Every figure below carries its named source and year. The Eco Index scores twelve pillars on the same scale everywhere; seven are measured from published data with fixed thresholds, five are assessed from the named sources.
Belize at a Glance.
The score, and the four numbers that set the tone. 12 equally-weighted pillars, every pillar sourced.
Compare with:
Renewable power
87%
of electricity
Food imported
19%
of merchandise imports · ~US$277m a year
The Eco Index across 12 pillars · scored 0 to 5 · World Bank, OWID, WHO/UNICEF JMP, FiBL, Protected Planet, IUCN, UNESCO (2023-24)
Water
Food & farming
Plant-based
Organic
Conservation
Wildlife
Materials
Pollution
Recycling
Energy
Culture
Heritage
Facts That Surprise People About Belize.
The numbers and firsts that change how you see Belize, the sobering and the remarkable. Every one is dated and linked to its source.
SoberingHealth
One adult in seven lives with diabetes
The International Diabetes Federation estimates that 14.1% of adults aged 20 to 79 in Belize had diabetes in 2024.
SoberingHealth
Four in ten adults live with obesity
WHO estimates that 42% of Belizean adults were living with obesity in 2022, using its age standardised measure.
SoberingFood
Pesticide use far above the world average
Belize used about 11.3 kg of pesticides per hectare of cropland in 2023, according to FAO data. The world average was about 2.4 kg.
RemarkableEnvironment
A reef taken off the danger list
The reef was put on UNESCO's danger list in 2009 over mangrove loss and offshore oil. It came off in 2018 after Belize put a moratorium on oil exploration across its entire maritime zone and tightened mangrove protection.
RemarkableEnvironment
A debt deal that protects the sea
Belize has committed to protect 30% of its ocean territory. The Nature Conservancy says this is backed by the largest debt conversion for ocean conservation to date.
Source: The Nature Conservancy, Belize
Worth knowingNature
The world's second largest coral reef
UNESCO describes the Belize Barrier Reef Reserve System as the world's second largest coral reef. About 200,000 Belizeans depend on the reef for their livelihood.
The History of Belize.
Belize holds deep, widely-alive heritage across several peoples. The Garifuna keep punta and punta rock, the sacred Dugu ancestral ceremony led by a buyei to honour and commune with ancestors, and drumming and hunguhungu, recognised by UNESCO in 2001 as a Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity.
Where the name comes from
Commonly read as a Maya-derived name, often given as 'muddy water', for the Belize River. A derivation from the surname of a Scottish buccaneer is also cited and is less well supported. Source: national and regional toponymic records.
The land itself: a flat, swampy coastal plain backed by low mountains in the south. Its high point is Doyle's Delight, 1,124 m. Source: national mapping and survey records.
Where it starts
Maya cities, still standing
The earliest known habitation at Caracol dates to about 900 to 600 BC, and it grew into one of the largest Maya cities in the region. Through the Classic period, from AD 250 to 900, Caracol, Lamanai, Altun Ha and Xunantunich were occupied cities with monumental architecture and inscribed dynastic records. Lamanai remained occupied far longer than most lowland cities, into the period of European contact. Maya communities live in Belize today.
How it got here
Dangriga, 19 November 1802
The Garifuna made their first permanent settlement in Belize at Dangriga on 19 November 1802, five years after being deported from St Vincent and landed on Roatan. A larger arrival followed in 1823. Garifuna Settlement Day is a national public holiday, and Garifuna language, music and dance are inscribed by UNESCO as Intangible Cultural Heritage. The territory was declared a British colony in 1862 and became independent in 1981.
The timeline
c. 900 to 600 BC
First settlement at Caracol.
The earliest known habitation at Caracol dates to about 900 to 600 BC. The city expanded greatly after its wars with Naranjo between AD 626 and 636. Source
1200 BC to AD 250
The Preclassic.
Small settled Maya villages grow, and communities begin to build monuments and larger centres. Source
AD 250 to 900
Classic Maya peak.
The Classic period is the peak of Maya civilisation, with pyramids, tombs, inscriptions and widespread trade. Caracol was totally abandoned by around AD 950. Source
AD 900 to 1450
Continuity at Lamanai.
Lamanai was not abandoned in the ninth century like many Maya cities, and it flourished through the Postclassic period. Source
1638 onward
Logwood and Baymen.
British and Scottish privateers known as the Baymen reach the coast in 1638 and turn to cutting logwood, and later mahogany. They bring in enslaved Africans to do the work, and the Maya move inland. Source
1802
The Garifuna arrive.
The Garifuna reach southern Belize by way of Honduras, reportedly as early as 1802, and settle around Stann Creek as fishers and farmers. Source
19 November 1832
Settlement Day.
More Garifuna arrive after a civil war in Honduras, and 19 November 1832 is the date officially recognised as Garifuna Settlement Day, a public and bank holiday since 1943. Source
1862
British Honduras.
The Settlement of Belize in the Bay of Honduras is declared a British colony in 1862, named British Honduras and placed under the governor of Jamaica. Source
1981
Independence.
Belize achieves full independence from the United Kingdom on 21 September 1981, eight years after changing its name from British Honduras. Source
Institute of Archaeology, National Institute of Culture and History, Belize · UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage, Language, dance and music of the Garifuna · Minority Rights Group, Garifuna in Belize · Caracol Archaeological Project, University of Houston, Timeline · University of Cincinnati Press, Imagining Central America, A Brief History of Belize · Archaeology International (UCL), Anti-apocalypse, the Postclassic period at Lamanai, Belize · US Department of State, Office of the Historian, Belize · National Institute of Culture and History, African Roots and Resilience
Nature and Biodiversity in Belize.
The numbers are the best in our Caribbean coverage. 37.3 per cent of land and 20.4 per cent of territorial waters were protected as of 2024, the marine figure having jumped from 11 per cent since 2020. There are 119 protected areas, and 57 of them have management effectiveness evaluations, which is a far higher proportion than most of the region manages.
Is wild Belize protected? 37.3% of the land is, already past the 30% target for 2030
How protected is nature in Belize?
Forest cover57.98%
Terrestrial protected area37%
Marine protected area20.4%
171 (mammals, birds, fish & plants) listed as threatened.
Found only here. Epigomphus maya dragonfly; Peten centipede snake
The watchlist
ThreatenedHawksbill (Eretmochelys imbricata) Have the template print the species name into this sentence, then cite two deep links per row: the specific IUCN Red List assessment page for that species, and the GBIF occurrence search filtered to Belize. For the hawksbill turtle the GBIF side is already confirmed at https://www.gbif.org/occurrence/search?taxon_key=8841716&country=BZ . Do not publish the Critically Endangered wording until the matching IUCN assessment page has been opened and read.
ThreatenedElkhorn coral (Acropora palmata) Name the coral species in the sentence and cite the specific IUCN Red List assessment alongside the Belize-filtered GBIF search, for example https://www.gbif.org/occurrence/search?taxon_key=5184657&country=BZ for elkhorn coral. Confirm the Red List category by opening the assessment page before republishing, since coral categories were widely revised in the 2024 reassessment and should not be assumed.
ThreatenedHamlet (Epinephelus striatus) Fix at the template level rather than per row: this sentence should interpolate the species name from its sibling field, and each row should carry its own IUCN assessment URL and Belize-filtered GBIF link. Three rows on this page currently render the same species-free sentence, which also reads as duplicated content.
ThreatenedFire coral (Millepora complanata) Name the coral species in the sentence and cite the specific IUCN Red List assessment alongside the Belize-filtered GBIF search, for example https://www.gbif.org/occurrence/search?taxon_key=5184657&country=BZ for elkhorn coral. Confirm the Red List category by opening the assessment page before republishing, since coral categories were widely revised in the 2024 reassessment and should not be assumed.
ThreatenedDermatemys mawii Have the template print the species name into this sentence, then cite two deep links per row: the specific IUCN Red List assessment page for that species, and the GBIF occurrence search filtered to Belize. For the hawksbill turtle the GBIF side is already confirmed at https://www.gbif.org/occurrence/search?taxon_key=8841716&country=BZ . Do not publish the Critically Endangered wording until the matching IUCN assessment page has been opened and read.
