Share of population living in urban areas in Belize

Belize: Share of population living in urban areas was 56.1% in 2020. ▲ Rising

Latest (2020)
56.1%
World rank
192nd
of 236 countries
All-time high
60.1%
in 2000
All-time low
37.5%
in 1950
Years of data
15
1950–2020

Share of population living in urban areas in Belize, 1950–2020

02040601950198520201950: 37.5 %1955: 39.3 %1960: 40.9 %1965: 42.5 %1970: 44.5 %1975: 44.7 %1980: 42.3 %1985: 40.5 %1990: 47.4 %1995: 57.1 %2000: 60.1 %2005: 59.8 %2010: 59.6 %2015: 58.1 %2020: 56.1 %

Source: European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.

Analysis

Belize recorded 56.1% for share of population living in urban areas in 2020.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 5.9% over ten years.

Over the whole period, share of population living in urban areas in Belize peaked at 60.1% in 2000 and was at its lowest, 37.5%, in 1950.

Belize ranks 192nd of 236 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 15 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1950s 38.4% 37.5% 39.3% 2
1960s 41.7% 40.9% 42.5% 2
1970s 44.6% 44.5% 44.7% 2
1980s 41.4% 40.5% 42.3% 2
1990s 52.2% 47.4% 57.1% 2
2000s 60.0% 59.8% 60.1% 2
2010s 58.9% 58.1% 59.6% 2
2020s 56.1% 56.1% 56.1% 1

Countries ranked near Belize

  1. 189 Sierra Leone 57.7% compare
  2. 190 Latvia 57.1% compare
  3. 191 Maldives 56.5% compare
  4. 193 Central African Republic 56.1% compare
  5. 194 Fiji 55.6% compare
  6. 195 Guinea-Bissau 54.9% compare

See the full ranking of 236 places →

More reference data data for Belize

All data for Belize →

Frequently asked questions

What is share of population living in urban areas in Belize?
Share of population living in urban areas in Belize was 56.1% in 2020, according to European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
What is the highest share of population living in urban areas recorded in Belize?
The highest recorded value was 60.1% in 2000.
What is the lowest share of population living in urban areas recorded in Belize?
The lowest recorded value was 37.5% in 1950.
How does Belize rank for share of population living in urban areas?
Belize ranks 192nd out of 236 countries with data for 2020.
Is share of population living in urban areas rising or falling in Belize?
Over the last ten years it is down 5.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Belize data come from?
The figures come from European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of population living in urban areas. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 15 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).

About this data

Indicator
Share of population living in urban areas
Unit
%
Source
European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
236 places, 3,540 data points, 1950–2020
Last refreshed

Estimated share of the population living in urban areas (the sum of cities and towns and suburbs). Urban areas are identified using satellite imagery and population data, applying the same definitions across countries.