prompter: How much does Guatemala spend on their military?

assistant: According to the Statista website, Guatemala spent approximately 330.4 million U.S. dollars on its military sector in 2021. This was one of the lowest military spending as share of government expenditure in Latin America.

prompter: Why is Guatemala with such a small military?

assistant: There are several possible reasons why Guatemala has a relatively small military:

Peace agreement: Guatemala went through a long and bloody civil war that lasted from 1960 to 1996. In 1996, a peace agreement was signed between the government and the guerilla forces that ended the conflict. As a result, the need for a large military force decreased.

Economic constraints: Guatemala is a developing country with limited financial resources. As such, the government may choose to allocate its resources to other sectors such as education, healthcare, and infrastructure, rather than military spending.

Regional security: Guatemala is part of the Central American Integration System (SICA), which is a regional organization that aims to promote political, economic, and social integration among its member states. As part of this system, Guatemala may rely on its neighboring countries for mutual security and defense.

International relations: Guatemala maintains good relations with other countries, particularly the United States. As such, it may not feel the need to maintain a large military force to defend itself against potential threats.

Overall, the combination of historical context, economic constraints, regional security arrangements, and international relations may have contributed to Guatemala's decision to maintain a relatively small military force.

assistant: According to the World Bank, Guatemala spent approximately 0.3% of its Gross Domestic Product (GDP) on military expenditures in 2019. In absolute numbers, this amounts to around $246 million USD.

prompter: .3% seems small, how does it compare to other countries?

assistant: A military expenditure of 0.3% of GDP is relatively small compared to other countries. To put this in perspective, the global average military expenditure in 2020 was around 2.4% of GDP, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI).

Some countries spend much more than the global average on their military. For example, the United States had a military expenditure of approximately 3.7% of its GDP in 2020, while Saudi Arabia spent around 10.0% of its GDP on the military during the same year.

On the other hand, some countries spend less than Guatemala on their military. For example, Costa Rica, which abolished its military in 1949, has no military expenditure at all. Other countries that spent less than 0.3% of their GDP on the military in 2020 include Panama, Nicaragua, and Haiti.

assistant: In terms of percentage of GDP, Guatemala's military spending is relatively low compared to many other countries. For example, the United States spent around 3.4% of its GDP on military expenditures in 2019, while Saudi Arabia spent approximately 8.0% of its GDP on military expenses. However, it is important to note that comparisons between countries' military spending can be complex and vary depending on factors such as the size and strength of their military, their geopolitical situation, and their overall economic development.

assistant: According to recent data, military expenditure as a percentage of GDP varies greatly between countries. For example, in 2022 Canada’s military expenditure is forecasted to be 1.33% of its GDP while Saudi Arabia’s military spending on GDP was over 8% in 2021 but is expected to be about half that amount in 2022. In comparison, the US spent 3.7% of its GDP on military expenses in 2020 and the global average in 2019 was approximately 2.2% worldwide.

prompter: Which country spends the lowest amount on their military on average? Also how does that compare to the highest spending country for their military.

assistant: According to macrotrends.net, Guatemala's military spending or defense budget for the year 2021 was $0.34 billion, which saw a 0.29% decline from the previous year. In 2020, the country's defense budget was $0.34 billion, which was a 3.28% increase from 2019. The country's defense budget for 2019 was $0.33 billion, which was a 21.52% increase from 2018. The military spending for 2018 was $0.27 billion, which was a 0.69% decline from 2017. globalsecurity.org notes that the Guatemalan military has a modernization plan but no funding to support it, and the government stipulated that modernization funding must come from either the sale of military properties or international donations, neither of which has proven to be viable.

prompter: Is that information in USD? Could you provide the information in GTQ please? Was there an actual decline in military spending or was this due to an unfavorable exchange rate. A change in defense spending should be done in the local currency, please correct this.