Population of compulsory school age, both sexes (number) (school both) in Belize
Belize: Population of compulsory school age, both sexes (number) (school both) was 61,140 in 2025. ▲ Rising
Latest (2025)
61,140
Change on year
up 0.4%
World rank
160th
of 197 countries
All-time high
62,048
in 2012
All-time low
48,319
in 1998
Years of data
28
1998–2025
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 (number) (school both) 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% |
Belize compared with similar countries
- Belize's 61,140 is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 1.22 million, 5% of the median. (55 countries reporting)
- Belize's 61,140 is below the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 381,770, 16% of the median. (39 countries reporting)
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
More education data for Belize
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 2,319 (2024)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 2,390 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 3,316 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 3,346 (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 38,323 (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 44,757 (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 0.0671 % change on previous year (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.1073 units per person (2024)
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