Belize: Mortality rate, under-5, male (per 1,000 live births)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2024, Belize's mortality rate, under-5, male (per 1,000 live births) fell 0.1 on 2023 (from 14 to 13.9).

Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1994 to 2023), the average change was −0.74 and a typical year strayed about 0.41 from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 1.6 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 fall was 5.3 in 1968. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2015 to 2024 the straight-line trend is downward, about 0.35 a year. A straight line explains 90% of the movement over 10 observed years.

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

How it compares

In 2024, Belize had the 109th highest value of the 196 economies reporting that year. Higher is not always better: for some indicators the lowest value is the one to aim for. See the full ranking.

Closest to Belize in the 2024 ranking

• Mexico — 106th of 196: 14.3
• Jordan — 107th of 196: 14.1
• Peru — 108th of 196: 14.1
• Bahamas, The — 110th of 196: 13.3
• Tunisia — 111th of 196: 12.8
• Colombia — 112th of 196: 12.7

What this measures

Under-five mortality rate, male is the probability per 1,000 that a newborn male baby will die before reaching age five, if subject to male age-specific mortality rates of the specified year.

Limitations: Complete vital registration systems are fairly uncommon in developing countries. Thus estimates must be obtained from sample surveys or derived by applying indirect estimation techniques to registration, census, or survey data. Survey data are subject to recall error, and surveys estimating infant/child deaths require large samples because households in which a birth has occurred during a given year cannot ordinarily be preselected for sampling. Indirect estimates rely on model life tables that may be inappropriate for the population concerned. Extrapolations based on outdated surveys may not be reliable for monitoring changes in health status or for comparative analytical work.

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

All 58 values

Mortality rate, under-5, male (per 1,000 live births) in nearby economies

• Antigua and Barbuda — 9.8 (2024)
• Argentina — 10.4 (2024)
• Bahamas, The — 13.3 (2024)
• Barbados — 10.5 (2024)
• Bolivia — 17.2 (2024)
• Brazil — 15.7 (2024)
• British Virgin Islands — 12.5 (2024)
• Chile — 7.3 (2024)
• Colombia — 12.7 (2024)
• Costa Rica

More health data for Belize

• Population ages 00-04, female (% of female population) — 8.31% (2025)
• Population ages 00-04, male (% of male population) — 8.57% (2025)
• Population ages 0-14, female — 54,218 (2025)
• Population ages 0-14, female (% of female population) — 25.87% (2025)
• Population ages 0-14, male — 56,884 (2025)
• Population ages 0-14, male (% of male population) — 26.66% (2025)
• Population ages 0-14, total — 111,102 (2025)
• Population ages 0-14 (% of total population) — 26.27% (2025)
• Population ages 05-09, female (% of female population) — 8.95% (2025)
• Population ages 05-09, male (% of male population)

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 mortality rate, under-5, male (per 1,000 live births)?

13.9 in 2024, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1967?

It is down 88.52% from 121.1 in 1967 (3.73% a year on average, compounded). The highest value was 121.1 in 1967 and the lowest 13.9 in 2024.

How does Belize rank?

109th highest of 196 economies with data for 2024.

Is the latest change in mortality rate, under-5, male (per 1,000 live births) unusual for Belize?

In 2024, Belize's mortality rate, under-5, male (per 1,000 live births) fell 0.1 on 2023 (from 14 to 13.9). Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1994 to 2023), the average change was −0.74 and a typical year strayed about 0.41 from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 1.6 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 SH.DYN.MORT.MA, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: UN Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation, UN Children's Fund (UNICEF), uri: www.childmortality.org; World Health Organization (WHO), uri: www.childmortality.org, note: UN Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation; World Bank (WB), uri: www.childmortality.org, note: UN Inter-agenc… 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.