ThreatenedBrain coral (Pseudodiploria strigosa) Name the coral species in the sentence and cite the specific IUCN Red List assessment alongside the Belize-filtered GBIF search, for example https://www.gbif.org/occurrence/search?taxon_key=5184657&country=BZ for elkhorn coral. Confirm the Red List category by opening the assessment page before republishing, since coral categories were widely revised in the 2024 reassessment and should not be assumed.
ThreatenedStaghorn coral (Acropora cervicornis) Name the coral species in the sentence and cite the specific IUCN Red List assessment alongside the Belize-filtered GBIF search, for example https://www.gbif.org/occurrence/search?taxon_key=5184657&country=BZ for elkhorn coral. Confirm the Red List category by opening the assessment page before republishing, since coral categories were widely revised in the 2024 reassessment and should not be assumed.
ThreatenedBrain coral (Diploria labyrinthiformis) Name the coral species in the sentence and cite the specific IUCN Red List assessment alongside the Belize-filtered GBIF search, for example https://www.gbif.org/occurrence/search?taxon_key=5184657&country=BZ for elkhorn coral. Confirm the Red List category by opening the assessment page before republishing, since coral categories were widely revised in the 2024 reassessment and should not be assumed.
What is still here, and what is gone?
Tap a species for the honest status.
Closest to being lost, by name
Hawksbill (Eretmochelys imbricata)
Critically Endangered, the last IUCN category before Extinct in the Wild, and still recorded in Belize. GBIF holds 38 verified occurrence records.
Elkhorn coral (Acropora palmata)
Critically Endangered, the last IUCN category before Extinct in the Wild, and still recorded in Belize. GBIF holds 152 verified occurrence records.
Hamlet (Epinephelus striatus)
Critically Endangered, the last IUCN category before Extinct in the Wild, and still recorded in Belize. GBIF holds 54 verified occurrence records.
Fire coral (Millepora complanata)
Critically Endangered, the last IUCN category before Extinct in the Wild, and still recorded in Belize. GBIF holds 12 verified occurrence records.
Species named here are drawn from GBIF occurrence records for Belize filtered to the IUCN Red List threatened categories. Species are listed where GBIF holds occurrence records for them in this country. Record counts are not published here because the figure cannot be reproduced from a public GBIF query.
Who is putting it back
National park in Cayo, mapped and named in the open record for Belize. OpenStreetMap.
National park in Cayo, mapped and named in the open record for Belize. OpenStreetMap.
National park in Cayo, mapped and named in the open record for Belize. OpenStreetMap.
National park in Toledo, mapped and named in the open record for Belize. OpenStreetMap.
National park in Stann Creek, mapped and named in the open record for Belize. OpenStreetMap.
National park in Toledo, mapped and named in the open record for Belize. OpenStreetMap.
Water and Ocean in Belize.
94.8 per cent of the population used at least basic drinking water services in 2024. Belize Water Services supplies the towns, drawing on rivers, springs and groundwater, with groundwater used in Corozal, Orange Walk, Cayo and Toledo. The mainland has real rainfall and real rivers.
Does Belize have enough fresh water? Yes, with headroom
Rivers, springs and groundwater on the mainland; catchment and desalination on the cayes
Cleanest water: Hol Chan Marine Reserve
How much fresh water does Belize have, per person?
37,891 m³
Belize
1,000 m³
the UN “water scarce” line
Belize withdraws about 101 million cubic metres of fresh water a year (2022). That is 1.3% of the fresh water actually available to it, which FAO counts as no water stress. Of what is taken, farming takes 68%, homes and towns 11%, industry 21%. Source: FAO AQUASTAT.
What are the rules on Belize beaches?
·Tap water: Varies.
✓Plastic rules: Bags, straws, cutlery, styrofoam; in force 2020, possession an offence from 2022.
✕Solo travel: rated take care on the record for this destination.
✕Marine protection: 20% of the sea is protected. The 30x30 pledge for 2030 is not met yet.
Named on the open map: Dollar Coin Beach, Kukumba Beach, Maya Beach, Medina's Beach, Miami Beach, Playa Del Nino. That is 12 named beaches in the public record for Belize, each one a place you can look up before you go. OpenStreetMap.
Where does the sewage go?
84.3%
of people have at least basic sanitation
84.3% of people here use at least a basic toilet not shared with other households (2024, World Bank / WHO UNICEF JMP). No figure is published for how much of that waste is safely treated, so the share reaching the ground or the water untreated is unknown.
How is the sea around Belize doing?
One cross-section, every answer measured.
Surface
What the coast carries
Whale sharks at Gladden Spit ~March–June (peak April–May, keyed to the full moon); turtle nesting in the south May–September.
Nearshore
Protected water
20.4% of territorial waters are protected, against the 30% pledged for 2030 under the Global Biodiversity Framework.
Cleanest
Where the water is cleanest
Hol Chan Marine Reserve.
The record
Measured
94.8 per cent of the population used at least basic drinking water services in 2024. Belize Water Services supplies the towns, drawing on rivers, springs and groundwater, with groundwater used in Corozal, Orange Walk, Cayo and Toledo.
Belize scored 74 out of 100 on the Ocean Health Index in its 2025 assessment, above the global average of 72, and ranked 76th of 220 coastal regions. The index team says it is no longer updating scores, so the 2025 figures may be the last.
Sea protected
20%
Against the 30% pledged for 2030 under the Global Biodiversity Framework.
Threatened species
171 (mammals, birds, fish & plants)
Mammals, birds, fish and higher plants on the IUCN list.
Is the tap water safe in Belize?
Belize Water Services tests water daily at its plants and at sampling taps across its network, and the Ministry of Health and Wellness checks about 4,000 samples a year against WHO guidelines, including monthly sampling of all 16 BWS systems. The ministry said in November 2025 that piped water remains safe to drink. The same month, the UNICEF backed MICS7 household survey found E. coli in 29.8 per cent of water samples where households collect it and 33.7 per cent of the water people actually drank. The agencies said storage and handling at home can spoil water that left the utility clean. Rural systems, rainwater vats and stored water are a higher risk, so boil or filter water that does not come straight from a BWS tap.
How hard is the water supply being pushed?
Of every 10 buckets nature refills, 0 are already taken. Withdrawals run at 1.3% of what Belize renews internally each year (2022, World Bank / FAO AQUASTAT). That is inside the 25% mark generally treated as water stress, so the supply has headroom.
Seaweed on the beaches. Sargassum lands heavily on Belize's Caribbean coast. In June 2025 San Pedro crews removed 104 tons from the downtown shore in a single week, as the University of South Florida counted a record 13 million tonnes adrift in the Atlantic. A National Sargassum Task Force, run by the blue economy and tourism ministries, leads the response in five priority places: San Pedro, Caye Caulker, Seine Bight, Hopkins and Placencia. In 2026 it bought a shallow water collection boat, a remote floating collector, beach rakes and a tractor, uses a satellite tool to forecast landings, and is studying disposal and reuse options for Caye Caulker and San Pedro.
When is the best time to visit Belize? Tap your month.
Tap your month.
How much fresh water does Belize actually have?
Nature renews about 37,891 cubic metres of fresh water per person per year here. That ranks Belize 195 of 208 countries measured, placing it among the 20 best-watered countries measured. The UN treats anything under 1,000 cubic metres as water scarce, and this is above that line. World Bank / FAO AQUASTAT.
FAO AQUASTAT · WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme · World Bank Open Data · Ocean Health Index, Belize region page · Ocean Health Index, Global scores · Government of Belize Press Office, Ministry of Health and Wellness Assures the Public of Safe Drinking Water (26 November 2025) · Statistical Institute of Belize, BWS and MoHW, joint press release on water quality testing methodologies (27 November 2025) · San Pedro Sun, Sargassum response downgraded, large amounts still drifting in (5 June 2025) · Government of Belize Press Office, Government of Belize Takes Early Action Ahead of Sargassum Season (21 January 2026) · Government of Belize Press Office, GOB Strengthens National Sargassum Preparedness (3 June 2026)
Food and Drink in Belize.
Belize grows most of what it eats, and that is rare in this region. The Food Systems Profile produced by the FAO with the EU and CIRAD, handed to the government in June 2022, puts domestic production at 60 per cent of consumption, so roughly 40 per cent is imported. Compare that with islands nearby importing over 90 per cent.
