President Arévalo Highlights 2025 Achievements in Address to Congress
Guatemala City, January 14, 2026 — President Bernardo Arévalo delivered a message of unity, shared responsibility, and democratic commitment during his address to the Congress of the Republic, outlining the main achievements of his administration over the past year and reflecting on progress made during his first two years in office.
In his speech, the President emphasized advances in education, health, economic growth, housing, and public security, underscoring his government’s focus on restoring trust in public institutions and improving quality of life for Guatemalan families.
Strengthening Education Nationwide
As part of a historic effort to expand access to secondary education, the Ministry of Education authorized 504 new basic and diversified secondary schools to begin operations in 2026. These institutions will operate in existing facilities during previously unused shifts, addressing long-standing educational gaps, particularly in Alta Verapaz and San Marcos.
In parallel, the government completed 22,205 renovations of public schools in 2025, improving learning conditions for thousands of students across the country. To ensure transparency, the Ministry launched a public platform allowing citizens to track school renovations and view before-and-after results.
To reinforce teaching capacity, the government initiated the largest teacher recruitment process in recent years, hiring nearly 13,000 new educators for preschool, primary, and arts education. All positions were filled through a merit-based and transparent selection process, with teachers set to begin work in 2026.
Expanding Skills and Cultural Inclusion
The administration awarded more than 5,000 English-language scholarships to students and teachers and supported 435 educators in learning Mayan, Garífuna, and Xinka languages—strengthening education rooted in Guatemala’s cultural and linguistic diversity.
Additionally, over 7,600 people benefited from free technical job-training scholarships in English through a partnership between Intecap and the National Mortgage Credit Bank (CHN), prioritizing youth outside the education system, women, and unemployed individuals.
Housing, Health, and Social Protection
Through the Mi Primera Casa program, 675 families became homeowners in 2025—averaging two new housing credits per day. The government also replaced 50,000 dirt floors with cement floors, significantly improving health outcomes and living conditions, and declared 11 municipalities free of dirt floors.
Public hospitals maintained an average 90% supply availability throughout the year, a major improvement from levels as low as 40% prior to the current administration.
Following the earthquakes that affected the country in 2025, the government established a special fund to support families with severely damaged homes, providing subsidies ranging from 10,000 to 70,000 quetzales, depending on the extent of damage.
Economic Growth and Employment
Guatemala closed 2025 with 4.1% economic growth, exceeding the regional average of 2.4% for Latin America and the Caribbean. Formal employment grew by 5.2%, reflecting steady job creation and economic recovery.
International confidence also strengthened, as Standard & Poor’s and Fitch raised Guatemala’s sovereign credit rating to BB+, placing the country one step away from investment grade.
Indicó que se espera cerrar el año con un crecimiento económico del 4.1% del PIB y que, con un presupuesto potente como el aprobado para 2026, el país podrá continuar liderando el crecimiento económico en Centroamérica el próximo año. ??? pic.twitter.com/6XCTj9Vr2d
— Ministerio de Finanzas Públicas (@MinfinGT) December 10, 2025
Security and Rule of Law
While homicide rates rose slightly early in the year, decisive actions reversed the trend in the second half of 2025, resulting in 73 fewer homicides during the final four months compared to the previous year.
The government intensified its fight against organized crime and drug trafficking, achieving 22.6% higher drug seizures than the average of the previous administration, dismantling 148 criminal structures, and increasing drug-related arrests by 92% compared to 2024.
Security forces were also strengthened with the addition of more than 6,000 new National Civil Police officers over two years, bringing Guatemala closer to international policing standards.
Advancing Transparency and Anti-Corruption Efforts
President Arévalo reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to integrity and accountability, noting the creation of 169 channels for reporting irregularities, the adoption of codes of ethics in 66 public institutions, and the establishment of probity units in 67 entities.
Closing his address, President Arévalo reiterated that these achievements reflect a government focused on institutional recovery, social inclusion, and democratic governance, laying the foundation for a more just and prosperous Guatemala.
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