If you lived in Belize instead of Portugal, you would:

Health

be 63.7% less likely to die by suicide

Portugal has a suicide rate of 11.5 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Belize, it is 4.2 per 100,000 as of 2021.

View global rankings →

be 2.4 times more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS

In Portugal, 0.5% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Belize, that number is 1.2% of people as of 2024.

View global rankings →

live 8.6 years less

In Portugal, the average life expectancy is 82 years (80 years for men, 85 years for women) as of 2024. In Belize, that number is 74 years (71 years for men, 77 years for women) as of 2024.

View global rankings →

be 2.4 times more likely to be obese

In Portugal, 18.1% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Belize, that number is 43.4% of people as of 2024.

View global rankings →

see 88.4% less spent on your healthcare

Portugal spends $4,928 per person on healthcare as of 2024 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Belize spends $573 as of 2023.

View global rankings →

have 22.7% less access to essential health services

Portugal scores 88 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Belize scores 68 as of 2021.

View global rankings →

Economy

be 43.8% more likely to be unemployed

In Portugal, 6.2% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Belize, that number is 8.9% as of 2025.

View global rankings →

be 3.2 times more likely to live below the poverty line

In Portugal, 16.4% live below the poverty line as of 2021. In Belize, however, that number is 52.0% as of 2018.

View global rankings →

make 75.5% less money

Portugal has a GDP per capita of $32,082 as of 2025, while in Belize, the GDP per capita is $7,865 as of 2025.

View global rankings →

Life

have 2.3 times more children

In Portugal, there are approximately 7.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Belize, there are 18.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

View global rankings →

be 4.5 times more likely to die during childbirth

In Portugal, approximately 15.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Belize, 67.0 women do as of 2023.

View global rankings →

be 4.0 times more likely to die during infancy

In Portugal, approximately 2.7 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2024. In Belize, on the other hand, 10.8 children do as of 2024.

View global rankings →

Expenditures

spend 59.5% less on healthcare

Portugal spends 10.2% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2024. In Belize, that number is 4.2% of GDP as of 2023.

View global rankings →

Geography

see 78.5% less coastline

Portugal has a total of 1,793 km of coastline. In Belize, that number is 386 km.

View global rankings →

Safety

be 39.0 times more likely to be murdered

Portugal has a homicide rate of 0.7 per 100,000 people as of 2022. In Belize, that number is 28.1 per 100,000 as of 2022.

View global rankings →

be 2.4 times more likely to die in a road accident

In Portugal, road accidents kill 7.2 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Belize, they kill 17.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.

View global rankings →

Infrastructure

live with 89.8% less strain on fresh water

Portugal withdraws 12% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Belize withdraws 1% as of 2022.

View global rankings →

find 78.4% less home broadband

Portugal has 45.2 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Belize has 9.8 as of 2022.

View global rankings →

Environment

emit 72.0% less CO2

Portugal emits 3.3 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Belize emits 0.9 tonnes as of 2024.

View global rankings →

be 2.1 times more likely to die from air pollution

In Portugal, air pollution causes 10.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Belize, it causes 21.0 as of 2019.

View global rankings →


Sources: World Bank (2018–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this

Belize: At a glance

Belize is a sovereign country in Central America/Caribbean, with a total land area of approximately 22,806 sq km. Belize was the site of several Mayan city states until their decline at the end of the first millennium A.D. The British and Spanish disputed the region in the 17th and 18th centuries; it formally became the colony of British Honduras in 1854. Territorial disputes between the UK and Guatemala delayed the independence of Belize until 1981. Guatemala refused to recognize the new nation until 1992 and the two countries are involved in an ongoing border dispute. Tourism has become the mainstay of the economy. Current concerns include the country's heavy foreign debt burden, high unemployment, growing involvement in the Mexican and South American drug trade, high crime rates, and one of the highest HIV/AIDS prevalence rates in Central America.
Read more

How big is Belize compared to Portugal? See an in-depth size comparison.

Share this

Ask the Elsewhere Community

Join the Elsewhere community and ask a question about Belize or Portugal. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.