Belize: Unemployment, female (% of female labor force) (national estimate)

Key figures

Over five years it is down 0.43 percentage points from 14.02% in 2014. Since 1993 it is down 0.58 percentage points from 14.16% in 1993. The World Bank has no value for 7 of the years in between; the chart leaves those gaps open rather than joining across them.

What the numbers say

In 2019, Belize's unemployment, female (% of female labor force) (national estimate) fell 1.16 percentage points on 2018 (from 14.75% to 13.58%).

Across the 15 yearly changes before that (1994 to 2018), the average change was −0.35 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 3.24 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.2 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 4.94 percentage points in 2018 and the biggest yearly fall was 9.53 percentage points in 2013. 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 there is no clear straight-line trend: a straight line explains 22% of the movement over 8 observed years, so the value is moving around more than it is heading anywhere.

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.

What this measures

Unemployment refers to the share of the labor force that is without work but available for and seeking employment. Definitions of labor force and unemployment differ by country.

Limitations: The criteria for people considered to be seeking work, and the treatment of people temporarily laid off or seeking work for the first time, vary across countries. In many cases it is especially difficult to measure employment and unemployment in agriculture. The timing of a survey can maximize the effects of seasonal unemployment in agriculture. And informal sector employment is difficult to quantify where informal activities are not tracked.

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

All 20 values

Unemployment, female (% of female labor force) (national estimate) in nearby economies

• Argentina — 8.2% (2025)
• Bahamas, The — 8.43% (2024)
• Barbados — 5.38% (2024)
• Bolivia — 3.05% (2025)
• Brazil — 7.16% (2025)
• Cayman Islands — 5.2% (2015)
• Chile — 9.56% (2025)
• Colombia — 10.66% (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

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Questions people ask

What is Belize's unemployment, female (% of female labor force) (national estimate)?

13.58% in 2019, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1993?

It is down 0.58 percentage points from 14.16% in 1993. The highest value was 22.13% in 2012 and the lowest 9.81% in 2017.

Is the latest change in unemployment, female (% of female labor force) (national estimate) unusual for Belize?

In 2019, Belize's unemployment, female (% of female labor force) (national estimate) fell 1.16 percentage points on 2018 (from 14.75% to 13.58%). Across the 15 yearly changes before that (1994 to 2018), the average change was −0.35 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 3.24 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.2 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 SL.UEM.TOTL.FE.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.

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