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Belize
Belize
Population
417.1K
Rank #174Source: World Bank
Capital
Belmopan
Source: REST Countries
Region
Americas
Latin America & Caribbean
Source: REST Countries
GDP (Nominal)
$3.20B
Rank #167Source: World Bank
Land Area
23.0K km²
Rank #148Source: REST Countries
Life Expectancy
73.566 yrs
Source: World Bank
Historical Trends
Population Trend (5-Year)
Source: World Bank
GDP Trend (5-Year, Nominal USD)
Source: World Bank
Geography
Area: 22,966 km²
Landlocked: No
Independent: Yes
Climate: tropical; very hot and humid; rainy season (May to November); dry season (February to May)
Terrain: flat, swampy coastal plain; low mountains in south
Elevation: mean elevation: 173 m lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m highest point: Doyle's Delight 1,124 m
Natural Hazards: frequent, devastating hurricanes (June to November) and coastal flooding (especially in south)
Environmental Issues: deforestation; water pollution, including pollution of Belize's Barrier Reef System, from sewage, industrial effluents, agricultural runoff; inability to properly dispose of solid waste
Land Use: agricultural land: 6.9% (2011 est.) forest: 60.6% (2011 est.) other: 32.5% (2011 est.)
Geography Note: only country in Central America without a coastline on the North Pacific Ocean
Natural Resources
arable land potentialtimberfishhydropower
People & Society
Fertility Rate
2.01
Population
417.1K
Ethnic Groups
mestizo (52.9%)Creole (25.9%)Maya (11.3%)Garifuna (6.1%)East Indian (3.9%)Mennonite (3.6%)White (1.2%)Asian (1%)other (1.2%)unknown 0.3%
note: percentages add up to more than (100%)
Religions
Roman Catholic (40.1%)Protestant 31.5% (includes Pentecostal (8.4%)Seventh Day Adventist (5.4%)Anglican (4.7%)Mennonite (3.7%)Baptist (3.6%)Methodist (2.9%)Nazarene (2.8%)Jehovah's Witness (1.7%)other (10.5%)unspecified (0.6%)none (15.5%)
Economy
GDP per Capita
$7,681.244
GDP per Capita PPP
14,346.519
(2024)
(2024)
GNI per Capita
7,150
(2024)
(2024)
Gini Index
39.9
(2018)
(2018)
Unemployment
8.698%
(2024)
(2024)
Inflation
3.29%
(2024)
(2024)
Public Debt
61.031%
(2014)
(2014)
Energy
Electricity Access
99.6%
(2023)
(2023)
Renewable Energy
30.8%
(2022)
(2022)
CO₂ Emissions
0.389 Mt
(2024)
(2024)
Energy Intensity
4.29 MJ/$
(2022)
(2022)
Renewable Electricity
92.86%
(2021)
(2021)
Environment
Forest Coverage
54.519% of land
(2023)
(2023)
Communications
Internet Users
72.36%
(2023)
(2023)
Mobile Penetration
67.175%
(2022)
(2022)
Broadband Subscribers
9.754%
(2022)
(2022)
Transportation
Air Transport Freight
3.448 M ton-km
(2023)
(2023)
Container Port Traffic
20,259 TEU
(2019)
(2019)
Airports
93,784
Rail Lines
N/A
Roads Total
N/A
Military
Military Forces
Belize Defense Force (BDF): Army, Air Wing; Belize Coast Guard
Personnel Strength
the Belize Defense Force (BDF) has approximately 1,300 active Army personnel; 150 Belize Coast Guard
Military Expenditure (USD)
$0.03B
Military Expenditure (% of GDP)
0.90%
Military Expenditure History
1.2% of GDP (2019) 1.3% of GDP (2018) 1.6% of GDP (2017) 1.2% of GDP (2016) 1.1% of GDP (2015)
Equipment & Inventories
the BDF's inventory is limited and consists mostly of equipment from the UK and US (2019 est.)
Service Age & Obligation
18 years of age for voluntary military service; laws allow for conscription only if volunteers are insufficient; conscription has never been implemented; volunteers typically outnumber available...
