Military expenditure (% of general government expenditure) in Belize
Belize: Military expenditure (% of general government expenditure) was 3.7% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Military expenditure in Belize, 1996–2025
Source: SIPRI Military Expenditure Database, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI). Measured in % of general government expenditure.
Analysis
In 2025, military expenditure in Belize stood at 3.7%.
The figure is down 11.7% on the previous year and up 14.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, military expenditure in Belize peaked at 5.4% in 1997 and was at its lowest, 2.5%, in 2001.
Belize ranks 125th of 164 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 28 years of available data.
Military expenditure (% of general government expenditure) in Belize, year by year
| Year | % of general government expenditure | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1996 | 4.7% | — |
| 1997 | 5.4% | +14.9% |
| 2000 | 2.7% | -50.0% |
| 2001 | 2.5% | -8.9% |
| 2002 | 2.6% | +5.0% |
| 2003 | 2.7% | +2.9% |
| 2004 | 3.1% | +17.3% |
| 2005 | 3.4% | +8.8% |
| 2006 | 3.7% | +7.5% |
| 2007 | 3.7% | +0.1% |
| 2008 | 4.9% | +35.3% |
| 2009 | 4.4% | -10.8% |
| 2010 | 3.8% | -14.7% |
| 2011 | 3.6% | -4.7% |
| 2012 | 3.6% | +0.4% |
| 2013 | 3.7% | +2.0% |
| 2014 | 3.8% | +2.3% |
| 2015 | 3.2% | -14.3% |
| 2016 | 3.5% | +9.0% |
| 2017 | 3.7% | +4.9% |
| 2018 | 3.8% | +3.1% |
| 2019 | 3.7% | -1.7% |
| 2020 | 3.8% | +2.9% |
| 2021 | 4.3% | +11.4% |
| 2022 | 4.2% | -2.4% |
| 2023 | 4.1% | -1.0% |
| 2024 | 4.2% | +1.3% |
| 2025 | 3.7% | -11.7% |
Belize compared with similar countries
- Belize's 3.7% is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 4.9%, 76% of the median. (46 countries reporting)
- Belize's 3.7% is above the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 3.7%, 1.0× the median. (22 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Military expenditure (% of general government expenditure) 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | -50.0% | 5.4% | 2.7% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 5.0% | 4.7% | 5.4% | 2 |
| 2000s | 3.4% | 2.5% | 4.9% | 10 |
| 2010s | 3.6% | 3.2% | 3.8% | 10 |
| 2020s | 4.0% | 3.7% | 4.3% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Belize
More public sector data for Belize
- Democracy, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Chief executive of the government is elected, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Elected parliament, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Men's universal right to vote, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Universal right to vote, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Universal right to vote in practice, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Arms imports 1.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values (2023)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), per capita 2.43 SIPRI trend indicator values per person (2023)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), per unit of GDP 0.0003 SIPRI trend indicator values per US$ of GDP (2023)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), gaps filled 1.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is military expenditure in Belize?
- Military expenditure in Belize was 3.7% in 2025, according to SIPRI Military Expenditure Database, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI).
- What is the highest military expenditure recorded in Belize?
- The highest recorded value was 5.4% in 1997.
- What is the lowest military expenditure recorded in Belize?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.5% in 2001.
- How does Belize rank for military expenditure?
- Belize ranks 125th out of 164 countries with data for 2025.
- Is military expenditure rising or falling in Belize?
- Over the last ten years it is up 14.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Belize data come from?
- The figures come from SIPRI Military Expenditure Database, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), published as part of Military expenditure (% of general government expenditure). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Military expenditure expressed as a percentage of general government expenditure