Quality of life comparison
If you lived in United States instead of Belize, you would:
Health
live 5.2 years longer
In Belize, the average life expectancy is 74 years (71 years for men, 77 years for women) as of 2024. In United States, that number is 79 years (76 years for men, 81 years for women) as of 2024.
see 23.5 times more spent on your healthcare
Belize spends $573 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). United States spends $13,473 as of 2023.
have 26.5% more access to essential health services
Belize scores 68 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. United States scores 86 as of 2021.
be 3.7 times more likely to die by suicide
Belize has a suicide rate of 4.2 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In United States, it is 15.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 52.6% less likely to be unemployed
In Belize, 8.9% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In United States, that number is 4.2% as of 2025.
make 11.4 times more money
Belize has a GDP per capita of $7,865 as of 2025, while in United States, the GDP per capita is $90,027 as of 2025.
Life
be 74.6% less likely to die during childbirth
In Belize, approximately 67.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In United States, 17.0 women do as of 2023.
be 49.1% less likely to die during infancy
In Belize, approximately 10.8 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2024. In United States, on the other hand, 5.5 children do as of 2024.
have 41.3% fewer children
In Belize, there are approximately 18.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In United States, there are 10.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 18.3% more likely to have internet access
In Belize, approximately 80.0% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In United States, about 94.7% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 17.3% more on education
Belize spends 4.6% of its total GDP on education as of 2024. United States spends 5.4% of total GDP on education as of 2021.
spend 4.0 times more on healthcare
Belize spends 4.2% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In United States, that number is 16.7% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 51.6 times more coastline
Belize has a total of 386 km of coastline. In United States, that number is 19,924 km.
Safety
be 79.5% less likely to be murdered
Belize has a homicide rate of 28.1 per 100,000 people as of 2022. In United States, that number is 5.8 per 100,000 as of 2023.
be 18.9% less likely to die in a road accident
In Belize, road accidents kill 17.5 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In United States, they kill 14.2 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 4.0 times more home broadband
Belize has 9.8 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2022. United States has 38.9 as of 2024.
live with 22.3 times more strain on fresh water
Belize withdraws 1% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. United States withdraws 28% as of 2022.
Environment
be 33.3% less likely to die from air pollution
In Belize, air pollution causes 21.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In United States, it causes 14.0 as of 2019.
emit 14.6 times more CO2
Belize emits 0.9 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. United States emits 13.6 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Belize vs. United States
United States: At a glance
How big is United States compared to Belize? See an in-depth size comparison.