Terrestrial and marine protected areas in Belize
Belize: Terrestrial and marine protected areas was 26.8% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Terrestrial and marine protected areas in Belize, 2013–2025
Source: Protected Planet: The World Database on Protected Areas (WDPA) and World Database on Other Effective Area-based Conservation Measures (WD-OECM), UN Environment Programme World Conservation Monitoring . Measured in % of total territorial area.
Analysis
The most recent figure for terrestrial and marine protected areas in Belize is 26.8%, measured in 2025. That is the highest value across all 13 years on record.
The figure is up 30.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, terrestrial and marine protected areas in Belize peaked at 26.8% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 18.3%, in 2013.
That places Belize 40th out of 213 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 13 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 20.2% | 18.3% | 20.6% | 7 |
| 2020s | 23.0% | 21.1% | 26.8% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Belize
More climate change data for Belize
- Population growth 1.4% (2025)
- Population, total 422,924 (2025)
- Urban population growth 0.9% (2025)
- Urban population 175,776 (2025)
- Urban population 41.6% (2025)
- Annual freshwater withdrawals, total 0.101 billion cubic meters (2022)
- Annual freshwater withdrawals, total 0.7% (2022)
- Terrestrial protected areas 37.3% (2025)
- Marine protected areas 20.4% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is terrestrial and marine protected areas in Belize?
- Terrestrial and marine protected areas in Belize was 26.8% in 2025, according to Protected Planet: The World Database on Protected Areas (WDPA) and World Database on Other Effective Area-based Conservation Measures (WD-OECM), UN Environment Programme World Conservation Monitoring .
- What is the highest terrestrial and marine protected areas recorded in Belize?
- The highest recorded value was 26.8% in 2024.
- What is the lowest terrestrial and marine protected areas recorded in Belize?
- The lowest recorded value was 18.3% in 2013.
- How does Belize rank for terrestrial and marine protected areas?
- Belize ranks 40th out of 213 countries with data for 2025.
- Is terrestrial and marine protected areas rising or falling in Belize?
- Over the last ten years it is up 30.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Belize data come from?
- The figures come from Protected Planet: The World Database on Protected Areas (WDPA) and World Database on Other Effective Area-based Conservation Measures (WD-OECM), UN Environment Programme World Conservation Monitoring , published as part of Terrestrial and marine protected areas (% of total territorial area). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 13 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Terrestrial protected areas are totally or partially protected areas of at least 1,000 hectares that are designated by national authorities as scientific reserves with limited public access, national parks, natural monuments, nature reserves or wildlife sanctuaries, protected landscapes, and areas managed mainly for sustainable use. Marine protected areas are areas of intertidal or subtidal terrain--and overlying water and associated flora and fauna and historical and cultural features--that have been reserved by law or other effective means to protect part or all of the enclosed environment. Sites protected under local or provincial law are excluded.