is marked so. It has not entered the verified store — no figure here was fetched back from its source or stamped with a retrieval time — so it wears no red provenance numeral and never mixes with the verified figures.
Trade agreements: where each one stands
16 agreements
CAFTA-DR — Dominican Republic–Central America–United States FTA
- United States, Central America, Dominican Republic
- In force
Central America–European Union Association Agreement
- European Union
- In force
Central America–Mexico FTA (single treaty)
- Mexico
- In force
Guatemala–Taiwan FTA
- Taiwan
- In force
Colombia–Northern Triangle FTA
- Colombia (with El Salvador and Honduras)
- In force
Chile–Central America FTA (Guatemala bilateral protocol)
- Chile
- In force
Central America–Dominican Republic FTA
- Dominican Republic
- In force
Central America–Panama FTA
- Panama
- In force
Guatemala–Peru FTA
- Peru
- In force
Guatemala–Israel FTA
- Israel
- In force
UK–Central America Association Agreement (post-Brexit continuity)
- United Kingdom
- In force
Korea–Central America FTA (Guatemala's accession)
- South Korea
- Ratified, not yet in force
Guatemala–Belize Partial Scope Agreement
- Belize
- Partial scope
Guatemala–Cuba Partial Scope Agreement
- Cuba
- Partial scope
Guatemala–Ecuador Partial Scope Agreement
- Ecuador
- Partial scope
Guatemala–Venezuela Partial Scope Agreement
- Venezuela
- Partial scope
Ports, airports and terminals
25 organizations
Expogranel
- Specialized bulk terminal of the sugar cluster at Puerto Quetzal.
EPQ — Empresa Portuaria Quetzal (Puerto Quetzal)
- The main Pacific port (~60% of national port movement); a 980 m commercial quay, 4 mobile cranes operated by Yilport, certified as an Authorized Economic Operator (OEA) by SAT; an extension of two 400 m berths is planned.
APM Terminals Quetzal (ex-TCQ)
- Container terminal with capacity of 340,000 TEU/year (~60% of EPQ's container operation).
EMPORNAC — Puerto Santo Tomás de Castilla
- State Atlantic port (a record 362,182 containers in 2025); operating draft 10.5 m; modernization under way (new yards, quay reinforcement).
Puerto Barrios — Terminal COBIGUA (Chiquita)
- Private Atlantic terminal specializing in agricultural exports (banana, melon, pineapple), with reefer plugs and mobile cranes.
Aeropuerto Internacional La Aurora (GUA)
- The country's main airport, with direct flights to ~11 destinations in the United States and air cargo through COMBEX-IM; being modernized under the Plan Conecta.
Aeropuerto Internacional Mundo Maya (FRS)
- The country's second airport (390,584 passengers in 2025, +37% vs 2023), with flights to Guatemala, Belize and Mexico.
Puerto Quetzal
- The southern corridor's sea outlet: the Pacific coast handles 60% of the country's port traffic; around 60 km from the capital by the Palín-Escuintla motorway and 4 km from Zona Libre Quetzal
Express Aéreo (COMBEX-IM)
- The air customs post measured in the Time Release Study (ETD): 12 days in the red channel, 65 activities and 8 actors; 14% of foreign-trade revenue.
Puerto / Aduana Santo Tomás de Castilla
- The maritime facility in the Time Release Study (ETD): 72 activities and 8 actors in clearance; 15% of foreign-trade revenue; a measurement point for both the ETD 2019 and the ETD 2025 (through MPONAC).
Chiquita (Aduana Puerto Barrios)
- A measurement point for the second Time Release Study (ETD, exports) from 16 June 2025 at the Puerto Barrios customs post. SAT customs delegation. Address: Depósito Aduanero Público. Ruta del nuevo acceso de la Ciudad de Puerto Barrios, kilómetro 292 de la CA9.; Services (as SAT lists them, in Spanish): Arribos de declaraciones DA, confirmación de vehículos, desgloses de declaraciones DI, vaciado de contenedores.; Opening hours (as SAT lists them, in Spanish): De 08:00 a 20:00 horas.
