Share of land covered by forest in Belize
Belize: Share of land covered by forest was 57.7% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Share of land covered by forest in Belize, 1990–2025
Source: Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (2013) and other sources – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2025, share of land covered by forest in Belize stood at 57.7%. That is the lowest value across all 36 years on record.
The figure is down 0.6% on the previous year and down 5.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of land covered by forest in Belize peaked at 69.3% in 1990 and was at its lowest, 57.7%, in 2025.
That places Belize 37th out of 216 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 36 years of available data.
Share of land covered by forest in Belize, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 69.3% | — |
| 1991 | 68.9% | -0.5% |
| 1992 | 68.6% | -0.5% |
| 1993 | 68.3% | -0.5% |
| 1994 | 67.9% | -0.5% |
| 1995 | 67.6% | -0.5% |
| 1996 | 67.3% | -0.5% |
| 1997 | 66.9% | -0.5% |
| 1998 | 66.6% | -0.5% |
| 1999 | 66.3% | -0.5% |
| 2000 | 65.9% | -0.5% |
| 2001 | 65.6% | -0.5% |
| 2002 | 65.3% | -0.5% |
| 2003 | 64.9% | -0.5% |
| 2004 | 64.6% | -0.5% |
| 2005 | 64.3% | -0.5% |
| 2006 | 63.9% | -0.5% |
| 2007 | 63.6% | -0.5% |
| 2008 | 63.3% | -0.5% |
| 2009 | 62.9% | -0.5% |
| 2010 | 62.6% | -0.5% |
| 2011 | 62.3% | -0.5% |
| 2012 | 61.9% | -0.5% |
| 2013 | 61.6% | -0.5% |
| 2014 | 61.3% | -0.5% |
| 2015 | 61.0% | -0.5% |
| 2016 | 60.6% | -0.5% |
| 2017 | 60.3% | -0.5% |
| 2018 | 60.0% | -0.5% |
| 2019 | 59.6% | -0.6% |
| 2020 | 59.3% | -0.6% |
| 2021 | 59.0% | -0.6% |
| 2022 | 58.6% | -0.6% |
| 2023 | 58.3% | -0.6% |
| 2024 | 58.0% | -0.6% |
| 2025 | 57.7% | -0.6% |
Belize compared with similar countries
- Belize's 57.7% is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 35.5%, 1.6× the median. (58 countries reporting)
- Belize's 57.7% is above the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 49.4%, 1.2× the median. (42 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 67.8% | 66.3% | 69.3% | 10 |
| 2000s | 64.4% | 62.9% | 65.9% | 10 |
| 2010s | 61.1% | 59.6% | 62.6% | 10 |
| 2020s | 58.5% | 57.7% | 59.3% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Belize
- 34 United States Virgin Islands 59.0% compare
- 35 Costa Rica 58.6% compare
- 36 Brazil 58.2% compare
- 38 Seychelles 57.7% compare
- 39 Sao Tome and Principe 57.6% compare
- 40 Malaysia 57.5% compare
More environment data for Belize
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly -3.66 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly -2.87 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.287 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 1.4 °C (2025)
- Wood-based panels — Production, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2024)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual 3.35 % change on previous year (2024)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), per unit 0 Mt CO2e per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), per capita 0 Mt CO2e per person (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Agriculture (Mt CO2e), annual growth rate 0.0489 % change on previous year (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of land covered by forest in Belize?
- Share of land covered by forest in Belize was 57.7% in 2025, according to Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (2013) and other sources – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of land covered by forest recorded in Belize?
- The highest recorded value was 69.3% in 1990.
- What is the lowest share of land covered by forest recorded in Belize?
- The lowest recorded value was 57.7% in 2025.
- How does Belize rank for share of land covered by forest?
- Belize ranks 37th out of 216 countries with data for 2025.
- Is share of land covered by forest rising or falling in Belize?
- Over the last ten years it is down 5.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Belize data come from?
- The figures come from Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (2013) and other sources – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of land covered by forest. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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CSV · JSON — 36 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Share of land area covered by forest, including both natural forests and forest plantations.