Share of children in primary school age who are in school in Belize
Belize: Share of children in primary school age who are in school was 89.3% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Share of children in primary school age who are in school in Belize, 1820–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026); Lee and Lee (2016) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Belize recorded 89.3% for share of children in primary school age who are in school in 2024.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 1.1% on the previous year and down 10.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of children in primary school age who are in school in Belize peaked at 100.0% in 1940 and was at its lowest, 2.0%, in 1820.
Belize ranks 159th of 209 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 58 years of available data.
Share of children in primary school age who are in school in Belize, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1820 | 2.0% | — |
| 1825 | 2.6% | +28.6% |
| 1830 | 3.4% | +28.7% |
| 1835 | 4.3% | +28.6% |
| 1840 | 5.5% | +28.2% |
| 1845 | 7.1% | +27.6% |
| 1850 | 9.0% | +27.0% |
| 1855 | 11.3% | +26.4% |
| 1860 | 14.2% | +25.6% |
| 1865 | 17.7% | +24.5% |
| 1870 | 21.9% | +23.3% |
| 1875 | 26.6% | +21.9% |
| 1880 | 32.1% | +20.3% |
| 1885 | 38.0% | +18.5% |
| 1890 | 44.3% | +16.7% |
| 1895 | 47.1% | +6.3% |
| 1900 | 49.9% | +5.9% |
| 1905 | 60.8% | +21.8% |
| 1910 | 71.7% | +17.9% |
| 1915 | 69.7% | -2.9% |
| 1920 | 67.6% | -3.0% |
| 1925 | 75.9% | +12.3% |
| 1930 | 84.2% | +10.9% |
| 1935 | 92.1% | +9.4% |
| 1940 | 100.0% | +8.6% |
| 1945 | 100.0% | +0.0% |
| 1950 | 100.0% | +0.0% |
| 1955 | 100.0% | +0.0% |
| 1960 | 100.0% | +0.0% |
| 1965 | 100.0% | +0.0% |
| 1970 | 100.0% | +0.0% |
| 1975 | 100.0% | +0.0% |
| 1980 | 100.0% | +0.0% |
| 1999 | 97.6% | -2.4% |
| 2000 | 97.5% | -0.0% |
| 2001 | 97.6% | +0.1% |
| 2003 | 98.5% | +1.0% |
| 2004 | 98.6% | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 99.7% | +1.1% |
| 2006 | 99.4% | -0.3% |
| 2007 | 99.2% | -0.2% |
| 2008 | 99.0% | -0.2% |
| 2009 | 98.5% | -0.5% |
| 2010 | 98.5% | -0.1% |
| 2011 | 98.5% | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 99.5% | +1.0% |
| 2013 | 99.9% | +0.5% |
| 2014 | 99.5% | -0.4% |
| 2015 | 99.6% | +0.1% |
| 2016 | 99.5% | -0.1% |
| 2017 | 99.7% | +0.3% |
| 2018 | 99.6% | -0.2% |
| 2019 | 99.0% | -0.5% |
| 2020 | 99.4% | +0.4% |
| 2021 | 95.9% | -3.5% |
| 2022 | 91.9% | -4.2% |
| 2023 | 88.4% | -3.9% |
| 2024 | 89.3% | +1.1% |
Belize compared with similar countries
- Belize's 89.3% is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 96.0%, 93% of the median. (56 countries reporting)
- Belize's 89.3% is below the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 95.1%, 94% of the median. (38 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Share of children in primary school age who are in school in Belize changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1830 | +28.7% | 2.6% | 3.4% |
| 1825 | +28.6% | 2.0% | 2.6% |
| 1835 | +28.6% | 3.4% | 4.3% |
| 1840 | +28.2% | 4.3% | 5.5% |
| 1845 | +27.6% | 5.5% | 7.1% |
| 1850 | +27.0% | 7.1% | 9.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1820s | 2.3% | 2.0% | 2.6% | 2 |
| 1830s | 3.8% | 3.4% | 4.3% | 2 |
| 1840s | 6.3% | 5.5% | 7.1% | 2 |
| 1850s | 10.2% | 9.0% | 11.3% | 2 |
| 1860s | 16.0% | 14.2% | 17.7% | 2 |
| 1870s | 24.3% | 21.9% | 26.6% | 2 |
| 1880s | 35.0% | 32.1% | 38.0% | 2 |
| 1890s | 45.7% | 44.3% | 47.1% | 2 |
| 1900s | 55.4% | 49.9% | 60.8% | 2 |
| 1910s | 70.7% | 69.7% | 71.7% | 2 |
| 1920s | 71.8% | 67.6% | 75.9% | 2 |
| 1930s | 88.1% | 84.2% | 92.1% | 2 |
| 1940s | 100.0% | 100.0% | 100.0% | 2 |
| 1950s | 100.0% | 100.0% | 100.0% | 2 |
| 1960s | 100.0% | 100.0% | 100.0% | 2 |
| 1970s | 100.0% | 100.0% | 100.0% | 2 |
| 1980s | 100.0% | 100.0% | 100.0% | 1 |
| 1990s | 97.6% | 97.6% | 97.6% | 1 |
| 2000s | 98.7% | 97.5% | 99.7% | 9 |
| 2010s | 99.3% | 98.5% | 99.9% | 10 |
| 2020s | 93.0% | 88.4% | 99.4% | 5 |
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 share of children in primary school age who are in school in Belize?
- Share of children in primary school age who are in school in Belize was 89.3% in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026); Lee and Lee (2016) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of children in primary school age who are in school recorded in Belize?
- The highest recorded value was 100.0% in 1940.
- What is the lowest share of children in primary school age who are in school recorded in Belize?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.0% in 1820.
- How does Belize rank for share of children in primary school age who are in school?
- Belize ranks 159th out of 209 countries with data for 2024.
- Is share of children in primary school age who are in school rising or falling in Belize?
- Over the last ten years it is down 10.2%. 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 (2026); Lee and Lee (2016) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of children in primary school age who are in school. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Share of children of primary school age (typically 6–11 years) who are enrolled in primary education.