Urban population in Belize
Belize: Urban population was 41.6% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Urban population in Belize, 1960–2025
Source: World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN). Measured in % of total population.
Analysis
Belize recorded 41.6% for urban population in 2025. That is the lowest value across all 66 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.5% on the previous year and down 5.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, urban population in Belize peaked at 54.3% in 1970 and was at its lowest, 41.6%, in 2025.
That places Belize 170th out of 218 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 66 years of available data.
Urban population in Belize, year by year
| Year | % of total population | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 53.9% | — |
| 1961 | 53.9% | +0.0% |
| 1962 | 53.9% | +0.1% |
| 1963 | 54.0% | +0.1% |
| 1964 | 54.0% | +0.1% |
| 1965 | 54.1% | +0.1% |
| 1966 | 54.1% | +0.1% |
| 1967 | 54.2% | +0.1% |
| 1968 | 54.2% | +0.1% |
| 1969 | 54.2% | +0.0% |
| 1970 | 54.3% | +0.0% |
| 1971 | 54.2% | -0.1% |
| 1972 | 54.1% | -0.3% |
| 1973 | 53.9% | -0.4% |
| 1974 | 53.6% | -0.5% |
| 1975 | 53.3% | -0.5% |
| 1976 | 53.0% | -0.6% |
| 1977 | 52.7% | -0.6% |
| 1978 | 52.3% | -0.6% |
| 1979 | 52.0% | -0.6% |
| 1980 | 51.7% | -0.6% |
| 1981 | 51.3% | -0.7% |
| 1982 | 50.8% | -0.9% |
| 1983 | 50.3% | -1.0% |
| 1984 | 49.8% | -1.1% |
| 1985 | 49.3% | -1.1% |
| 1986 | 48.8% | -1.1% |
| 1987 | 48.3% | -1.0% |
| 1988 | 47.9% | -0.8% |
| 1989 | 47.6% | -0.7% |
| 1990 | 47.4% | -0.4% |
| 1991 | 47.3% | -0.1% |
| 1992 | 47.3% | +0.0% |
| 1993 | 47.4% | +0.1% |
| 1994 | 47.4% | +0.1% |
| 1995 | 47.5% | +0.1% |
| 1996 | 47.5% | +0.1% |
| 1997 | 47.6% | +0.1% |
| 1998 | 47.6% | +0.1% |
| 1999 | 47.7% | +0.1% |
| 2000 | 47.7% | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 47.6% | -0.1% |
| 2002 | 47.5% | -0.3% |
| 2003 | 47.3% | -0.4% |
| 2004 | 47.0% | -0.5% |
| 2005 | 46.7% | -0.6% |
| 2006 | 46.4% | -0.7% |
| 2007 | 46.1% | -0.7% |
| 2008 | 45.8% | -0.7% |
| 2009 | 45.5% | -0.7% |
| 2010 | 45.2% | -0.6% |
| 2011 | 44.9% | -0.6% |
| 2012 | 44.7% | -0.6% |
| 2013 | 44.4% | -0.6% |
| 2014 | 44.2% | -0.6% |
| 2015 | 43.9% | -0.6% |
| 2016 | 43.7% | -0.6% |
| 2017 | 43.4% | -0.6% |
| 2018 | 43.2% | -0.6% |
| 2019 | 42.9% | -0.6% |
| 2020 | 42.6% | -0.6% |
| 2021 | 42.4% | -0.6% |
| 2022 | 42.1% | -0.6% |
| 2023 | 41.9% | -0.5% |
| 2024 | 41.8% | -0.5% |
| 2025 | 41.6% | -0.5% |
Belize compared with similar countries
- Belize's 41.6% is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 65.4%, 64% of the median. (59 countries reporting)
- Belize's 41.6% is below the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 72.0%, 58% of the median. (42 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 54.1% | 53.9% | 54.2% | 10 |
| 1970s | 53.3% | 52.0% | 54.3% | 10 |
| 1980s | 49.6% | 47.6% | 51.7% | 10 |
| 1990s | 47.5% | 47.3% | 47.7% | 10 |
| 2000s | 46.8% | 45.5% | 47.7% | 10 |
| 2010s | 44.1% | 42.9% | 45.2% | 10 |
| 2020s | 42.1% | 41.6% | 42.6% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Belize
More climate change data for Belize
- Nutrient nitrogen N (total) — Synthetic fertilizers (Agricultural) 5.79 million kg (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) 226.7 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 67.02 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 159.68 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 0.2529 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 5.7 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) 45.12 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 38.74 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 6.38 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions 0.1462 kt (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is urban population in Belize?
- Urban population in Belize was 41.6% in 2025, according to World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN).
- What is the highest urban population recorded in Belize?
- The highest recorded value was 54.3% in 1970.
- What is the lowest urban population recorded in Belize?
- The lowest recorded value was 41.6% in 2025.
- How does Belize rank for urban population?
- Belize ranks 170th out of 218 countries with data for 2025.
- Is urban population rising or falling in Belize?
- Over the last ten years it is down 5.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Belize data come from?
- The figures come from World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN), published as part of Urban population (% of total population). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 66 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Urban population refers to people living in urban areas as defined by national statistical offices. The data are collected and smoothed by United Nations Population Division.