Share of population living in urban and rural areas in Belize
Belize: Share of population living in urban and rural areas was 41.6% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Latest (2025)
41.6%
Change on year
down 0.5%
World rank
182nd
of 236 countries
All-time high
54.9%
in 1950
All-time low
41.6%
in 2025
Years of data
76
1950–2025
Share of population living in urban and rural areas in Belize, 1950–2025
Source: United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for share of population living in urban and rural areas in Belize is 41.6%, measured in 2025. That is the lowest value across all 76 years on record.
That represents a change of down 0.5% on the previous year and down 5.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of population living in urban and rural areas in Belize peaked at 54.9% in 1950 and was at its lowest, 41.6%, in 2025.
Belize ranks 182nd of 236 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 76 years of available data.
Share of population living in urban and rural areas in Belize, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 54.9% | — |
| 1951 | 54.7% | -0.3% |
| 1952 | 54.5% | -0.3% |
| 1953 | 54.4% | -0.3% |
| 1954 | 54.3% | -0.2% |
| 1955 | 54.1% | -0.2% |
| 1956 | 54.0% | -0.2% |
| 1957 | 54.0% | -0.1% |
| 1958 | 53.9% | -0.1% |
| 1959 | 53.9% | -0.1% |
| 1960 | 53.9% | -0.0% |
| 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 65.5%, 63% of the median. (58 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 54.3% | 53.9% | 54.9% | 10 |
| 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 population data for Belize
- Population regions with projections, annual growth rate -0.7058 % change on previous year (2100)
- Urban and rural population 2050, annual growth rate -0.0228 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population long run with projections, annual growth rate -0.7058 % change on previous year (2100)
- Un population 2024 vs 2022, annual growth rate -0.2549 % change on previous year (2100)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 05 - Demographic estimates 538.84 Persons (2050)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 03 - Annual population 1.23 Percent per annum (2030)
- Projected population under age 5, annual growth rate -1.18 % change on previous year (2100)
- World population growth -0.7% (2100)
- Population density 19.61 people per km² (2100)
- Number of children under 5, by world region 17,603 people (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of population living in urban and rural areas in Belize?
- Share of population living in urban and rural areas in Belize was 41.6% in 2025, according to United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of population living in urban and rural areas recorded in Belize?
- The highest recorded value was 54.9% in 1950.
- What is the lowest share of population living in urban and rural areas recorded in Belize?
- The lowest recorded value was 41.6% in 2025.
- How does Belize rank for share of population living in urban and rural areas?
- Belize ranks 182nd out of 236 countries with data for 2025.
- Is share of population living in urban and rural areas 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 United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of population living in urban and rural areas. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 76 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Share of the population living in urban areas, based on each country's national definition.