When discussing Guatemala’s economic state it is essential to discuss the
overwhelmingly unbalanced distribution of wealth within the country. This imbalance has left
the country with a huge percentage living below the poverty line and a very small group
controlling essentially the entire wealth of the country3
. Many Guatemalans lament this
absence of a middle class; although it is an exaggeration to say a middle class does not exist,
compared to the middle class presence in more developed countries (such as the United States)
the Guatemalan equivalent is rather scarce (CIA, 2010). This imbalance of wealth has long been
blamed for the corruption and lack of development within Guatemala. This corruption, in turn,
has led to a lack of creation and funding of state-headed health initiatives.