Belize: Employment to population ratio, 15+, total (%) (national estimate)

Key figures

Over five years it is up 5.16 percentage points from 58.26% in 2014. Since 1994 it is up 13.18 percentage points from 50.24% in 1994. The World Bank has no value for 12 of the years in between; the chart leaves those gaps open rather than joining across them.

What the numbers say

In 2019, Belize's employment to population ratio, 15+, total (%) (national estimate) rose 2.41 percentage points on 2018 (from 61.01% to 63.41%).

Across the 9 yearly changes before that (1997 to 2018), the average change was +0.72 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 1.19 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 1.4 standard deviations above that average, so it was larger than a typical year, though not out of the range seen before.

On record, the biggest yearly rise was 2.96 percentage points in 1997 and the biggest yearly fall was 1.16 percentage points in 1998. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2012 to 2019 the straight-line trend is upward, about 0.75 percentage points a year. A straight line explains 87% of the movement over 8 observed years.

Worked out from the yearly values above. How the checks work: standard deviation, z-scores and straight-line trends.

How it compares

See how every economy compares in the full ranking.

Closest to Belize in the 2019 ranking

• China — 1st of 2: 67.35%

What this measures

Employment to population ratio is the proportion of a country's population that is employed.

Limitations: Comparability of employment-to-population ratios across countries is affected most significantly by variations in the definitions used for the employment and population figures. Differences result from age coverage, such as the lower and upper bounds for labor force activity. Estimates of both employment and population are also likely to vary according to whether members of the armed forces are included. Another area with scope for measurement differences has to do with the national treatment of particular groups of workers. The international definition of employment calls for inclusion of all persons who worked for at least one hour during the reference period.

Regional and income-group figures are computed by the World Bank as a weighted average.

All 14 values

Employment to population ratio, 15+, total (%) (national estimate) in nearby economies

• Argentina — 57.63% (2025)
• Bahamas, The — 46.87% (2024)
• Barbados — 58.99% (2024)
• Bolivia — 78.05% (2025)
• Brazil — 59.51% (2025)
• Cayman Islands — 79.28% (2015)
• Chile — 56.93% (2025)
• Colombia — 58.58% (2025)
• Costa Rica

More social protection & labor data for Belize

• Net migration — 360 (2025)
• Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of asylum — 347 (2025)
• Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, female (%) (modeled ILO estimate) — 42.12% (2025)
• Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, male (%) (modeled ILO estimate) — 65.08% (2025)
• Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, total (%) (modeled ILO estimate) — 53.82% (2025)
• Labor force participation rate, female (% of female population ages 15-64) (modeled ILO estimate) — 49.32% (2025)
• Labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15-64) (modeled ILO estimate) — 74.91% (2025)

Reading data like this

• Where to find free public data, and how to check it before you trust it — 2 min read
• Data analysis examples: 6 worked from one dataset — 3 min read
• Real change or random noise? A plain guide to reading your numbers — 2 min read

Questions people ask

What is Belize's employment to population ratio, 15+, total (%) (national estimate)?

63.41% in 2019, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1994?

It is up 13.18 percentage points from 50.24% in 1994. The highest value was 63.41% in 2019 and the lowest 48.45% in 1996.

Is the latest change in employment to population ratio, 15+, total (%) (national estimate) unusual for Belize?

In 2019, Belize's employment to population ratio, 15+, total (%) (national estimate) rose 2.41 percentage points on 2018 (from 61.01% to 63.41%). Across the 9 yearly changes before that (1997 to 2018), the average change was +0.72 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 1.19 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 1.4 standard deviations above that average, so it was larger than a typical year, though not out of the range seen before.

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator SL.EMP.TOTL.SP.NE.ZS, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: Labour Force Statistics database (LFS), International Labour Organization (ILO), uri: https://ilostat.ilo.org/data/bulk/, publisher: ILOSTAT, type: external database, date accessed: September 28, 2026 Figures are fetched from the World Bank API and refreshed monthly; see the series on data.worldbank.org. The full definition and method are in the World Bank's metadata glossary. Comparisons use the same World Bank release.

Want to ask your own questions of data like this? Try AnalyzeIt: upload a file or ask about public data in plain words, and every figure comes with its working.