Population of compulsory school age, both sexes in Belize
Belize: Population of compulsory school age, both sexes was 61,140 in 2025. ▲ Rising
Population of compulsory school age, both sexes in Belize, 1998–2025
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
Analysis
In 2025, population of compulsory school age, both sexes in Belize stood at 61,140.
The figure is up 0.4% on the previous year and down 0.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, population of compulsory school age, both sexes in Belize peaked at 62,048 in 2012 and was at its lowest, 48,319, in 1998.
That places Belize 160th out of 197 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 28 years of available data.
Population of compulsory school age, both sexes in Belize, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 48,319 | — |
| 1999 | 49,371 | +2.2% |
| 2000 | 50,206 | +1.7% |
| 2001 | 50,982 | +1.5% |
| 2002 | 51,743 | +1.5% |
| 2003 | 52,662 | +1.8% |
| 2004 | 53,830 | +2.2% |
| 2005 | 55,113 | +2.4% |
| 2006 | 56,456 | +2.4% |
| 2007 | 57,832 | +2.4% |
| 2008 | 59,174 | +2.3% |
| 2009 | 60,371 | +2.0% |
| 2010 | 61,491 | +1.9% |
| 2011 | 61,888 | +0.6% |
| 2012 | 62,048 | +0.3% |
| 2013 | 61,959 | -0.1% |
| 2014 | 61,716 | -0.4% |
| 2015 | 61,393 | -0.5% |
| 2016 | 60,581 | -1.3% |
| 2017 | 60,049 | -0.9% |
| 2018 | 59,624 | -0.7% |
| 2019 | 59,351 | -0.5% |
| 2020 | 59,239 | -0.2% |
| 2021 | 59,270 | +0.1% |
| 2022 | 59,420 | +0.3% |
| 2023 | 59,906 | +0.8% |
| 2024 | 60,867 | +1.6% |
| 2025 | 61,140 | +0.4% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 48,845 | 48,319 | 49,371 | 2 |
| 2000s | 54,837 | 50,206 | 60,371 | 10 |
| 2010s | 61,010 | 59,351 | 62,048 | 10 |
| 2020s | 59,974 | 59,239 | 61,140 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Belize
- 157 Montenegro 71,067 compare
- 158 Suriname 65,845 compare
- 159 Macau, China 64,400 compare
- 161 Bahamas 61,030 compare
- 162 Brunei Darussalam 58,842 compare
- 163 Malta 51,702 compare
More education data for Belize
- Start of the academic school year (tertiary education), gaps filled 2,023 tertiary education (2024)
- Start of the academic school year (tertiary education), annual growth 0.0495 % change on previous year (2024)
- Primary education, teachers, gaps filled 2,497 (2024)
- Duration of pre primary education, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Duration of pre primary education 2 (2025)
- Official entrance age to pre primary education 3 (2025)
- Population ages 15-64 68.5% (2025)
- Population ages 0-14 26.3% (2025)
- Lower secondary school starting age 11 years (2025)
- Primary school starting age 5 years (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is population of compulsory school age, both sexes in Belize?
- Population of compulsory school age, both sexes in Belize was 61,140 in 2025, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest population of compulsory school age, both sexes recorded in Belize?
- The highest recorded value was 62,048 in 2012.
- What is the lowest population of compulsory school age, both sexes recorded in Belize?
- The lowest recorded value was 48,319 in 1998.
- How does Belize rank for population of compulsory school age, both sexes?
- Belize ranks 160th out of 197 countries with data for 2025.
- Is population of compulsory school age, both sexes rising or falling in Belize?
- Over the last ten years it is down 0.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Belize data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Population of compulsory school age, both sexes (number). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 28 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release