Polity · 1983 CE – present
Belize
- Peak recorded area
- 22,092 km²
- 1886 CE
- Rulers on record
- 7
- from 1952 CE
- Data series
- 334
- 1983 CE–2025 CE
Overview
Belize is a country on the north-eastern coast of Central America. It is bordered by Mexico to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the east, and Guatemala to the west and south. It also shares a maritime boundary with Honduras to the southeast. Part of the Caribbean region, Belize is a member of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) and the Commonwealth Caribbean, the historical British West Indies.
Lead section from Wikipedia, reused under CC BY-SA 4.0. Read the article.
Territory
3 dated territorial extents on record from CShapes 2.0. Areas are measured off the recorded polygons; the line steps because each extent holds until the next one is recorded — nothing is interpolated. Cliopatria holds 2 further extents, measured on a different basis and deliberately not merged into this series.
The record
The best-attested series in each category; where several projects publish the same quantity, the one with the most observations is shown. Each row is the most recent value the record holds at or before the last complete year, shown with the year that value belongs to. Some statistical series also publish forward projections — the year column is the honest guide. Nothing on this page is interpolated or estimated by us.
People
6 of 57 series| Series | Value · year · source |
|---|---|
| Life Expectancy165 obs · 1950 CE–2025 CE | 73.9years2025 CE · UN World Population Prospects 2024 |
| Population143 obs · 1950 CE–2025 CE | 422.9Kpersons2025 CE · UN World Population Prospects 2024 |
| Net Migration141 obs · 1950 CE–2025 CE | 360persons2025 CE · UN World Population Prospects 2024 |
| Population Growth141 obs · 1950 CE–2025 CE | 1.36% annual2025 CE · UN World Population Prospects 2024 |
| Life Expectancy Female140 obs · 1950 CE–2025 CE | 76.83years2025 CE · UN World Population Prospects 2024 |
| Life Expectancy Male140 obs · 1950 CE–2025 CE | 71.23years2025 CE · UN World Population Prospects 2024 |
Economy
6 of 137 series| Series | Value · year · source |
|---|---|
| GDP per capita PPP220 obs · 1800 CE–2019 CE | 8,736int'l $ (inflation adj.)2019 CE · Gapminder |
| GDP Current Usd111 obs · 1960 CE–2025 CE | 3.3Bcurrent US$2025 CE · World Bank World Development Indicators |
| Fao Cattle Stocks64 obs · 1961 CE–2024 CE | 99Khead2024 CE · FAOSTAT |
| Fao Cereals Area Harvested64 obs · 1961 CE–2024 CE | 39.4Kha2024 CE · FAOSTAT |
| Fao Cereals Production64 obs · 1961 CE–2024 CE | 145.8Ktonnes2024 CE · FAOSTAT |
| Fao Cereals Yield64 obs · 1961 CE–2024 CE | 3,698hg_per_ha2024 CE · FAOSTAT |
Military
6 of 17 series| Series | Value · year · source |
|---|---|
| Military Expenditure % GDP84 obs · 1978 CE–2024 CE | 0.8989% of GDP2024 CE · SIPRI Military Expenditure Database |
| Military Expenditure Constant Usd42 obs · 1978 CE–2024 CE | 29.17millions_usd_20232024 CE · SIPRI Military Expenditure Database |
| Military Expenditure Usd42 obs · 1978 CE–2024 CE | 30.1Mcurrent US$2024 CE · World Bank World Development Indicators |
| CINC Score36 obs · 1981 CE–2016 CE | 0CINC (share of world capability)2016 CE · Correlates of War NMC v6.0 |
| Energy Consumption36 obs · 1981 CE–2016 CE | 238Kcoal-ton equivalents2016 CE · Correlates of War NMC v6.0 |
| Iron Steel Production36 obs · 1981 CE–2016 CE | 0tons2016 CE · Correlates of War NMC v6.0 |
Territory & resources
6 of 55 series| Series | Value · year · source |
|---|---|
| Arable Land %126 obs · 1961 CE–2023 CE | 4.38% of land area2023 CE · World Bank World Development Indicators |
| Forest Area %68 obs · 1990 CE–2023 CE | 54.52% of land area2023 CE · World Bank World Development Indicators |
| Agricultural Land %63 obs · 1961 CE–2023 CE | 7.98%2023 CE · World Bank World Development Indicators |
| Arable Land per capita Ha63 obs · 1961 CE–2023 CE | 0.2432hectares per person2023 CE · World Bank World Development Indicators |
| Fao Agricultural Land63 obs · 1961 CE–2023 CE | 182Kha2023 CE · FAOSTAT |
| Fao Arable Land63 obs · 1961 CE–2023 CE | 100Kha2023 CE · FAOSTAT |
Governance
6 of 20 series| Series | Value · year · source |
|---|---|
| Legislature Total Seats49 obs · 1975 CE–2023 CE | 31seats2023 CE · Database of Political Institutions (DPI) 2023 |
| Num Government Parties49 obs · 1975 CE–2023 CE | 26count2023 CE · Database of Political Institutions (DPI) 2023 |