Where does the food in Belize come from?
19.4% imported
about US$277m a year
On the plate: Corn (tortillas, tamales), cassava, sweet potato, plantain, red kidney beans central.
2 of 10
bites are imported
The island buys in more food energy than it eats. About US$277m a year leaves the country to pay for it. The green slice is roughly what still grows here.
About 19.3% of everything Belize buys in from abroad is food, roughly 2 in every 10 imported items on the dock (2025, World Bank). Farming itself is 7.9% of the economy and 8% of the land is agricultural, of which 4.4% is arable. The green slice is roughly what still grows here.
What is killing people in Belize? The imported diet.
Cause of death, and the diet behind it.
Non-communicable diseases, all combined54%
Diabetes14.1%
There is no national count. In September 2019 a medical officer at Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital in Belize City told Channel 5 that a 2014 study of about 70 diabetic foot patients at the hospital found 32 had already had an amputation, and that patients face about a 40 per cent chance of dying within a year of losing a limb. Source: Channel 5 Belize.
Adults living with overweight or obesity. 72.8%.
Can Belize feed itself?
4.6%
Arable land
8.2%
Agricultural land
29,731
Farmers
247,105
Arable acres
8.0%
Agriculture, share of GDP
Harvest: Sugar cane (main crop), harvested and milled in northern Belize from January to June; the 2026 season ran from 19 January to 20 June
Feeding itself
Belize grows most of what it eats, and that is rare in this region. The Food Systems Profile produced by the FAO with the EU and CIRAD, handed to the government in June 2022, puts domestic production at 60 per cent of consumption, so roughly 40 per cent is imported.
Certification
Cacao is where the certification is. The Toledo Cacao Growers Association works with hundreds of smallholders towards Fairtrade and organic certification, and Maya Mountain Cacao has run a centralised fermentery model with over 350 farming families since 2010.
Water for crops
94.8 per cent of the population used at least basic drinking water services in 2024. Belize Water Services supplies the towns, drawing on rivers, springs and groundwater, with groundwater used in Corozal, Orange Walk, Cayo and Toledo.
Why the organic number looks like that. Certification covers only part of what is grown cleanly, so a small certified share is a gap in the paperwork rather than proof that nothing is. What the official land record does show: 8% of the country is agricultural land and 4.4% is arable (2023, World Bank). Certification is paid for per farm per year by a foreign body, which prices out smallholders, so the organic number reads worse than the practice.
What actually grows here
SugarcaneMaizeBananasSorghumSoybeansRiceOrangesFruitsPlantains
The food that already fits
The plant-based kitchen here is not an import. By tonnage, the largest crops grown in Belize are sugarcane, maize, bananas, soya beans and sorghum (FAO, FAOSTAT crop production, 2024). That is what the land itself puts on a plate.
Buy direct where residents buy: San Ignacio Market, Punta Gorda Market, Belmopan Market Plaza, Michael Finnegan Market. Every one is a farm shop or market we have checked and listed ourselves, so the money goes to the grower rather than the importer. The checked markets
Checked kitchens from the directory: Guava Limb Restaurant and Cafe to Guava Limb Restaurant and Cafe is a restaurant in Belize. See its verified sustainability rating and review to; Gomier’s to Gomier’s is a restaurant in Belize. See its verified sustainability rating and review to help you decide where; Namaste Cafe to Namaste Cafe is a restaurant in Belize. See its verified sustainability rating and review to help you decide w. Every kitchen listed here is checked for how plant-based the menu really is before it earns its place.
Is this grown in Belize?
Tap a food for the honest answer.
RiceCassavaSweet potatoPlantain
World Bank Open Data · FAO, FAOSTAT crop production · World Health Organization · FAO AQUASTAT · Government of Belize Press Office, 2026 Sugarcane Harvest and Milling Season Officially Opens in Northern Belize · San Pedro Sun, 2026 sugar cane crop ends · Channel 5 Belize, Healthy Living: Saving Limbs, Saving Lives (26 September 2019)
Climate and Energy in Belize.
Belize generates close to 89 per cent of its electricity from renewables in 2023, chiefly hydropower and biomass from sugar-cane bagasse, and its emissions are very low at roughly 1.9 tonnes of CO2 per person (Our World in Data, 2024). The country supplements domestic supply with imports from neighbouring Mexico, but its own generation mix is overwhelmingly clean. Belize has committed to further renewable expansion and forest-based climate action under its national plans. A clean grid combined with very low emissions places it in the top band.
What powers Belize?
Renewable 87.2%Fossil 12.8%
Belize Electricity Limited (BEL) runs the national grid and is the main distributor of power. For years the government held about 33 per cent, the Social Security Board 31 per cent and Canada's Fortis 33 per cent. In October 2025 the government agreed to buy Fortis's 33.3 per cent stake in BEL and its three hydropower plants on the Macal River, which supply more than a third of the power Belizeans use. By August 2026 the Opposition Leader put the government's share at about 66 per cent and the Social Security Board's at a little over 30 per cent. In June 2026 the government tabled a bill to buy a further 8,138,020 BEL shares at BZ$9 each, about BZ$73 million from the Consolidated Revenue Fund. The Public Utilities Commission regulates electricity, water and telecoms and has published draft Electricity Regulations for 2026.
Climate pollution per person
The safe amount, what the planet can absorb
2 tonnes
One person here
0.93 tonnes
The world average, for comparison
4.7 tonnes
The worst it ever got
1.03 tonnes
The grid
Belize generates close to 89 per cent of its electricity from renewables in 2023, chiefly hydropower and biomass from sugar-cane bagasse, and its emissions are very low at roughly 0.93 tonnes of CO2 per person. The country supplements domestic supply with imports from neighbouring Mexico, but its own generation mix is overwhelmingly clean.
Pollution
The Environmental Protection (Pollution from Plastics) Regulations 2020 came into force on 15 January 2020, prohibiting single use styrofoam and plastic clamshells, plates, bowls, cups and lids, plastic cutlery, plastic shopping bags and plastic straws. Deadlines were extended twice, most recently by Statutory Instrument 17 of 2022, which made possession an offence from 31 March 2022.
Water stress
94.8 per cent of the population used at least basic drinking water services in 2024. Belize Water Services supplies the towns, drawing on rivers, springs and groundwater, with groundwater used in Corozal, Orange Walk, Cayo and Toledo.
What pollutes most here
1The grid The share of electricity still generated from fossil fuel.7.1%
2Industry Agricultural runoff and sewage pollution.named
3Air Modelled annual mean against a WHO guideline of 5 µg/m³.8.3
4On the record The Environmental Protection (Pollution from Plastics) Regulations 2020 came into force on 15 January 2020, prohibiting single use styrofoam and plastic clamshells, plates, bowls, cups and lids, plastic cutlery, plastic shopping bags and plastic straws.
What has Belize promised on climate?
Net zero, whole economy2050
Electricity renewable today92.9% (2021)
Land protected, against a 30% target37.3% by 2025
Sea protected, against a 30% target20.4% by 2025
The net-zero target year on file with Climate Watch is 2050, status: in policy document. Measured against it, 92.9% of electricity is already renewable (2021, World Bank), so 7.1% of the grid is still to be converted. The pledge on file is measured here against what has actually been delivered, not taken on its own (UNFCCC NDC Registry, CBD Kunming-Montreal Target 3).
The biggest line item
One return flight against a whole year of living.
A resident's entire year0.93 t CO2e
Safe-climate budget, per year2 t CO2e
Singapore return, economy3.16 t CO2e
Dubai return, economy2.5 t CO2e
Sydney return, economy2.49 t CO2e
Johannesburg return, economy2.43 t CO2e
Frankfurt return, economy1.63 t CO2e
How much CO2 does flying to Belize emit?
Tap where you would fly from. One return flight, economy.
Firsts on climate finance. On 5 November 2021 Belize bought back its US$553 million superbond, all of its external commercial debt, at 55 cents on the dollar. The buyback was paid for with a US$364 million blue loan from The Nature Conservancy, funded by blue bonds arranged by Credit Suisse, and the IMF says it cut external debt by 10 per cent of GDP. In return Belize committed to protect 30 per cent of its ocean by 2026, up from 15.9 per cent, to spend about US$4 million a year on marine conservation until 2041, and to build a US$23.5 million endowment. CCRIF, the regional disaster insurer, has paid Belize US$455,000 plus US$53,570 after Tropical Cyclone Lisa in November 2022, US$261,073 after Tropical Cyclone Earl in August 2016, and US$805,794 for heavy rain in November 2024.
