Government spending as share of GDP in Belize
Belize: Government spending as share of GDP was 26.3% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Government spending as share of GDP in Belize, 1996–2024
Source: International Monetary Fund (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
The most recent figure for government spending as share of gdp in Belize is 26.3%, measured in 2024.
That represents a change of up 1.9% on the previous year and up 5.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, government spending as share of gdp in Belize peaked at 33.2% in 2020 and was at its lowest, 19.9%, in 1996.
That places Belize 94th out of 151 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 29 years of available data.
Government spending as share of GDP in Belize, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1996 | 19.9% | — |
| 1997 | 19.9% | +0.1% |
| 1998 | 20.9% | +5.0% |
| 1999 | 23.6% | +12.8% |
| 2000 | 23.2% | -1.8% |
| 2001 | 25.9% | +11.6% |
| 2002 | 24.4% | -5.7% |
| 2003 | 24.6% | +0.7% |
| 2004 | 21.7% | -11.6% |
| 2005 | 21.4% | -1.4% |
| 2006 | 21.2% | -1.1% |
| 2007 | 22.1% | +4.2% |
| 2008 | 21.8% | -1.3% |
| 2009 | 23.2% | +6.4% |
| 2010 | 23.3% | +0.5% |
| 2011 | 23.5% | +0.7% |
| 2012 | 22.1% | -6.0% |
| 2013 | 23.8% | +7.9% |
| 2014 | 24.8% | +4.2% |
| 2015 | 27.9% | +12.6% |
| 2016 | 27.7% | -1.0% |
| 2017 | 27.7% | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 26.9% | -2.7% |
| 2019 | 27.5% | +2.2% |
| 2020 | 33.2% | +20.4% |
| 2021 | 25.7% | -22.4% |
| 2022 | 23.4% | -9.0% |
| 2023 | 25.8% | +10.1% |
| 2024 | 26.3% | +1.9% |
Belize compared with similar countries
- Belize's 26.3% is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 30.9%, 85% of the median. (44 countries reporting)
- Belize's 26.3% is below the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 27.1%, 97% of the median. (33 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 21.1% | 19.9% | 23.6% | 4 |
| 2000s | 22.9% | 21.2% | 25.9% | 10 |
| 2010s | 25.5% | 22.1% | 27.9% | 10 |
| 2020s | 26.9% | 23.4% | 33.2% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Belize
More economy & growth data for Belize
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 04 - Annual real GDP 1.27 Percent per annum (2029)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 02 - Annual real GDP 2.54 Percent per annum (2029)
- Foreign direct investment, net outflows (BoP, current US$), gaps 1.40 million BoP, current US$ (2025)
- Foreign direct investment, net outflows (BoP, current US$), per unit 0.0004 BoP, current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Foreign direct investment, net outflows (BoP, current US$), per capita 3.3 BoP, current US$ per person (2025)
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$), gaps filled 240,004 BoP, current US$ (2025)
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$), annual -99.81 % change on previous year (2025)
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$), per unit 0.0001 BoP, current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$), per capita 0.5675 BoP, current US$ per person (2025)
- Total reserves (includes gold, current US$), annual growth rate 12.32 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is government spending as share of gdp in Belize?
- Government spending as share of gdp in Belize was 26.3% in 2024, according to International Monetary Fund (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest government spending as share of gdp recorded in Belize?
- The highest recorded value was 33.2% in 2020.
- What is the lowest government spending as share of gdp recorded in Belize?
- The lowest recorded value was 19.9% in 1996.
- How does Belize rank for government spending as share of gdp?
- Belize ranks 94th out of 151 countries with data for 2024.
- Is government spending as share of gdp rising or falling in Belize?
- Over the last ten years it is up 5.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Belize data come from?
- The figures come from International Monetary Fund (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Government spending as share of GDP. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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About this data
Sum of all the money spent by the government on goods and services, as a percentage of GDP. It includes interest paid on government debt.