Health Record Rights Index · country brief · this country's data as of October 1, 2026
Who holds the health record in Guatemala?
In 2026, Guatemala scores 32 out of 100 for how much say a person has over their own health record. It is tied for 151st of 198 countries and territories, and could rank anywhere from 112th to 171st allowing for scoring error, in the Weak band (25 to 44). Who holds the keys: doctors, hospitals and insurers. Source: Health Record Rights Index, SuperTruth, this country's data as of October 1, 2026.
Doctors, hospitals and insurers decide. No right is above the typical country. The closest is your say over research use (46 out of 100, against 46 for the typical country). The furthest behind is privacy and security (30 out of 100, against 45 for the typical country).
Guatemala has no general data law; patients can request what the state holds on them, but records stay split between MSPAS, IGSS and private clinics.
Published · updated · this country's data as of October 1, 2026 · research tool, not legal advice
overall score · Weak band, 25 to 44
32/100
rank among 198 countries and territories; likely 112th to 171st, allowing for scoring error
Low confidence. Thin evidence on 4 of the 8 rights: your copy, privacy, joined-up record and doctors see it. The evidence grade rates all our sources together; confidence looks at each right. Neither changes the score.
Questions people ask
Can I see my health record in Guatemala?
In 2026, getting your full record scores 40 out of 100 in Guatemala; the typical country scores 40 to 45. The Constitution and the 2008 access law let people get what state bodies, including IGSS, hold on them within 10 working days, paying only reproduction costs. Score is the 45 base minus 5 because private clinics are not covered, with no patient portal. Source: OAS copy, 1985, and the other sources below.
Who controls health records in Guatemala?
In 2026, doctors, hospitals and insurers hold the keys to your health record in Guatemala. Control over who sees it scores 28 out of 100 in Guatemala; the typical country scores 30. State bodies may pass personal data between themselves without consent, and no opt-out or patient-visible access log was found. IGSS logs every change to its electronic record, but gives the patient no way to see that log. Source: OAS copy, 2008, and the other sources below.
How does Guatemala compare?
In 2026, Guatemala scores 32 out of 100, against 39 for the typical country. This brief compares it with Saint Lucia (32 out of 100), Nicaragua (32 out of 100) and Antigua and Barbuda (33 out of 100). Source: the ranking of all 198 countries and territories.
Eight rights, compared with Saint Lucia, Nicaragua, Antigua and Barbuda and the typical country
Scores out of 100, by right
Getting your full record20%
40
25 · 35 · 35
Control over who sees it20%
28
30 · 25 · 30
Privacy and security15%
30
38 · 25 · 42
One record across your care15%
30
35 · 34 · 28
Protection from sale and ads10%
35
35 · 35 · 42
Doctors see it when treating you10%
28
32 · 30 · 25
Your say over research use5%
46
46 · 46 · 43
Rules for AI in your care5%
22
20 · 40 · 20
Black dot: Guatemala. Hollow dots: Saint Lucia, Nicaragua, Antigua and Barbuda (scores out of 100 on the right, same order). Gray line: the typical country of all 198. Overall: Guatemala 32 out of 100. Scores move in steps of about 5 points, so read a rank with its likely range.
What would Guatemala need to change to score higher?
Guatemala sits in Weak (25 to 44); Mixed starts at 45. Its two weakest rights, compared with the typical country and weighted by how much each counts, are privacy and security (30 out of 100, against 45 for the typical country) and one record across your care (30 out of 100, against 38 for the typical country). Our scoring rules give more points for:
Privacy and security: A health data regulator that is independent and actually acts: it decides cases about health records, breaches must be reported, and fines are applied.
One record across your care: Family doctors, hospitals, labs, pharmacies, insurers and public health all linked to one record that is used across the country.
Which laws give health record rights in Guatemala?
Constitucion Politica de la Republica, Articulo 31 (1985): Right to know, correct and update what state archives and registers hold about you.
Decreto 57-2008, Ley de Acceso a la Informacion Publica: Habeas data for public bodies; health data sensitive; ban and prison terms for selling personal data.
Decreto 90-97, Codigo de Salud (1997): Right to privacy and professional secrecy in health; national health information system.