Climate Watch (WRI) · UNFCCC NDC Registry · World Bank Open Data · UK DESNZ greenhouse gas conversion factors · Government of Belize Press Office, The Government to Acquire Hydro Power Plants and BEL Shares from Fortis Inc. (16 October 2025) · Great Belize Productions, Opposition Challenges BEL Share Purchase (3 August 2026) · San Pedro Sun, Belize Electricity Investments Bill (June 2026) · Public Utilities Commission of Belize, home page · Wikipedia, Belize Electricity Limited · IMF, Belize: Swapping Debt for Nature (May 2022) · CCRIF SPC, CCRIF SPC Payouts
AI and Data Centres in Belize.
Every prompt runs on a machine in a building on somebody’s grid. What that costs the planet depends less on the prompt than on what is burning to power it. Here is what would power one in Belize.
Data centres
0
Registered colocation and interconnection facilities, PeeringDB, 2026
Grid renewable
87.2 %
What a machine here runs on.
What powers a data centre in Belize?
Running AI here is about as clean as it currently gets.
Renewable 87.2%Fossil 12.8%
Cooling water. Every one of those halls runs on the national grid, which is 87.2% renewable today (World Bank). A data centre is only as clean as the electricity behind it. Cooling water use is not separately published by facility, and no operator here reports it.
The rules. Belize has 0 colocation and interconnection facilities on the public PeeringDB register, and no internet exchange is registered.
Where the cables land. 3 landing points · Belize City, Bomba, San Pedro
Economy and Tourism in Belize.
20% residents to 80% visitors across a year. 1,674,000 international arrivals in 2019 against 422,924 people who live here (2025, World Bank / UN Tourism).
Where a visitor dollar goes in Belize
487k
Visitors a year
1.2
Visitors per resident
How deep in debt is Belize?· for every $100 Belize earns in a year, it owes…
Pay to the order of: the creditorsmemo · the 2020 peak
$ 103The worst year on the IMF record. Belize owed $103 for every $100 it earned.
IMF World Economic Outlook, 2020signed, the creditors
Pay to the order of: the creditorsmemo · today
$ 63What is owed now, for every $100 of national income (2026).
IMF World Economic Outlook, 2026signed, the creditors
Pay to the order of: the creditorsmemo · projected 2031
$ 60The IMF's own forecast has this falling to $60 by 2031.
IMF World Economic Outlook projection, 2031signed, the forecast
For every $100 Belize earns in a year, it owes $63 (2026, IMF World Economic Outlook). The interest on that is paid before schools, clinics or coastline get their turn.
Where does a tourist dollar actually go in Belize?
Play one tourist dollar around the board. Every square is a measured fact from this page.
START!
1
GO: a visitor lands
$100 goes on the table. 1,674,000 international arrivals in 2019 against 422,924 residents, 4.0 visitors for every resident (World Bank / UN Tourism).
$100 in play2
The bed
Who owns the largest places to stay in Belize is not published in the records we can check, so this square is left open rather than guessed. Where a listing names its owner, it is shown in the ownership table below.
not published3
The plate
Food is 19.3% of everything Belize imports (2025, World Bank), so a large part of every restaurant bill is paid to a supplier abroad. Eating what the land here actually grows, sugarcane, maize, bananas, sorghum, soybeans, rice, oranges, fruits, plantains, keeps that money with the grower.
sails in4
The power
92.9% of the electricity is renewable (2021, World Bank), so the energy on the bill is mostly generated inside the country rather than shipped in.
made at home5
What actually stays
On the parts that can be measured, the plate leaves and the power stays. It is genuinely a coin toss, decided by what you book.
split6
Pay the bank first
Belize owes $63 for every $100 it earns (IMF World Economic Outlook, 2026 projection). The interest is paid before anything else on this board.
$63 per $1007
No plan B
34.2% of everything Belize sells abroad is sugar and sugar confectionery (2023, UN Comtrade). One market moving takes the whole board with it.
34.2% one export8
Community chest
Tourism earns 30.9% of everything Belize makes from exports (1998, World Bank / UN Tourism). That is how much of the economy depends on the game continuing.
30.9% of exports9
The flight
Getting here is usually the biggest single line on the bill. From Singapore a return economy seat is 3.16 t CO2, on the UK Government's published conversion factors. It is the one part of the trip this board cannot reduce.
3.16 t CO210
Back to GO
The economy turns over about US$3 billion a year (IMF World Economic Outlook, 2026 projection). Every lap of this board is a choice about how much of it stays.
US$3bnGDPUS$3.3bn
Agriculture, share of GDP8%
Visitors a year487,000
Visitors per resident1.2
Residents~422,924
Agriculture
Farming is 8% of the economy. Belize grows most of what it eats, and that is rare in this region.
Natural materials
The everyday swap in Belize is the bag and the basket, and both come out of the forest. Jippi jappa basketry is a living Maya coil craft, wild crafted from the leaves of the jipijapa palm.
Energy
Belize generates close to 89 per cent of its electricity from renewables in 2023, chiefly hydropower and biomass from sugar-cane bagasse, and its emissions are very low at roughly 0.93 tonnes of CO2 per person. The country supplements domestic supply with imports from neighbouring Mexico, but its own generation mix is overwhelmingly clean.
Who owns the biggest hotels in Belize?
By rooms · company records and press.
Sweet Songs Lodge · ~21 roomsIndependentnot published
The Lodge at Chaa Creek · ~28 roomsIndependentnot published
Copal Tree Lodge · ~17 roomsIndependentnot published
Jaguar Creek · ~12 roomsIndependentnot published
Ambergris Cay · ~27 roomsIndependentnot published
Visitors, over time
20151,299k
20161,391k
20171,441k
20181,697k
20191,674k
2020487k
The Belize Tourism Board projected 551,698 overnight visitors for 2025, up 0.8 per cent on 547,370 in 2024 and 9.6 per cent above 2019. Cruise passengers were projected at 967,214 in 2025, up 8.1 per cent on 2024 but still 17.4 per cent below the 2019 peak of 1,170,558. These are preliminary figures released in February 2026.
How much of your money actually stays here?
Tap the holiday you are planning.
Visiting Belize, whoever you are.
Resort guest, villa renter, family, nomad or backpacker. The honest playbook for each, from the same sourced numbers.
Already booked a resort? · the rescue list
Five swaps that move your money back on-island
1. Eat where the country eats Choose kitchens cooking what the land here grows, sugarcane, maize, bananas, sorghum, soybeans, rice, oranges, fruits and plantains, over an imported menu. The checked list
2. Book with a local operator Never the lobby desk. The margin on a tour is the part that stays. Eco tours
3. Stay somewhere locally owned Ownership decides where the room rate books. Eco stays
4. Use the transport residents use Buses and water taxis; the country crosses in a day
5. Buy the craft, not the souvenir Natural-materials work made here pays the maker directly; imported gifts pay a shipping line.
Swipe
First time here
Belize packs an improbable amount into a small country. The Belize Barrier Reef, the largest in the northern hemisphere, runs the length of the coast, and behind it is jungle, rivers, caves and Maya sites still half buried in forest.
Best time: Late November to April is the dry season and the best time for both reef and jungle. The green season from June brings rain and lower prices. Hurricane season runs June to November.
Getting around
Buses and water taxis; the country crosses in a day
Transport is where the fare either stays or leaves.
Eating here
The everyday plate that actually grows here is sugarcane, maize, bananas, sorghum, soybeans, rice, oranges, fruits and plantains. Ordering those keeps the money with the grower and cuts the imported share of the meal.
Eating what the country grows is the cheapest way to cut the import bill.
Good to know
Belize is the one place in this region where eating what the country grows is genuinely easy, so lean into the markets and the milpa staples rather than the imported menu.
Reef safe sunscreen matters here more than almost anywhere, and touching or standing on coral is out. The reef came off the UNESCO danger list in 2018 because the country banned offshore oil across its whole maritime zone, and it is worth treating with that in mind.