Education
Pre-Primary Enrollment
34.167%
(2021)
(2021)
Primary Enrollment
96.482%
(2024)
(2024)
Secondary Enrollment
86.457%
(2024)
(2024)
Tertiary Enrollment
24.81%
(2024)
(2024)
Education Spending
4.623% of GDP
(2024)
(2024)
Adult Literacy Rate
87.88%
(2022)
(2022)
Pupil-Teacher Ratio
19.783:1
(2018)
(2018)
Health
Physicians per 1,000
1.086
(2018)
(2018)
Safe Water Access
94.847%
(2024)
(2024)
Safe Drinking Water
Not Available
Under-5 Mortality
12.7 per 1,000
(2023)
(2023)
Maternal Mortality (World Bank)
19.371 per 100,000
(2021)
(2021)
Hospital Beds per 1,000
73.321
(2021)
(2021)
UHC Coverage Index
70
(2023)
(2023)
Measles Immunization
88%
(2024)
(2024)
Social Indicators
Extreme Poverty Rate
1%
(2018)
(2018)
Food Insecurity
7%
(2023)
(2023)
Youth NEET Rate
19.303%
(2019)
(2019)
Governance
Women in Government
15.625%
(2024)
(2024)
Voice & Accountability
0.54
(Above Average)
(2023)
(Above Average)
(2023)
Political Stability
0.58
(Above Average)
(2023)
(Above Average)
(2023)
Government Effectiveness
-0.38
(Below Average)
(2023)
(Below Average)
(2023)
Regulatory Quality
-0.43
(Below Average)
(2023)
(Below Average)
(2023)
Rule of Law
-0.64
(Below Average)
(2023)
(Below Average)
(2023)
Control of Corruption
-0.23
(Below Average)
(2023)
(Below Average)
(2023)
Government
Government Type
parliamentary democracy (National Assembly) under a constitutional monarchy; a Commonwealth realm
Legal System
English common law
Executive Branch
chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952); represented by Governor General Sir Colville Norbert YOUNG, Sr. (since 17 November 1993) head of government: Prime Minister Juan Antonio...
Legislative Branch
description: bicameral National Assembly consists of:Senate (14 seats, including the president); members appointed by the governor general - 6 on the advice of the prime minister, 3 on the advice of...
Judicial Branch
highest courts: Supreme Court of Judicature (consists of the Court of Appeal with the court president and 3 justices, and the Supreme Court with the chief justice and 10 justices); note - in 2010,...
National Symbols
Flag Description
royal blue with a narrow red stripe along the top and the bottom edges; centered is a large white disk bearing the coat of arms; the coat of arms features a shield flanked by two workers in front of...
National Symbols
Baird's tapir (a large, browsing, forest-dwelling mammal), keel-billed toucan, Black Orchid; national colors: red, blue
National Anthem
name: Land of the Free lyrics/music: Samuel Alfred HAYNES/Selwyn Walford YOUNG note: adopted 1981; as a Commonwealth country, in addition to the national anthem, "God Save the Queen" serves as the...
Safety
Homicide Rate
28.058 per 100,000
(2022)
(2022)
Travel Information
Language(s): Belizean Creole, English, Spanish
Currency: BZD ($)
Timezone(s): UTC-06:00
Landlocked: No
Independent: Yes
Driving Side: Right
Calling Code: +501
Car Sign: BH
Week Starts: Monday
Photos
CIA World Factbook • 2020
Chetumal Bay lies on the border between Mexico and Belize. To the east of the bay, Ambergris Cay (in Belize) connects the Belize Barrier Reef to the Yucatan Peninsula (Mexico). The north of the island is Bacalar Chico Marine Reserve. Here, the barrier reef comes very close to the east side of the island. Image courtesy of NASA.
Chetumal Bay lies on the border between Mexico and Belize. To the east of the bay, Ambergris Cay (in Belize) connects the Belize Barrier Reef to the Yucatan Peninsula (Mexico). The north of the island is Bacalar Chico Marine Reserve. Here, the barrier reef comes very close to the east side of the island. Image courtesy of NASA. • CIA World Factbook • 2020
2 photos available
Data sources: World Bank, UN Data • Updated daily •Learn about our data