Tap water in Guatemala

Not safe to drink

The WHO and UNICEF put safely managed drinking water within reach of 57% of people in Guatemala. National figures describe a country, not the tap in front of you.

What the sources say

WHO / UNICEF JMP

57% of the population has safely managed drinking water, meaning it is free from contamination at the point of use.

Coverage splits by where you are: 67% in urban areas against 46% in rural ones.

US CDC Travelers' Health

Advises travellers that tap water is generally not safe to drink in Guatemala.

Numbeo

40.48/100 on the water drinkability and accessibility index, which Numbeo reads as “Moderate”. This one is crowdsourced from residents rather than measured.

Lonely Planet

While many Guatemalans drink the tap water (often through necessity rather than choice), it is not recommended that foreigners do so.

  • Tap water needs to be boiled thoroughly or disinfected.
  • Purified water is cheap and readily available in tourist areas and many back-country regions as well.
  • Ice in more expensive restaurants is made from purified water, but order drinks without it if you want to be really cautious.

This is a national picture, and it varies. Some cities treat their water to a standard the country as a whole does not reach. Where the water is not safe, boiling, filtering or sealed bottles are the usual options, and ice and raw salad washed in tap water carry the same risk as the water itself.

What bottled water costs you here

Drinking tap water instead of bottled would save one adult about 730$ a year in Guatemala, and keep several hundred plastic bottles out of circulation.

Work out your own saving

Places in Guatemala

Water quality is local. These places have their own readings.

Elsewhere in North America