Buy craft from the maker at San Ignacio on a Saturday or through the Toledo villages. Recycling is close to non existent, at around two per cent, so take what you can home.
Rate my hotel. Tap yours for the honest verdict.
Ownership from company records and press.
Who owns the big hotels
Sweet Songs LodgeIndependent · 21 rooms
The Lodge at Chaa CreekIndependent · 28 rooms
Copal Tree LodgeIndependent · 17 rooms
Jaguar CreekIndependent · 12 rooms
Ambergris CayIndependent · 27 rooms
None of the 5 properties listed here publishes who ultimately owns it, so no claim is made either way. Ownership is what decides how much of a room rate stays in the country, which is why we show it when a listing states it.
Society and Governance in Belize.
How well is Belize actually run?
Governance, measured · World Bank WGI
Four measured answers, none of them opinion. Averaged across corruption control, delivery and accountability, Belize scores 51 out of 100 (2024, World Bank Worldwide Governance Indicators). That matters here because every pledge on this page is only as good as the machinery meant to deliver it.
What is daily life in Belize really like? Measured
Getting around, breathing, throwing away, learning. The honest checklist.
TransportAirWaterWastePower
✓How you get around Buses and water taxis; the country crosses in a day
87.9%
literacy. Public spending on education runs at 4.6% of GDP and 18.9% of all government spending, and secondary enrolment stands at 86.5% gross (UNESCO Institute for Statistics, 2024).
Made in Belize.
The everyday swap in Belize is the bag and the basket, and both come out of the forest. Jippi jappa basketry is a living Maya coil craft, wild crafted from the leaves of the jipijapa palm. Every step of processing done at home is value that stops leaving the country.
What Belize actually sells the world
The single biggest thing Belize sells the world is sugar and sugar confectionery, 34.2% of all exports in 2023 (about US$0.09 billion, UN Comtrade). The next four are fruit and nuts at 13.1%, mineral fuels and oils at 8.5%, fish and seafood at 7.9%, animal feed residues at 6.5%.
Made now · natural materials
Basket
Worked in Belize from local material, and still a working craft rather than a museum piece.
Made now · natural materials
Jippi jappa coil basketry
Worked in Belize from local material, and still a working craft rather than a museum piece.
Made now · natural materials
Dark ones the open leaves
Worked in Belize from local material, and still a working craft rather than a museum piece.
Made now · natural materials
Traditional cuxtal
Worked in Belize from local material, and still a working craft rather than a museum piece.
Made now · natural materials
Woven carrying bag
Worked in Belize from local material, and still a working craft rather than a museum piece.
Buys in · 10.4% of imports
Machinery and mechanical appliances
Belize imported US$0.14 billion of machinery and mechanical appliances in 2023, 10.4% of everything it bought abroad, and sells none of it back. Every point of that is a business that could be built at home rather than shipped in. UN Comtrade.
Buys in · 6.1% of imports
Electrical machinery and electronics
Belize imported US$0.08 billion of electrical machinery and electronics in 2023, 6.1% of everything it bought abroad, and sells none of it back. Every point of that is a business that could be built at home rather than shipped in. UN Comtrade.
Buys in · 5.7% of imports
Vehicles
Belize imported US$0.08 billion of vehicles in 2023, 5.7% of everything it bought abroad, and sells none of it back. Every point of that is a business that could be built at home rather than shipped in. UN Comtrade.
Buys in · 3.6% of imports
Plastics
Belize imported US$0.05 billion of plastics in 2023, 3.6% of everything it bought abroad, and sells none of it back. Every point of that is a business that could be built at home rather than shipped in. UN Comtrade.
The maths for an entrepreneur. Belize produces about US$3 billion a year, which is roughly US$7,865 per person (2025, World Bank). Farming is 7.9% of that, while food is 19.3% of everything the country imports. The country buys in more food than its own farms contribute to the economy, and every point of that gap is a business someone could build here rather than ship in.
See the verified makersCulture in Belize.
Garifuna punta
A fast paced Garifuna rhythm and dance in which dancers try to outdo one another. With paranda and wanaragua, it is among the most popular Garifuna forms in Belize.
1980s
Punta rock
An offshoot of punta that Pen Cayetano, leader of the Turtle Shell Band, brought onto the national scene around the time of independence.
Hüngühüngü
One of the Garifuna music and dance forms, each with its own place and function, whose songs carry the values, morals, history and identity of the Garifuna.
Dügü ancestral ceremonyOne of the two sacred Garifuna rituals, a private family reunion held to celebrate and connect with the spirits of the ancestors, bringing reconciliation and healing to the family.
Does Belize protect its heritage by law?
Partly, and the gaps say as much as the protections.
What is kept alive. Belize holds deep, widely-alive heritage across several peoples. The Garifuna keep punta and punta rock, the sacred Dugu ancestral ceremony led by a buyei to honour and commune with ancestors, and drumming and hunguhungu, recognised by UNESCO in 2001 as a Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity. Maya communities, Yucatec, Mopan and Q'eqchi', maintain marimba, the deer dance and living language and craft, while Creole brukdown and boom-and-chime and Mestizo traditions add further layers.
Who it belongs to. Two living indigenous and Afro indigenous cultures, both with real legal and international standing. On 22 April 2015 the Caribbean Court of Justice issued a Consent Order in which the Government of Belize accepted that Maya customary land tenure exists across the entire Toledo District and gives rise to property rights under the Constitution, ordering a fund of BZ$300,000 as a first step. The ruling is binding.
Only here. UNESCO's own description calls the Belize Barrier Reef Reserve System the largest barrier reef in the northern hemisphere. Cockscomb Basin, declared in 1986, is recognised internationally as the world's first jaguar preserve..
The Future of Belize.
Three futures for Belize, every one run forward from measured data.
Where the making actually happens
Named cultural and craft sites on the open map: Museum of Belize (Belize City), Museum Street (Belmopan), Lamanai Museum (Orange Walk), Community Baboon Sanctuary Visitor Center and Museum (Belize District), Site Museum (Corozal). OpenStreetMap.
Every measured trend on one line
Run forward at the pace already recorded.
World Bank open data, recorded series
How much forest is left?
Forest cover moved from 67.6% to 58% across 29 recorded years.
How clean is the grid?
Renewable electricity moved from 45.5% to 92.9% across 21 recorded years.
How much climate pollution per person?
CO2 per person moved from 0.64 t to 0.93 t across 29 recorded years.
How many people visit?
Tourist arrivals moved from 342k to 487k across 25 recorded years.
How much land is protected?
Protected land moved from 36.8% to 37.3% across 12 recorded years.
How many people still farm?
Farm workforce moved from 27.2% to 16.1% across 30 recorded years.
How much sea is protected?
Protected sea moved from 6.9% to 20.4% across 12 recorded years.
How much land is farmed?
Agricultural land moved from 6.4% to 8.15% across 29 recorded years.
How fast is it urbanising?
Urban population moved from 47.5% to 41.6% across 30 recorded years.
Is the air getting cleaner?
Air pollution moved from 18.8 µg/m³ to 16.8 µg/m³ across 28 recorded years.
Is water getting scarcer?
Fresh water per person moved from 74,750 m³ to 37,891 m³ across 27 recorded years.
Is diet-related disease rising?
Adult overweight moved from 51% to 72.8% across 27 recorded years.
Who has power?
Electricity access moved from 74.9% to 99.6% across 29 recorded years.
Is income rising?
GDP per person moved from 4,010 to 7,865 across 30 recorded years.
How fast is it growing?
Population moved from 204k to 423k across 30 recorded years.
What share of all energy is renewable?
Renewable energy use moved from 34.9% to 30.8% across 27 recorded years.
How much land and sea is protected together?
Protected area, total moved from 18.3% to 26.8% across 12 recorded years.
How long do people live?
Life expectancy moved from 69.5 yrs to 73.7 yrs across 29 recorded years.
How much does a hectare of cereal produce?
Cereal yield moved from 1,918 kg/ha to 3,698 kg/ha across 29 recorded years.
How much fertiliser goes on the land?
Fertiliser use moved from 80.6 kg/ha to 177 kg/ha across 29 recorded years.
How many people still live rurally?
Rural population moved from 52.5% to 58.4% across 30 recorded years.
