Share of marine territorial waters that are protected in Belize

Belize: Share of marine territorial waters that are protected was 20.4% in 2025. ▲ Rising

Latest (2025)
20.4%
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
29th
of 174 countries
All-time high
20.4%
in 2024
All-time low
6.9%
in 2013
Years of data
13
2013–2025

Share of marine territorial waters that are protected in Belize, 2013–2025

51015202013201920252013: 6.9 % of territorial waters2014: 10.1 % of territorial waters2015: 10.1 % of territorial waters2016: 10.1 % of territorial waters2017: 10.1 % of territorial waters2018: 10.1 % of territorial waters2019: 10.1 % of territorial waters2020: 11 % of territorial waters2021: 11 % of territorial waters2022: 11 % of territorial waters2023: 11 % of territorial waters2024: 20.4 % of territorial waters2025: 20.4 % of territorial waters

Source: Protected Planet WDPA and WD-OECM data, UNEP-WCMC and IUCN, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in % of territorial waters.

Analysis

Belize recorded 20.4% for share of marine territorial waters that are protected in 2025. That is the highest value across all 13 years on record.

That represents a change of up 102.0% over ten years.

Over the whole period, share of marine territorial waters that are protected in Belize peaked at 20.4% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 6.9%, in 2013.

That places Belize 29th out of 174 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 13 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2010s 9.6% 6.9% 10.1% 7
2020s 14.1% 11.0% 20.4% 6

Countries ranked near Belize

  1. 26 Ukraine 21.6% compare
  2. 27 Romania 21.5% compare
  3. 28 Bahrain 21.4% compare
  4. 30 Ecuador 19.3% compare
  5. 31 Estonia 19.2% compare
  6. 32 Spain 19.0% compare
  7. 32 United States 19.0% compare

See the full ranking of 174 places →

More reference data data for Belize

All data for Belize →

Frequently asked questions

What is share of marine territorial waters that are protected in Belize?
Share of marine territorial waters that are protected in Belize was 20.4% in 2025, according to Protected Planet WDPA and WD-OECM data, UNEP-WCMC and IUCN, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest share of marine territorial waters that are protected recorded in Belize?
The highest recorded value was 20.4% in 2024.
What is the lowest share of marine territorial waters that are protected recorded in Belize?
The lowest recorded value was 6.9% in 2013.
How does Belize rank for share of marine territorial waters that are protected?
Belize ranks 29th out of 174 countries with data for 2025.
Is share of marine territorial waters that are protected rising or falling in Belize?
Over the last ten years it is up 102.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Belize data come from?
The figures come from Protected Planet WDPA and WD-OECM data, UNEP-WCMC and IUCN, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of marine territorial waters that are protected. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 13 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).

About this data

Indicator
Share of marine territorial waters that are protected
Unit
% of territorial waters
Source
Protected Planet WDPA and WD-OECM data, UNEP-WCMC and IUCN, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
174 places, 2,223 data points, 2013–2025
Last refreshed

Marine protected areas are regions of intertidal or sub-tidal land and associated water, flora and fauna, and cultural and historical features that have been legally or effectively reserved for protection.