Aeropuerto internacional de carga de Puerto San José
- The project: six contracts worth almost Q700 million awarded under the Giammattei government, with more than Q400 million paid (Soy502, 27 April 2025); AGN reported progress in 2022-2023 on the runway, taxiway, terminal and control tower
EPQ (Empresa Portuaria Quetzal)
- The port company for Puerto Quetzal; it publishes municipal and port rules on its site, including the text of the boleto de ornato (Decree 121-96)
Puerto Barrios (puerto)
- A private Caribbean port specializing in bananas (88% of the municipality's agricultural output); heavy commercial and employment activity around the facility
EMPORNAC
- The official reference for verifying the cargo figures of Puerto Santo Tomás de Castilla
APM Terminals Moín
- Costa Rica's container terminal: 1,320,000 TEU and 37 million tonnes (imports plus exports) in 2024, ~19 vessels a week
Puerto Cortés — OPC (Operadora Portuaria Centroamericana / ICTSI)
- Honduras's main container port: capacity of 1 million TEU a year, more than 5.8 million TEU handled over the concession and 675,000 TEU in 2019; 'the best container port in the CA-4', according to the operator
- A transhipment hub with an integrated free zone in the Dominican Republic: 1.7 million TEU (2024), capacity of 2.25 million TEU, more than US$800 million invested to date and a new expansion announced
Puerto de Manzanillo (ASIPONA)
- Mexico's largest container port: 3,326,000 TEU in 2024 (+12.6%); the Mexican port system moved 9,375,570 TEU in 2024 (+12%); ASIPONA proposed for benchmark_port_teu_MEX
Puerto de Acajutla — CEPA (El Salvador)
- El Salvador's port; a 2026 announcement of a new quay to triple container capacity; CEPA proposed for benchmark_port_teu_SLV
Puerto Corinto — EPN (Empresa Portuaria Nacional, Nicaragua)
- Nicaragua's port; EPN proposed for benchmark_port_teu_NIC
UNIS Co. (terminal en Puerto Quetzal)
- The terminal's commercial sheet declares ~1,100 reefer plugs
Puerto Quetzal (Empresa Portuaria Quetzal, EPQ)
- The main cruise port: 39 cruise calls in the 2024-25 season and 34 scheduled for 2025-26 (the season opened on 25 September 2025 with the Celebrity Summit, >2,100 passengers); 8,972 cruise passengers in a single day (20 April 2026); 2,613 sea arrivals in May 2025; cruise spending of US$3.97 M in 2024-25 (both ports).
Marina Pez Vela
- A terminal named alongside Puerto Quetzal for the 34 cruise calls scheduled for the 2025-26 season.
Puerto Santo Tomás de Castilla (Empornac)
- The second cruise port: 12 cruise calls in 2024-25 and 11 scheduled for 2025-26.
Certification bodies and laboratories
18 organizations
Cotton USA
- A certification held by Liztex
Better Cotton Initiative (BCI)
- A certification held by Liztex
Lenzing
- A certification/fiber held by Liztex
- Accredited water laboratory: analysis for compliance with Governmental Agreement 236-2006
- Tier certification of data centers; register of Tier Awards in Guatemala (Fraijanes II Tier III CDD; KIO/GUA Tier IV in design)
Fitch Ratings
- Rating agency that assigned BB+ to Cementos Progreso in 2013, the step before its international bond (§7).
- Local rating agency: public report on Banrural (27 June 2025) with market shares (BI 29%, Banrural 22%) (§2).
- Independent sector analysis of the Guatemalan banking sector (§2).
- A Guatemalan certification body: USDA NOP organic (accredited; 'MAYA' in the NOP database), EU, JAS (Japan) and Canada organic, GLOBALG.A.P. (a certification body with provisional FoodPlus approval for IFA GFS/Smart), Rainforest Alliance, 4C, Bird Friendly, Fair Trade and EUDR verification; MAGA registration 1-AC-2024-E (compliance with RTCA 67.06.74:16)
- A Latin American network with service in Guatemala: EU organic and PrimusGFS (internationally accredited)
Primus Auditing Ops (PrimusGFS)
- PrimusGFS audits (GAP+GMP+HACCP, with optional FSMA PC), the reference GFSI scheme in Latin America for fresh produce; present in 22 countries
- Rainforest Alliance certification and other schemes in the region
- The IFA GFS/Smart scheme required by US and EU retailers; a directory of approved certification bodies (Mayacert appears with provisional approval)
Rainforest Alliance
- A sustainability scheme certified in Guatemala by Mayacert and SCS Global Services
Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO)
- The sustainable palm standard; GREPALMA states that Guatemala is the Latin American country with the largest RSPO-certified volume (2023); 60% of the industry certified under RSPO or ISCC in 2022 (E&N); its membership directory is public
IATA (certificación CEIV Fresh)
- CEIV Fresh certification for handling perishables (held by Avianca Cargo)
Ceres
- A certification body named among those that may have a physical office in Guatemala
Control Union
- A certification body named among those that may have a physical office in Guatemala