Belize: New businesses registered (number)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2024, Belize's new businesses registered (number) rose 14.4% on 2023 (from 3,244 to 3,710).

Across the 16 yearly changes before that (2008 to 2023), the average change was +15.2% and a typical year strayed about 52.1% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.0 standard deviations below that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.

On record, the biggest yearly rise was 188.9% in 2023 and the biggest yearly fall was 27.2% in 2009. 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 upward, about 287.67 a year. A straight line explains 58% 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 98th highest value of the 127 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

• Albania — 95th of 127: 4,126
• Lithuania — 96th of 127: 4,011
• Sierra Leone — 97th of 127: 3,712
• Slovenia — 99th of 127: 3,545
• Eswatini — 100th of 127: 3,405
• Bosnia and Herzegovina — 101st of 127: 3,369

What this measures

New businesses registered are the number of new limited liability corporations (or its equivalent) registered in the calendar year.

Limitations: The definition of entrepreneurship used is limited to the formal sector. Yet, it should be noted that the exclusion of the informal sector is based on the difficulties of quantifying the number of firms that compose it, rather than on its relevance for developing economies. Data collected from economies categorized as offshore financial centers by Eurostat are excluded from the analysis, because registered entities in these countries may not fit the objective of the Entrepreneurship Database aiming at measuring formally registered companies with actual economic activities.

All 18 values

New businesses registered (number) in nearby economies

• Antigua and Barbuda — 275 (2024)
• Argentina — 15,818 (2024)
• Barbados — 1,517 (2024)
• Brazil — 979,211 (2024)
• Cayman Islands — 11,197 (2024)
• Chile — 123,159 (2023)
• Colombia — 82,208 (2024)
• Costa Rica — 22,333 (2024)
• Dominica — 171 (2024)
• Ecuador — 19,317 (2024)
• El Salvador

More private sector & trade data for Belize

• Merchandise trade (% of GDP) — 56.37% (2025)
• Merchandise imports (current US$) — US$1.43 billion (2025)
• Merchandise exports (current US$) — US$444 million (2025)
• Merchandise imports from high-income economies (% of total merchandise imports) — 54.97% (2023)
• Merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies in Latin America & the Caribbean (% of total merchandise imports) — 24.64% (2023)
• Merchandise imports by the reporting economy, residual (% of total merchandise imports) — 0.000074% (2023)
• Merchandise imports by the reporting economy (current US$) — US$1.33 billion (2023)
• Merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies within region (% of total merchandise imports)

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 new businesses registered (number)?

3,710 in 2024, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 2007?

It is up 301.95% from 923 in 2007 (8.53% a year on average, compounded). The highest value was 3,710 in 2024 and the lowest 583 in 2009.

How does Belize rank?

98th highest of 127 economies with data for 2024.

Is the latest change in new businesses registered (number) unusual for Belize?

In 2024, Belize's new businesses registered (number) rose 14.4% on 2023 (from 3,244 to 3,710). Across the 16 yearly changes before that (2008 to 2023), the average change was +15.2% and a typical year strayed about 52.1% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.0 standard deviations below that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator IC.BUS.NREG, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: Entrepreneurship Database, World Bank (WB), uri: https://www.worldbank.org/en/programs/entrepreneurship 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.