How much value per cubic metre of water?
Water productivity moved from 17.5 $/m3 to 25 $/m3 across 27 recorded years.
How much goes on health?
Health spending moved from 2.94% to 4.15% across 23 recorded years.
How much forest is there in total?
Forest area moved from 15,419 km2 to 13,150 km2 across 30 recorded years.
How have agriculture emissions moved?
Agriculture emissions moved from 0.18 to 0.38 MtCO2e across 33 recorded years.
Climate Watch (WRI), historical emissions
How have building emissions moved?
Building emissions moved from 0.1 to 0.17 MtCO2e across 33 recorded years.
Climate Watch (WRI), historical emissions
How have electricity/heat emissions moved?
Electricity/Heat emissions moved from 0.08 to 0.02 MtCO2e across 33 recorded years.
Climate Watch (WRI), historical emissions
How have energy emissions moved?
Energy emissions moved from 0.34 to 0.74 MtCO2e across 33 recorded years.
Climate Watch (WRI), historical emissions
How have manufacturing/construction emissions moved?
Manufacturing/Construction emissions moved from 0.04 to 0.06 MtCO2e across 33 recorded years.
Climate Watch (WRI), historical emissions
How have transportation emissions moved?
Transportation emissions moved from 0.11 to 0.49 MtCO2e across 33 recorded years.
Climate Watch (WRI), historical emissions
How have waste emissions moved?
Waste emissions moved from 6.68 to 0.26 MtCO2e across 33 recorded years.
Climate Watch (WRI), historical emissions
Worst caseCurrent pathBest case
Worst case
Every measured decline continues at the pace already recorded. The weakest pillar, organic farming at 1/5, is the one that gives way first.
Computed from: recorded series extended with no policy change
What the best case actually asks for
Lift organic farming
It scores 1 out of 5 today, among the weakest parts of Belize's record. Cacao is where the certification is. The Toledo Cacao Growers Association works with hundreds of smallholders towards Fairtrade and organic certification, and Maya Mountain Cacao has run a centralised fermentery model with over 350 farming families since 2010.
measured each year
Costs: spending and enforcement, not new technology
Lift recycling
It scores 1 out of 5 today, among the weakest parts of Belize's record. The draft national strategy put the share of solid waste separated for recycling at two per cent against a five per cent target, while noting that 81 per cent of Belize's rubbish is recyclable or biodegradable. That gap is the whole story.
measured each year
Costs: spending and enforcement, not new technology
Lift food and farming
It scores 2 out of 5 today, among the weakest parts of Belize's record. Belize grows most of what it eats, and that is rare in this region. The Food Systems Profile produced by the FAO with the EU and CIRAD, handed to the government in June 2022, puts domestic production at 60 per cent of consumption, so roughly 40 per cent is imp…
measured each year
Costs: spending and enforcement, not new technology
Government and Goals in Belize.
Who is in charge of Belize now · Office-holders from the UN Protocol and Liaison Service public list of Heads of State and Heads of Government, 20 October 2026. Legislature and election dates from IFES ElectionGuide. Constitution dates from the Constitute Project. Governance scores from the World Bank Worldwide Governance Indicators 2024.
John Briceño
Prime Minister
John Briceño is the head of government of Belize, in office since 12 November 2020. Every climate, protection and energy pledge on this page is delivered, or not, under this administration.
Public opinion, measured
Voice and accountability, the freedom to question government scores 61.6 out of 100 in 2025. On this World Bank scale, 100 is the strongest governance measured. Down from 62.0 in 2024. World Bank Worldwide Governance Indicators, 2025 data (updated 25 September 2026)
Control of corruption scores 45.2 out of 100 in 2025. On this World Bank scale, 100 is the strongest governance measured. Up from 44.8 in 2024. World Bank Worldwide Governance Indicators, 2025 data (updated 25 September 2026)
Political stability and absence of violence scores 79.8 out of 100 in 2025. On this World Bank scale, 100 is the strongest governance measured. Up from 79.3 in 2024. World Bank Worldwide Governance Indicators, 2025 data (updated 25 September 2026)
Rule of law scores 52.5 out of 100 in 2025. On this World Bank scale, 100 is the strongest governance measured. Up from 52.1 in 2024. World Bank Worldwide Governance Indicators, 2025 data (updated 25 September 2026)
Regulatory quality scores 46.1 out of 100 in 2025. On this World Bank scale, 100 is the strongest governance measured. Down from 47.6 in 2024. World Bank Worldwide Governance Indicators, 2025 data (updated 25 September 2026)
John BriceñoPrime Minister
National AssemblyLegislature, bicameral
Last election12 March 2025
Constitution1981, as revised to 2022
Government typeparliamentary democracy under a constitutional monarchy; a Commonwealth realm
Belize national goals: climate commitments on record · as recorded by Climate Watch, World Resources Institute
Plain Answers About Belize.
The questions people actually type, answered in full sentences from the sourced data above.
Swipe
Is Belize sustainable?
Belize scores 70 out of 100 on the Throne Eco Index, across twelve equally weighted pillars. Belize packs an improbable amount into a small country. The Belize Barrier Reef, the largest in the northern hemisphere, runs the length of the coast, and behind it is jungle, rivers, caves and Maya sites still half buried in forest. It is small enough to cross in a day, English speaking, and full of family run lodges that have been doing low impact tourism since long before it had a name.
Is the water in Belize safe and plentiful?
94.8 per cent of the population used at least basic drinking water services in 2024. Belize Water Services supplies the towns, drawing on rivers, springs and groundwater, with groundwater used in Corozal, Orange Walk, Cayo and Toledo. The mainland has real rainfall and real rivers.
Can Belize feed itself?
Belize grows most of what it eats, and that is rare in this region. The Food Systems Profile produced by the FAO with the EU and CIRAD, handed to the government in June 2022, puts domestic production at 60 per cent of consumption, so roughly 40 per cent is imported. Compare that with islands nearby importing over 90 per cent.
Is it easy to eat plant-based in Belize?
San Ignacio market sits on the banks of the Macal River in Cayo and is one of the largest outdoor markets in the country, with Saturday the day traders come in from all over the district with fresh produce, handicrafts and clothing. Between the market, the milpa staples of corn and beans, and the fruit, eating unprocessed here is straightforward rather than a project.
How much of Belize is actually protected?
The numbers are the best in our Caribbean coverage. 37.3 per cent of land and 20.4 per cent of territorial waters were protected as of 2024, the marine figure having jumped from 11 per cent since 2020. There are 119 protected areas, and 57 of them have management effectiveness evaluations, which is a far higher proportion than most of the region manages.
What wildlife is left in Belize?
Belize has fewer strict national endemics than its reputation suggests, and we would rather say so than pad the list. The Maya Mountains frog is best described as near endemic, since it may also occur in Guatemala. Genuine national endemics include the dragonfly Epigomphus maya, known only from Mountain Pine Ridge and the Mullins River, and the Petén centipede snake, known from a single locality.
Is Belize on clean energy?
Belize generates close to 89 per cent of its electricity from renewables in 2023, chiefly hydropower and biomass from sugar-cane bagasse, and its emissions are very low at roughly 0.93 tonnes of CO2 per person. The country supplements domestic supply with imports from neighbouring Mexico, but its own generation mix is overwhelmingly clean. Belize has committed to further renewable expansion and forest-based climate action under its national plans.
How polluted is Belize?
The Environmental Protection (Pollution from Plastics) Regulations 2020 came into force on 15 January 2020, prohibiting single use styrofoam and plastic clamshells, plates, bowls, cups and lids, plastic cutlery, plastic shopping bags and plastic straws. Deadlines were extended twice, most recently by Statutory Instrument 17 of 2022, which made possession an offence from 31 March 2022. Recycling is the weak point.
Does recycling work in Belize?
The draft national strategy put the share of solid waste separated for recycling at two per cent against a five per cent target, while noting that 81 per cent of Belize's rubbish is recyclable or biodegradable. That gap is the whole story. The Mile 24 Regional Sanitary Landfill on the George Price Highway is the country's only operational sanitary landfill, fed by transfer stations at Corozal, Belize City, San Pedro, San Ignacio, Placencia and Dangriga.
Is the farming in Belize organic?
