Unemployment rates: modeled vs. national estimates in Belize

Belize: Unemployment rates: modeled vs. national estimates was 9.1% in 2019. ▼ Falling

Latest (2019)
9.1%
Change on year
down 3.1%
World rank
38th
of 185 countries
All-time high
14.3%
in 1998
All-time low
6.6%
in 2017
Years of data
21
1993–2019

Unemployment rates: modeled vs. national estimates in Belize, 1993–2019

0510151993200620191993: 9.8 %1994: 11.1 %1995: 12.5 %1996: 13.8 %1997: 12.7 %1998: 14.3 %1999: 12.8 %2001: 9.1 %2002: 10 %2005: 10.9 %2006: 9.4 %2007: 8.5 %2008: 8.2 %2012: 14.3 %2013: 8.3 %2014: 8.2 %2015: 7.6 %2016: 7 %2017: 6.6 %2018: 9.3 %2019: 9.1 %

Source: Labour Force Statistics, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in %.

Analysis

In 2019, unemployment rates: modeled vs. national estimates in Belize stood at 9.1%.

That represents a change of down 3.1% on the previous year and up 10.6% over ten years.

Over the whole period, unemployment rates: modeled vs. national estimates in Belize peaked at 14.3% in 1998 and was at its lowest, 6.6%, in 2017.

Belize ranks 38th of 185 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 21 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 12.4% 9.8% 14.3% 7
2000s 9.3% 8.2% 10.9% 6
2010s 8.8% 6.6% 14.3% 8

Countries ranked near Belize

  1. 35 Finland 9.7% compare
  2. 36 American Samoa 9.2% compare
  3. 37 Greenland 9.1% compare
  4. 39 Bermuda 9.0% compare
  5. 40 Aruba 8.9% compare
  6. 41 Chile 8.9% compare

See the full ranking of 185 places →

More reference data data for Belize

All data for Belize →

Frequently asked questions

What is unemployment rates: modeled vs. national estimates in Belize?
Unemployment rates: modeled vs. national estimates in Belize was 9.1% in 2019, according to Labour Force Statistics, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest unemployment rates: modeled vs. national estimates recorded in Belize?
The highest recorded value was 14.3% in 1998.
What is the lowest unemployment rates: modeled vs. national estimates recorded in Belize?
The lowest recorded value was 6.6% in 2017.
How does Belize rank for unemployment rates: modeled vs. national estimates?
Belize ranks 38th out of 185 countries with data for 2019.
Is unemployment rates: modeled vs. national estimates rising or falling in Belize?
Over the last ten years it is up 10.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Belize data come from?
The figures come from Labour Force Statistics, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Unemployment rates: modeled vs. national estimates. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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CSV · JSON — 21 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).

About this data

Indicator
Unemployment rates: modeled vs. national estimates
Unit
%
Source
Labour Force Statistics, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
185 places, 5,169 data points, 1960–2025
Last refreshed

Share of the labor force without work, but actively looking for a job and available to start soon. Figures refer to national estimates and may not be fully comparable across countries.