Belize: Facts & Stats

Written and fact-checked by The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Last Updated: Dec 11, 2025

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Taiwan thanks eight allies for support at Interpol meeting • Dec. 9, 2025, 11:59 PM ET (Taipei Times)

Belize gov’t assures public of safe drinking water • Nov. 28, 2025, 5:48 AM ET (The Gleaner)

Also Known As	Belice • British Honduras
Head Of Government	Prime Minister: John Briceño
Capital	Belmopan
Population	(2025 est.) 417,300
Head Of State	British Monarch: King Charles III, represented by Governor-General: Froyla Tzalam
Form Of Government	constitutional monarchy with two legislative houses (Senate [12^{1, 2}]; House of Representatives [31²])
Official Language	English
Official Religion	none
Official Name	Belize
Total Area (Sq Km)	22,965
Total Area (Sq Mi)	8,867
Monetary Unit	Belize dollar (BZ$)
Population Rank	(2025) 178
Population Projection 2030	491,000
Density: Persons Per Sq Mi	(2025) 47.1
Density: Persons Per Sq Km	(2025) 18.2
Urban-Rural Population	Urban: (2022) 44.6% • Rural: (2022) 55.4%
Life Expectancy At Birth	Male: (2022) 74.2 years • Female: (2022) 77.5 years
Literacy: Percentage Of Population Age 15 And Over Literate	Male: (2022) 86.6% • Female: (2022) 86.8%
Gni (U.S.$ ’000,000)	(2023) 2,955
Gni Per Capita (U.S.$)	(2023) 7,190
¹All seats are nonelected.²Excludes speaker, who may be designated from outside either legislative house.