BZ
Health · Latin America & Caribbean · Upper-middle income
Belize: health in numbers
Life expectancy is 73.7 yrs (2024), 120th of 217 in the world and 29th of 42 in Latin America & Caribbean. Life expectancy, women is 76.7 yrs (2024), 122nd of 217 in the world and 30th of 42 in Latin America & Caribbean. Life expectancy, men is 71.1 yrs (2024), 111th of 217 in the world and 25th of 42 in Latin America & Caribbean.
Life expectancy
BelizeLatin America & CaribbeanUpper-middle incomeWorld
Life expectancy, women
BelizeLatin America & CaribbeanUpper-middle incomeWorld
18 indicators
Health: Belize in detail
Latest reported value, world rank and rank within Latin America & Caribbean; values around 2000, 2010, 2020; group and world columns are World Bank aggregates.
| Indicator | Latest | World rank | In region | ~2000 | ~2010 | ~2020 | 10-year change | Region | Income group | World | Since 2000 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancyLife expectancy at birth, years | 73.7 yrs2024 | 120/217 | 29/42 | 68.9 yrs | 70.9 yrs | 71.6 yrs | +3.2%since 2014 | 75.8 yrs | 76.0 yrs | 73.5 yrs | |
| Life expectancy, womenLife expectancy at birth, women, years | 76.7 yrs2024 | 122/217 | 30/42 | 71.6 yrs | 73.7 yrs | 74.5 yrs | +2.8%since 2014 | 78.7 yrs | 78.9 yrs | 76.0 yrs | |
| Life expectancy, menLife expectancy at birth, men, years | 71.1 yrs2024 | 111/217 | 25/42 | 66.6 yrs | 68.5 yrs | 69.0 yrs | +3.3%since 2014 | 72.9 yrs | 73.3 yrs | 71.1 yrs | |
| Infant mortalityInfant mortality, per 1,000 live births | 10.82024 | 110/196 | 23/35 | 19.6 | 15.5 | 11.1 | −21%since 2014 | 13.3 | 10.9 | 27.7 | |
| Under-5 mortalityUnder-5 mortality, per 1,000 live births | 12.72024 | 109/196 | 21/35 | 24.5 | 18.8 | 13.2 | −22%since 2014 | 15.4 | 13.1 | 37.4 | |
| Neonatal mortalityNeonatal mortality, per 1,000 live births | 9.22024 | 87/196 | 13/35 | 12.1 | 10.4 | 9.5 | −15%since 2014 | 8.3 | 6.8 | 17.2 | |
| Maternal mortalityMaternal mortality, per 100,000 live births | 672023 | 80/194 | 11/34 | 78 | 41 | 88 | +63%since 2013 | 77 | 57 | 197 | |
| Measles vaccinationMeasles immunisation, % of children 12–23 months | 84%2024 | 130/193 | 22/33 | 96% | 98% | 82% | −11.0 ppsince 2014 | 86% | 90% | 84% | |
| HIV prevalenceHIV prevalence, % of people 15–49 | 1.2%2024 | 31/153 | 4/29 | 1.1% | 1.5% | 1.2% | −0.2 ppsince 2014 | 0.6% | — | 0.7% | |
| TuberculosisTuberculosis incidence, per 100,000 people | 342024 | 115/208 | 17/40 | 113 | 75 | 34 | +9.7%since 2014 | 51 | 92 | 131 | |
| Health spendingCurrent health expenditure, % of GDP | 4.1%2023 | 152/193 | 29/33 | 2.9% | 4.5% | 5.3% | −0.3 ppsince 2013 | 7.9% | 6.0% | 10.1% | |
| Out-of-pocket spendingOut-of-pocket health spending, % of health expenditure | 26.8%2023 | 104/193 | 21/33 | 38.1% | 24.6% | 20.8% | +1.4 ppsince 2013 | 29.7% | 31.2% | 17.3% | |
| PhysiciansPhysicians per 1,000 people | 1.092018 | 108/180 | 25/29 | 1.04 | 0.772009 | 1.092018 | +4.2%since 2000 | 2.57 | 2.41 | 1.86 | |
| Hospital bedsHospital beds per 1,000 people | 1.02023 | 145/182 | 28/33 | · | 1.1 | 1.0 | −8.3%since 2013 | 2.0 | 4.5 | 3.3 | |
| Basic waterBasic drinking water, % of population | 94.8%2024 | 128/206 | 28/35 | 89.4% | 91.9% | 94.4% | +2.0 ppsince 2014 | 97.6% | 95.9% | 91.5% | |
| Basic sanitationBasic sanitation, % of population | 84.3%2024 | 135/203 | 28/34 | 84.0% | 84.0% | 84.1% | +0.3 ppsince 2014 | 90.3% | 94.2% | 82.2% | |
| Tobacco useTobacco use, % of adults | 8.5%2024 | 142/166 | 16/22 | 13.8% | 11.2% | 9.1% | −2.7 ppsince 2010 | 13.6% | 21.5% | 20.3% | |
| Road deathsRoad traffic deaths, per 100,000 people | 22.62019 | 56/186 | 5/32 | 29.5 | 14.0 | 22.62019 | +35%since 2009 | 17.3 | 17.2 | 16.7 |
Source: World Bank, World Development Indicators (CC BY 4.0)“·” — no value reported within two years of that date. World rank counts countries with a recent value.
Better than ten years ago
- Life expectancy+3.2%73.7 yrs in 2024
- Life expectancy, women+2.8%76.7 yrs in 2024
- Life expectancy, men+3.3%71.1 yrs in 2024
- Infant mortality−21%10.8 in 2024
Worse than ten years ago
- Maternal mortality+63%67 in 2023
- Measles vaccination−11.0 pp84% in 2024
- Tuberculosis+9.7%34 in 2024
- Out-of-pocket spending+1.4 pp26.8% in 2023
Only indicators where higher or lower is clearly better are rated (for example, unemployment down is better, life expectancy up is better).
neighbours
Belize and its neighbours
Countries sharing a land border with Belize. Latest values since 2005; the highest in each row is marked.
| Indicator | Belize | Mexico | Guatemala |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy | 73.7 yrs2024 | 75.3 yrs2024 | 72.7 yrs2024 |
| Life expectancy, women | 76.7 yrs2024 | 78.0 yrs2024 | 75.0 yrs2024 |
| Life expectancy, men | 71.1 yrs2024 | 72.4 yrs2024 | 70.4 yrs2024 |
| Infant mortality | 10.82024 | 12.12024 | 17.22024 |
| Under-5 mortality | 12.72024 | 13.12024 | 20.52024 |
| Neonatal mortality | 9.22024 | 8.22024 | 9.52024 |
| Maternal mortality | 672023 | 422023 | 942023 |
| Measles vaccination | 84%2024 | 80%2024 | 90%2024 |
| HIV prevalence | 1.2%2024 | 0.5%2024 | 0.2%2024 |