Human Development & Quality of Life in Belize
Human Development
A 2023 HDI of 0.721 puts Belize at UNDP rank 115, classified as high human development. That rank is only the starting point. Education combines 12.0 expected years of schooling with 8.8 mean years already attained. In a different dimension, gender development sits close to parity on the GDI measure at 0.981 (UNDP group 1).
What sits inside Belize's HDI
Looking at the published indicators, Belize's 2023 HDI inputs include life expectancy of 73.6, expected schooling of 12.0, mean schooling of 8.8, and GNI per capita of $12,343 in 2021 PPP dollars. Together they explain the headline index without turning any single input into a separate ranking.
Gender and planetary-pressure adjustments
Beyond HDI, Belize's UNDP profile also reports GDI 0.981, GII 0.428, PHDI 0.670. The indicators add context without becoming a single composite DigifyWorld rating.
Quality-of-life coverage is conditional
The OECD comparison used here does not provide a life-satisfaction observation that this Belize page can reproduce. The absence of a published observation is preserved explicitly.
What Belize's numbers say together
In the UNDP data used here, the complementary evidence for Belize includes PHDI 0.670 after a 7.1% adjustment; GDI 0.981. Each measure has a different definition, so they are not combined.
UNDP reports a 2023 HDI of 0.721 for Belize, with rank 115. That headline measure is useful for development comparison, but it is not a complete quality-of-life score.
The GDI value is 0.981 in group 1; it should be read alongside, not merged into, HDI.
The PHDI is 0.670, with a 7.1% adjustment from the HDI value in UNDP's 2023 table.
Frequently asked questions
What is Belize's HDI?
Belize's 2023 Human Development Index is 0.721, corresponding to UNDP rank 115 in the 2025 report.
Is an inequality-adjusted HDI available for Belize?
The UNDP table used for this release does not publish an IHDI value for Belize. An unavailable observation remains omitted rather than estimated.
Why is there no life satisfaction score on this page?
Belize's page adds a quality-of-life measure only when a comparable dated observation can be sourced. The absence of a published observation is preserved explicitly.
Is HDI the same as quality of life?
No. The HDI calculation does not include every aspect of quality of life. Quality-of-life evidence is presented alongside HDI only when a comparable observation is available.
Sources & methodology
Sources for the development indicators and definitions shown above.
View sources used for this page
Primary source for 2023 HDI and its components, plus IHDI, GDI, GII and PHDI where reported.
Report edition underlying the 2023 human-development indices and ranking.
Data note: Reference years are shown with each indicator; unavailable observations remain unfilled.