Military spending as a share of GDP in Belize
Belize: Military spending as a share of GDP was 1.3% in 2019. ▼ Falling
Military spending as a share of GDP in Belize, 1981–2019
Source: Barnum et al. - Global Military Spending Dataset (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
The most recent figure for military spending as a share of gdp in Belize is 1.3%, measured in 2019.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 5.4% on the previous year and up 42.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, military spending as a share of gdp in Belize peaked at 2.0% in 1987 and was at its lowest, 0.8%, in 2011.
Belize ranks 90th of 172 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 39 years of available data.
Military spending as a share of GDP in Belize, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1981 | 1.0% | — |
| 1982 | 1.0% | +2.9% |
| 1983 | 1.1% | +7.5% |
| 1984 | 1.2% | +7.9% |
| 1985 | 1.2% | -2.9% |
| 1986 | 1.3% | +13.5% |
| 1987 | 2.0% | +47.0% |
| 1988 | 1.6% | -19.5% |
| 1989 | 1.3% | -15.4% |
| 1990 | 1.2% | -11.1% |
| 1991 | 1.1% | -10.6% |
| 1992 | 1.0% | -2.9% |
| 1993 | 1.1% | +2.5% |
| 1994 | 1.3% | +18.0% |
| 1995 | 1.4% | +11.2% |
| 1996 | 1.4% | +2.1% |
| 1997 | 1.6% | +12.6% |
| 1998 | 1.7% | +5.1% |
| 1999 | 1.6% | -7.3% |
| 2000 | 1.3% | -16.6% |
| 2001 | 1.3% | -0.1% |
| 2002 | 1.2% | -8.8% |
| 2003 | 1.1% | -5.4% |
| 2004 | 1.1% | +0.5% |
| 2005 | 1.0% | -9.3% |
| 2006 | 1.0% | -0.7% |
| 2007 | 1.0% | -0.3% |
| 2008 | 1.0% | +0.4% |
| 2009 | 0.9% | -12.5% |
| 2010 | 0.9% | -0.7% |
| 2011 | 0.8% | -5.0% |
| 2012 | 0.9% | +3.5% |
| 2013 | 0.9% | +3.5% |
| 2014 | 0.9% | +4.6% |
| 2015 | 1.0% | +8.9% |
| 2016 | 1.0% | +1.5% |
| 2017 | 1.2% | +11.1% |
| 2018 | 1.2% | +4.0% |
| 2019 | 1.3% | +5.4% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 1.3% | 1.0% | 2.0% | 9 |
| 1990s | 1.3% | 1.0% | 1.7% | 10 |
| 2000s | 1.1% | 0.9% | 1.3% | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.0% | 0.8% | 1.3% | 10 |
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)
- Services, value added (constant LCU), per capita 8,090 constant LCU per person (2025)
- GDP deflator (base year varies by country), annual growth rate 1.06 % change on previous year (2025)
- Gross value added at basic prices (GVA) (current US$), annual growth 5.31 % change on previous year (2024)
- Gross value added at basic prices (GVA) (current US$), per unit of GDP 0.8496 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Gross value added at basic prices (GVA) (current US$), per capita 6,526 current US$ per person (2024)
- Gross value added at basic prices (GVA) (current LCU), annual growth 5.31 % change on previous year (2024)
- Gross value added at basic prices (GVA) (current LCU), per unit of GDP 1.7 current LCU per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Gross value added at basic prices (GVA) (current LCU), per capita 13,052 current LCU per person (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is military spending as a share of gdp in Belize?
- Military spending as a share of gdp in Belize was 1.3% in 2019, according to Barnum et al. - Global Military Spending Dataset (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest military spending as a share of gdp recorded in Belize?
- The highest recorded value was 2.0% in 1987.
- What is the lowest military spending as a share of gdp recorded in Belize?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.8% in 2011.
- How does Belize rank for military spending as a share of gdp?
- Belize ranks 90th out of 172 countries with data for 2019.
- Is military spending as a share of gdp rising or falling in Belize?
- Over the last ten years it is up 42.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Belize data come from?
- The figures come from Barnum et al. - Global Military Spending Dataset (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Military spending as a share of GDP. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Military spending measured as a percentage of gross domestic product (GDP).