Cacao is where the certification is. The Toledo Cacao Growers Association works with hundreds of smallholders towards Fairtrade and organic certification, and Maya Mountain Cacao has run a centralised fermentery model with over 350 farming families since 2010. On the restaurant side, Guava Limb in San Ignacio takes produce from Maya Farm, the organic farm belonging to The Lodge at Chaa Creek, which is about as short a chain as a restaurant can have.
Are there natural materials and craft in Belize?
The everyday swap in Belize is the bag and the basket, and both come out of the forest. Jippi jappa basketry is a living Maya coil craft, wild crafted from the leaves of the jipijapa palm. One regular basket takes about four days.
Is there living culture in Belize?
Two living indigenous and Afro indigenous cultures, both with real legal and international standing. On 22 April 2015 the Caribbean Court of Justice issued a Consent Order in which the Government of Belize accepted that Maya customary land tenure exists across the entire Toledo District and gives rise to property rights under the Constitution, ordering a fund of BZ$300,000 as a first step. The ruling is binding.
What heritage does Belize keep alive?
Belize holds deep, widely-alive heritage across several peoples. The Garifuna keep punta and punta rock, the sacred Dugu ancestral ceremony led by a buyei to honour and commune with ancestors, and drumming and hunguhungu, recognised by UNESCO in 2001 as a Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity. Maya communities, Yucatec, Mopan and Q'eqchi', maintain marimba, the deer dance and living language and craft, while Creole brukdown and boom-and-chime and Mestizo traditions add further layers.
So is Belize actually green? The measured answer
What is working: land protected at 37.3%, renewable electricity at 92.9%.
What is not: the gaps are narrower here than in most of the directory, and each remaining one is named below.
How Belize Ranks, region and world.
Where Belize sits on the Eco Index, against its Caribbean neighbours and the 77 destinations scored worldwide.
How does Belize compare in Caribbean?
1Dominica72
4Jamaica67
5Grenada62
Scored Caribbean destinations, Eco Index.
The global top 10 of the 77 destinations scored
1Switzerland78
2France78
3Finland77
4Slovenia77
5Australia77
6Portugal75
7Germany75
8New Zealand75
9Italy73
10Spain73
Belize sits 22 of 77 at 70/100. Every name links to its own destination page, built exactly like this one. The full ranking
What is Belize particularly good at?
✓ Conservation, scored 5/5. The numbers are the best in our Caribbean coverage. 37.3 per cent of land and 20.4 per cent of territorial waters were protected as of 2024, the marine figure having jumped from 11 per cent since 2020. There are 119 protected areas, and 57 of them have management effectiveness evaluations, which is a far higher proportion than most of the region manages.
✓ Culture, scored 5/5. Two living indigenous and Afro indigenous cultures, both with real legal and international standing.
✓ Heritage, scored 5/5. Belize holds deep, widely-alive heritage across several peoples. The Garifuna keep punta and punta rock, the sacred Dugu ancestral ceremony led by a buyei to honour and commune with ancestors, and drumming and hunguhungu, recognised by UNESCO in 2001 as a Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity. Maya communities, Yucatec, Mopan and Q'eqchi', maintain marimba, the deer dance and living language and craft, while Creole brukdown and boom-and-chime and Mestizo traditions add further layers. This is living ancestral practice sustained across generations.
Where does Belize score worst?
✕ Organic farming, scored 1/5. Cacao is where the certification is. The Toledo Cacao Growers Association works with hundreds of smallholders towards Fairtrade and organic certification, and Maya Mountain Cacao has run a centralised fermentery model with over 350 farming families since 2010.
✕ Recycling, scored 1/5. The draft national strategy put the share of solid waste separated for recycling at two per cent against a five per cent target, while noting that 81 per cent of Belize's rubbish is recyclable or biodegradable. That gap is the whole story.
✕ Food and farming, scored 2/5. Belize grows most of what it eats, and that is rare in this region. The Food Systems Profile produced by the FAO with the EU and CIRAD, handed to the government in June 2022, puts domestic production at 60 per cent of consumption, so roughly 40 per cent is imported. Compare that with islands nearby importing over 90 per cent.
A note from the lens of mother natureSwipe
Organic farming, 1/5
Cacao is where the certification is. The Toledo Cacao Growers Association works with hundreds of smallholders towards Fairtrade and organic certification, and Maya Mountain Cacao has run a centralised fermentery model with over 350 farming families since 2010.
Consequence: It is the lowest-scoring part of Belize's record, so it is where the score moves first.
Recycling, 1/5
The draft national strategy put the share of solid waste separated for recycling at two per cent against a five per cent target, while noting that 81 per cent of Belize's rubbish is recyclable or biodegradable. That gap is the whole story.
Food and farming, 2/5
Belize grows most of what it eats, and that is rare in this region. The Food Systems Profile produced by the FAO with the EU and CIRAD, handed to the government in June 2022, puts domestic production at 60 per cent of consumption, so roughly 40 per cent is imported.
The Belize Directory.
Everything on Hold The Throne that sits in Belize, checked and listed.
How the rest of the world scores Belize
Independent global indices, for calibration.
Forest cover
58.0
World Bank, 2024.
Protected land
37.3
World Bank, 2025.
Protected sea
20.4
World Bank, 2025.
Renewable grid
92.9
World Bank, 2021.
CO2 per person
0.93 tonnes (2024)
World Bank, 2024.
Threatened species
171 (mammals, birds, fish & plants)
Recorded figure, sourced on this page.
Control of corruption
45.2 / 100
World Bank Worldwide Governance Indicators, 2025. Score from 0 to 100, where 100 is the strongest governance.
Government effectiveness
48.6 / 100
World Bank Worldwide Governance Indicators, 2025. Score from 0 to 100, where 100 is the strongest governance.
Rule of law
52.5 / 100
World Bank Worldwide Governance Indicators, 2025. Score from 0 to 100, where 100 is the strongest governance.
Political stability
79.8 / 100
World Bank Worldwide Governance Indicators, 2025. Score from 0 to 100, where 100 is the strongest governance.
Voice and accountability
61.6 / 100
World Bank Worldwide Governance Indicators, 2025. Score from 0 to 100, where 100 is the strongest governance.
Environmental Performance Index
41.4 / 100 · 83 of 177
Yale Environmental Performance Index 2026, ranked 83 of 177 countries assessed.
Ecosystem vitality
48.0 / 100 · 61 of 177
Yale Environmental Performance Index 2026, ranked 61 of 177 countries assessed.
Biodiversity and habitat
60.9 / 100 · 27 of 177
Yale Environmental Performance Index 2026, ranked 27 of 177 countries assessed.
Air quality
30.7 / 100 · 107 of 177
Yale Environmental Performance Index 2026, ranked 107 of 177 countries assessed.
Terrestrial biomes protected
94.8 / 100 · 24 of 177
Yale Environmental Performance Index 2026, ranked 24 of 177 countries assessed.
Marine habitat protected
40.9 / 100 · 29 of 111
Yale Environmental Performance Index 2026, ranked 29 of 111 countries assessed.
How Belize Is Scored. The Throne Standard.
Every destination on the index is scored the same way, so a 4 in Barbados means exactly what a 4 means in Iceland. No self-declared data and no brochure claims are accepted. Seven pillars are scored from published measurements with the same fixed thresholds everywhere: energy (low-carbon share of electricity, 90% or more scores 5, 70% 4, 50% 3, 25% 2), conservation (land and sea protected), water (safe drinking water, wastewater treated, water stress), organic farmland, recycling, food import dependence and air quality. Where a measurement is not published for a place, that pillar keeps its source-assessed score and is labelled as such. Wildlife, culture, heritage, materials and plant-based eating have no comparable measurement and are assessed from the named sources. The Eco Index is the average of the twelve pillar scores multiplied by 20. Every figure on this page carries its named source and year, and the history on each page names what empire took as plainly as it scores the present.
The 12 pillars every destination is scored on, equally weighted
01
Water
Safe drinking water, wastewater treated and water stress. Measured.
02
Food & farming
How much of the import bill is food: whether the place feeds itself. Measured.
03
Plant-based
How easy it is to eat plant-based, from documented sources.
04
Organic
Certified organic share of farmland. Measured.