| Num Opposition Parties49 obs · 1975 CE–2023 CE | 5count2023 CE · Database of Political Institutions (DPI) 2023 |
| Largest Govt Party Vote Share46 obs · 1975 CE–2023 CE | 59.6percent2023 CE · Database of Political Institutions (DPI) 2023 |
| Largest Opposition Vote Share46 obs · 1975 CE–2023 CE | 38.8percent2023 CE · Database of Political Institutions (DPI) 2023 |
| Checks And Balances42 obs · 1982 CE–2023 CE | 2count2023 CE · Database of Political Institutions (DPI) 2023 |
Development
6 of 48 series| Series | Value · year · source |
|---|---|
| Tech Railway Line Km119 obs · 1875 CE–1993 CE | 0km1993 CE · CHAT (Comin-Hobijn) |
| Mobile Subscriptions Per 10051 obs · 1960 CE–2022 CE | 67.18per_1002022 CE · World Bank World Development Indicators |
| Primary Enrollment Gross %51 obs · 1971 CE–2024 CE | 96.48%2024 CE · World Bank World Development Indicators |
| Dpt Immunization %45 obs · 1980 CE–2024 CE | 88%2024 CE · World Bank World Development Indicators |
| Measles Immunization %45 obs · 1980 CE–2024 CE | 84%2024 CE · World Bank World Development Indicators |
| Tech Fertilizer Use41 obs · 1961 CE–2001 CE | 4,700metric tons2001 CE · CHAT (Comin-Hobijn) |
Rulers
7 on record with dated reigns. Reign years follow the house convention: BCE years are negative.
- Elizabeth IIHead of State1952 CE – 2022 CE
- Manuel EsquivelHead of Government1984 CE – 1989 CE
- George Cadle PriceHead of Government1989 CE – 1993 CE
- Said MusaHead of Government1998 CE – 2008 CE
- Dean BarrowHead of Government2008 CE – 2020 CE
- Johnny BriceñoHead of Government2020 CE –
- Charles IIIHead of State2022 CE –
Country profile
From the CIA World Factbook 2024. Long entries are trimmed at a sentence boundary.
- Location
- Central America, bordering the Caribbean Sea, between Guatemala and Mexico
- Government type
- parliamentary democracy (National Assembly) under a constitutional monarchy; a Commonwealth realm
- Executive branch
- chief of state: King CHARLES III (since 8 September 2022); represented by Governor-General Froyla TZALAM (since 27 May 2021); head of government: Prime Minister John BRICEÑO (since 12 November 2020); cabinet: governor general appoints Cabinet from among members of the National Assembly, on the advice of the prime minister ;
- 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% (2010 est.)
- Natural resources
- arable land potential, timber, fish, hydropower
- Economy
- tourism- and agriculture-driven economy; strong post-pandemic rebound; innovative and ecological bond restructuring that significantly lowered public debt and expanded marine protections; central bank offering USD-denominated treasury notes; high mobility across borders
Language & currency
- Official & national languages
- English
- Currency
- Belizean dollars (BZD)
Memberships
- United NationsUNInternational organisation · member1981 CE –
- 35-member Defense Pact (1947)Military alliance · member1991 CE –
Sources
Every figure above comes from one of these. Nothing on this page is estimated, interpolated or model-generated.
CHAT (Comin-Hobijn)2009 (FinalCHAT_72909)
Comin, D. & Hobijn, B. (2009). The CHAT Dataset. NBER Working Paper 15319.
NBER research data, freely downloadable
CIA World Factbook 2024
Correlates of War NMC v6.0v6.0
Singer, J.D. (1987). National Material Capabilities Data (NMC), v6.0. Correlates of War Project.
Free academic use, citation
CShapes 2.02.0
Schvitz, G. et al. (2022). Mapping the International System, 1886-2019: The CShapes 2.0 Dataset. Journal of Conflict Resolution 66(1).
CC BY-NC-SA 4.0
Database of Political Institutions (DPI) 2023DPI 2023
Cruz, C., Keefer, P. & Scartascini, C. (2023). Database of Political Institutions 2023. Inter-American Development Bank.
IDB open data, attribution
FAOSTAT2024 release
FAO (2024). FAOSTAT Statistical Database. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Rome.
CC BY 4.0
Gapminderv14 / systema globalis
Gapminder Foundation. Gapminder systema globalis dataset.
CC BY 4.0
SIPRI Military Expenditure Database2024
SIPRI (2024). Military Expenditure Database.
Free for non-commercial use, attribution
UN World Population Prospects 20242024
United Nations, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division (2024). World Population Prospects 2024.
CC BY 3.0 IGO
Wikipedia contributors. Article lead sections, reused under CC BY-SA 4.0.
CC BY-SA 4.0
World Bank World Development Indicators2024 release
World Bank (2024). World Development Indicators. Washington, DC.
CC BY 4.0