Belize
Country in Americas
CountryScope
In brief
Population: 422.9K (2025). World rank 174 of 216; in Americas, 28 of 46. Area: 22,966 km². World rank 152 of 249; in Americas, 26 of 56. GDP: $3.3B (2025). World rank 179 of 210; in Americas, 36 of 45. From 2015 to 2025: population 356.3K → 422.9K, GDP $2.2B → $3.3B, and GDP per person $6,155 → $7,865.
State
- Official name
- Belize
- Local name
- Belize
- Capital
- Belmopan
- Region
- Americas
- Form of government
- Parliamentary constitutional monarchy
- UN member
- Yes
- Head of state
- Charles III
- Head of government
- Johnny Briceño
- Independence
- September 21, 1981
- Women in parliament
- 12.5% 2025
Key figures
- Population
- 422,924 2025
- Area
- 22,966 km²
- GDP
- $3.3B 2025
- GDP per person
- $7,865 2025
- Life expectancy
- 73.7 years 2024
Practical information
- Languages
- Belizean Creole, English, Spanish
- Currency
- Belize Dollar (BZD)
- Time zones
- UTC−6
- Calling code
- +501
- Emergency numbers
- 90, 911
- Driving side
- Right
- Plug types
- A, B, G
- Mains voltage
- 220 V
Territory
- Sea access
- Has a coastline
- Coastline, km
- 386
- Neighbours
- Guatemala, Mexico
- Agricultural land
- 8.2% 2024
Elevation
- Highest point
- Doyle's Delight, 1,124 m
- Lowest point
- Caribbean Sea, 0 m
- Mean elevation, m
- 173
Climate
- Average temperature in the capital, °C
- 26
- Warmest month in the capital
- May, 28°C
- Coldest month in the capital
- January, 23°C
- Precipitation, mm per year
- 1,705 2022
Population and migration
- Population density
- 18.4 per km² 2025
- Population growth per year
- +1.4% 2025
- Living in cities
- 41.6% 2025
- Net migration per year
- +360 2025
- Born in another country
- 16.5% 2024
Age and life expectancy
- Aged 0–14
- 26.3% 2025
- Aged 15–64
- 68.5% 2025
- Aged 65 and over
- 5.2% 2025
- Life expectancy, women
- 76.7 years 2024
- Life expectancy, men
- 71.1 years 2024
Births and deaths
- Children per woman
- 2 2024
- Births per 1,000 people
- 18.1 2024
- Deaths per 1,000 people
- 5 2024
Society
- Religions
- Catholic 40.1%, Protestant 31.5%, no religion 15.5%, other 10.5%, and other Christian 1.7% (2010)
Quality of governance (100 = best)
- Rule of law, score 0–100
- 52.5 2025
- Control of corruption, score 0–100
- 45.2 2025
- Government effectiveness, score 0–100
- 48.6 2025
- Regulatory quality, score 0–100
- 46.1 2025
- Voice and accountability, score 0–100
- 61.6 2025
Size and growth
- GDP per person at purchasing power parity
- $14,966 2025
- GDP growth per year
- +2.8% 2025
Income and prices
- Income level (World Bank)
- Upper-middle income
- Gross national income per person
- $7,530 2025
- Inflation
- +1.1% 2025
- Price level, USA = 100
- 53 2025
Structure and jobs
- Agriculture, share of GDP
- 8% 2024
- Industry, share of GDP
- 14.6% 2024
- Services, share of GDP
- 62.4% 2024
- Unemployment
- 8.9% 2025
- Youth unemployment, ages 15–24
- 19.3% 2025
- Women in work or seeking work
- 46.5% 2025
Trade and finance
- Exports, share of GDP
- 55.2% 2024
- Imports, share of GDP
- 53.8% 2024
- Current account balance, share of GDP
- -2.8% 2025
- Foreign direct investment, share of GDP
- 0% 2025
- Remittances received, share of GDP
- 3.7% 2025
- Tax revenue, share of GDP
- 21.4% 2017
Poverty and inequality
- Gini index (0 = full equality)
- 39.9 2018
- Living on under $3 a day
- 1% 2018
Education
- Adult literacy
- 87.9% 2022
- Primary school enrolment
- 96.5% 2024
- Secondary school enrolment
- 86.5% 2024
- Higher education enrolment
- 24.8% 2024
- Public spending on education, share of GDP
- 4.6% 2024
Healthcare
- Health spending, share of GDP
- 4.2% 2023
- Health spending per person
- $309 2023
- Out-of-pocket health spending, share of total
- 26.8% 2023
- Doctors per 1,000 people
- 1.1 2018
- Nurses and midwives per 1,000 people
- 2.1 2023
- Hospital beds per 1,000 people
- 1 2023
- Children vaccinated against measles
- 84% 2024
Public health
- Infant deaths per 1,000 births
- 10.8 2024
- Deaths under age 5 per 1,000 births
- 12.7 2024
- Maternal deaths per 100,000 births
- 67 2023
- HIV prevalence, ages 15–49
- 1.2% 2024
- Diabetes prevalence, ages 20–79
- 14.1% 2024
- Overweight adults
- 72.8% 2022
- Adults who use tobacco
- 8.5% 2024
Living conditions
- Access to safe drinking water
- 94.8% 2024
- Access to basic sanitation
- 84.3% 2024
- Access to clean cooking fuels
- 89% 2024
Safety
- Homicides per 100,000 people
- 28.1 2022
- Road deaths per 100,000 people
- 22.6 2019
- Suicides per 100,000 people
- 4.2 2021
- Political stability and absence of violence, score 0–100
- 79.8 2025
- Natural hazards
- tropical cyclones and floods
Air and emissions
- Air pollution PM2.5, µg/m³
- 16.8 2023
- CO₂ emissions, tonnes per person
- 0.9 2024
- All greenhouse gases, tonnes CO₂e per person
- 2.5 2024
Nature and water
- Forest cover
- 58% 2024
- Protected areas
- 26.8% 2025
- Renewable fresh water, m³ per person
- 37,891 2022
- Water stress, share of fresh water withdrawn
- 1.3% 2022
Internet and communications
- Using the internet
- 80% 2024
- Mobile subscriptions per 100 people
- 67 2022
- Home broadband per 100 people
- 9.8 2022
- Internet domain
- .bz
Energy
- Access to electricity
- 99.6% 2024
- Renewable share of energy use
- 30.8% 2022
- Electricity from renewables
- 92.9% 2021
- Electricity from fossil fuels
- 7.1% 2021
Transport
- Air passengers per year
- 776,198 2023
- Airports
- 27 2025
Science and innovation
- Scientific articles per year
- 18 2023
- Patent applications by residents
- 1 2006
- High-tech share of manufactured exports
- 0% 2024