05
Conservation
Land and sea legally protected, against the 30 by 30 goal. Measured.
06
Wildlife
What survives, what is endemic, what is lost, from documented sources.
07
Materials
Local natural fibres and craft, from documented sources.
08
Pollution
Air quality (PM2.5, measured) and plastics and waste policy.
09
Recycling
Share of municipal waste recycled. Measured.
10
Energy
Low-carbon share of electricity, nuclear included. Measured.
11
Culture
Living culture and community-led visits, from documented sources.
12
Heritage
What the law keeps standing, from documented sources.
What each 0 to 5 pillar score means, in plain words
0
Absent
nothing verifiable exists
1
Failing
measurably going the wrong way
2
Weak
claims outrun delivery
3
Fair
real effort, mixed results
4
Strong
genuinely good, evidence named
5
Leading
world class, and the trend holds
Where the numbers come from.
The institutions above are the ones cited on this page, ranked by how many of its figures they carry. This same sectioned page renders for all 77 scored destinations, each with its own researched history, comparison charts and three-way future. Read the full methodology
Every figure on this page, and where it came from: 85 sources across 40 institutions
World Bank18 FIGURES
- forest cover 54.5%, 2023
- Threatened species (mammals EN.MAM.THRD.NO, birds EN.BIR.THRD.NO, fish EN.FSH.THRD.NO, higher plants EN.HPT.THRD.NO), 2022 check
- Forest area (% of land area) AG.LND.FRST.ZS, 2023 check
- Terrestrial protected areas (% of land) ER.LND.PTLD.ZS, 2025 check
- Marine protected areas (% of territorial waters) ER.MRN.PTMR.ZS, 2025 check
- Renewable electricity output (% of total) EG.ELC.RNEW.ZS, 2021 check
- CO2 emissions per capita EN.GHG.CO2.PC.CE.AR5, 2024 check
- GDP (current US$) NY.GDP.MKTP.CD, 2025 check
- International tourist arrivals ST.INT.ARVL, 2020 check
- Agricultural land (% of land area) AG.LND.AGRI.ZS, 2023 check
- Arable land (% of land area) AG.LND.ARBL.ZS, 2023 check
- Agriculture, value added (% of GDP) NV.AGR.TOTL.ZS, 2024 check
- Adult literacy rate SE.ADT.LITR.ZS, 2022 check
- Renewable internal freshwater per capita (m3) ER.H2O.INTR.PC, 2022 check
- Overweight prevalence, adults (%) SH.STA.OWAD.ZS, 2022 check
- Central government debt (% of GDP) GC.DOD.TOTL.GD.ZS, 2014 check
- Population total SP.POP.TOTL, 2025 check
- What a Waste 2.0 country-level dataset check
'A Brief History of Belize'4 FIGURES
- in Imagining Central America: Short Histories, University of Cincinnati Press (open access), The territory was declared a British colony in 1862 and became independent in 1981. check
- in Imagining Central America: Short Histories, University of Cincinnati Press (open access) corroboration check
- in Imagining Central America: Short Histories, University of Cincinnati Press (open access) corroboration check
- in Imagining Central America: Short Histories, University of Cincinnati Press (open access) corroboration check
Other published sources4 FIGURES
- Earliest known habitation ca. 900 to 600 BC; 1200 BC is the start of the Preclassic period generally, not Caracol's settlement check
- 25.05% of national waters designated under Blue Bonds Milestone 4, about 5 points to go; the WDPA aggregator has not yet ingested Statutory Instruments 132 to 135 of 2024 check
- Hours removed; the Belize Tourism Board listing states the Macal River location and the Saturday market but publishes no opening hours, and no official or agency source states 5am to 6pm daily check
- Belize Attorney General's Ministry, Fisheries Resources Act Chapter 210, Subsidiary Laws, Revised Edition 2020, Belize enforces responsible viewing via protected-area designations: Cockscomb Basin wildlife sanctuary (jagua check
Belize Attorney General's Ministry3 FIGURES
Belize Audubon Society3 FIGURES
Belize.com3 FIGURES
BirdLife International, IUCN and UNEP-WCMC3 FIGURES
- UN SDG Global Database, terrestrial Key Biodiversity Areas covered by protected areas (%) ER_PTD_TERR, Belize, 2025 (44.8%), country-reported check
- UN SDG Global Database, marine Key Biodiversity Areas covered by protected areas (%) ER_MRN_MPA, Belize, 2025 (34.3%), country-reported check
- UN SDG Global Database, freshwater Key Biodiversity Areas covered by protected areas (%) ER_PTD_FRHWTR, Belize, 2025 (15.4%), country-reported check
FAO3 FIGURES
- Food Systems Profile Belize check
- FAOSTAT Crops and livestock products (QCL), Americas bulk dataset, By tonnage, the largest crops grown in Belize are sugarcane, maize, bananas, soya beans and sorghum (FAO, FAOS check
- FAOSTAT Crops and livestock products (QCL), Americas bulk dataset corroboration check
IUCN3 FIGURES
- Governance Diversity for Belize check
- IUCN Red List Categories and Criteria: Version 3.1, Second edition (IUCN Library), Critically Endangered, the last IUCN category before Extinct in the Wild, and still recorded in Belize. check
- IUCN Red List Categories and Criteria: Version 3.1, Second edition (IUCN Library) corroboration check
UNESCO World Heritage Centre3 FIGURES
UNESCO World Heritage Centre news3 FIGURES
- 'Belize Barrier Reef Reserve System removed from the List of World Heritage in Danger', 26 June 2018, The reef came off the UNESCO danger list in 2018 because the country banned offshore oil across its whole mari check
- 'Belize Barrier Reef Reserve System removed from the List of World Heritage in Danger', 26 June 2018 corroboration check
- 'Belize Barrier Reef Reserve System removed from the List of World Heritage in Danger', 26 June 2018 corroboration check
Belize Tourism Board2 FIGURES
- market days
- natural phenomena
FAO, Global Forest Resources Assessment2 FIGURES
Government of Belize Press Office2 FIGURES
UNESCO2 FIGURES
UNESCO Institute for Statistics2 FIGURES
UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage2 FIGURES
Belize Forest Department1 FIGURE
- national protected-area and wildlife authority check
Belize Institute of Archaeology / NICH1 FIGURE
- national heritage and antiquities authority check
Belize Living Heritage1 FIGURE
- Institute for Social and Cultural Research (ISCR), National Institute of Culture and History (NICH) corroboration check
Breaking Belize News1 FIGURE
- Belize produces 60% of its food check
Caribbean Court of Justice1 FIGURE
- Maya Leaders Alliance v Attorney General of Belize [2015] CCJ 15 (AJ) check
Caribbean Development Bank1 FIGURE
- Belize's cacao industry check
Climate Watch (WRI)1 FIGURE
- Net-Zero Tracker check
Constitute Project1 FIGURE
- Belize 1981 (rev. 2022) check
Cultural Survival1 FIGURE
- Belize failing to implement binding court orders check
FAOLEX1 FIGURE
- Statutory Instrument 17 of 2022 check
FiBL/IFOAM1 FIGURE
- organic farmland 0.3%, 2020
IFES ElectionGuide1 FIGURE
- Belize elections and chambers check
IQAir1 FIGURE
- PM2.5 annual mean 8.3 ug/m3, 2023
Our World in Data (Ember and Energy Institute)1 FIGURE
- Share of electricity from renewables, 2023. check
Our World in Data (Global Carbon Project)1 FIGURE
- CO2 emissions per capita, 2023. check
Protected Planet1 FIGURE
- Belize check
Statistical Institute of Belize1 FIGURE
- national statistical authority check
UN Protocol and Liaison Service1 FIGURE
- Heads of State, Heads of Government and Ministers for Foreign Affairs, public list dated 20 October 2026 check
UN Statistics Division, Energy Balances1 FIGURE
- UN SDG Global Database, renewable share of total final energy consumption (%) EG_FEC_RNEW, Belize, 2024 (18.1%), modelled estimate check
WHO/UNICEF JMP1 FIGURE
- World Bank, drinking water 94.9% (at least basic), 2024
World Bank EG.ELC.RNEW.ZS1 FIGURE
- renewable electricity 92.9%, 2021
World Bank Open Data1 FIGURE
- protected areas and water indicators check