Doctors, waits and private care context, not part of the score
Doctors per 10,000
16.3 2024
Nurses and midwives per 10,000
22.7 2023
Private insurance + out-of-pocket
60.6% 2023
Record reaches private care?
unknown
Real cases
September 3, 2026 · Infobae · archived copy Ransomware locked a national hospital's clinical planning records, delaying sessions for 194 patients
April 13, 2026 · Prensa Libre Health ministry confirms attack encrypted files at its national laboratory
Who to contact in Guatemala
Not legal advice. Laws, offices and websites can change, so check with the office itself before you rely on anything here.
For Guatemala, we list one official office to contact about your health record, as of :
See your record: ask the records office of your doctor, hospital or clinic
Health ministry:Ministerio de Salud Pública y Asistencia Social (Ministry of Public Health and Social Assistance) (named on a World Health Organization page)
In 2026, Guatemala scored 32 out of 100 for how much say a person has over their own health record, tied for 151st of 198 countries and territories (could be 112th to 171st), in the Weak band. Who holds the keys: doctors, hospitals and insurers. Source: Health Record Rights Index, SuperTruth, this country's data as of October 1, 2026, https://healthrecordrights.com/brief/guatemala/
The 15 sources for Guatemala
Each source appears once, under the first right it supports. Titles are shown as our research agents recorded them, usually in the page's own language; text in square brackets is our machine translation. Links were checked on the date shown.
Getting your full record (4 sources)
“Constitucion Politica de la Republica de Guatemala” [Political Constitution of the Republic of Guatemala] our machine translation
OAS copy (law or regulation) · Title in Spanish
Dated 1985 · Link checked October 2, 2026 (opened)
“Ministerio de Salud reacciona ante supuesta amenaza cibernetica en su base de datos” [Ministry of Health responds to alleged cyber threat to its database] our machine translation
La Hora (news) · Title in Spanish
Dated June 24, 2026 · Link checked October 2, 2026 (opened)
“Comision de Asuntos de Seguridad analiza Iniciativa de Ley de Proteccion de Datos Personales” [Security Affairs Committee analyses Personal Data Protection Bill] our machine translation
Emisoras Unidas (news) · Title in Spanish
Dated July 16, 2026 · Link checked October 2, 2026 (opened)
Used for: Privacy and security; Protection from sale and ads
“La Sala Anexa de San Benito, Peten, ahora es Consultorio, y ha modernizado su atencion” [The Annex Room of San Benito, Peten, is now a Clinic and has modernised its care] our machine translation
IGSS (government guidance) · Title in Spanish
Dated June 5, 2026 · Link checked October 2, 2026 (opened)
“Expediente clinico electronico, la nueva herramienta para la atencion medica de los guatemaltecos” [Electronic clinical record, the new tool for the medical care of Guatemalans] our machine translation
AGN (government guidance) · Title in Spanish
Dated April 12, 2024 · Link checked October 2, 2026 (opened)
Used for: One record across your care; Doctors see it when treating you
“Acuerdo Ministerial 82-2019, Normativa para la regulacion de ensayos clinicos en humanos” [Ministerial Agreement 82-2019, Rules for the regulation of clinical trials in humans] our machine translation
MSPAS (law or regulation) · Title in Spanish
Dated March 25, 2019 · Link checked October 2, 2026 (opened)
“Solicitud de Inscripcion Sanitaria de Dispositivos Medicos, DRCPFA” [Application for Sanitary Registration of Medical Devices, DRCPFA] our machine translation
Catalogo de Tramites [Catalogue of Procedures] (government guidance) · Title in Spanish
No date recorded · Link checked October 2, 2026 (opened)
“Avanza proceso de construccion de la Estrategia de Inteligencia Artificial del Organismo Ejecutivo” [Process of building the Executive Branch's Artificial Intelligence Strategy advances] our machine translation
MINGOB (government guidance) · Title in Spanish
Dated July 3, 2026 · Link checked October 2, 2026 (opened)
SuperTruth Inc. · 24 S. 24th St., Philadelphia, PA 19103, USA · +1 215 918 4140 · supertruth.ai Something wrong? Tell us · Questions or a briefing: supertruth.ai/on-the-record#contact · Full index: healthrecordrights.com
OECD: Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (38 mostly high-income countries). DTI™: the Data Trust Index, which grades the evidence behind each score. SuperTruth makes it and publishes this index. Everything here comes from public information: laws, government and regulator pages, court decisions, published news, WHO, OECD and World Bank data. Full sources: https://healthrecordrights.com/brief/guatemala/#sources. SuperTruth built this index and sells health data verification products; no one paid to be included. Research tool, not legal advice. Our scores and our own words are CC BY 4.0; quoted law and source titles stay with their owners.
