Belize vs Rwanda
Rwanda is 15% larger than Belize.
BelizeRwandaBelize moved onto Rwanda · Equal-area projection
0.87×
Belize is 0.87× the area of Rwanda. Put the other way, Rwanda is 1.15× the size of Belize.
 Belize |  Rwanda | |
|---|---|---|
| Size | ||
| AreaRwanda: 1.15× the area | 22,966 km²#148 of 194 | 26,338 km²#145 of 194 |
| Coastline | Has a coast | Landlocked |
| Land neighbours | 2 | 4 |
| People | ||
| PopulationRwanda: 34.4× the population | 422,924#170 of 194 · 2025 | 14,569,341#77 of 194 · 2025 |
| DensityRwanda: 30× the density | 18 / km²#171 of 194 | 553 / km²#14 of 194 |
| Urban populationBelize: 1.35× the urban share | 42%#146 of 192 · 2025 | 31%#170 of 192 · 2025 |
| Fertility rateRwanda: 1.81× the births per woman | 2.02 per woman#95 of 192 · 2024 | 3.65 per woman#38 of 192 · 2024 |
| Population growthRwanda: 0.78 points higher | +1.39%#72 of 192 · 2025 | +2.17%#39 of 192 · 2025 |
| Birth rateRwanda: 1.55× the birth rate | 18.1 per 1,000#82 of 192 · 2024 | 28.1 per 1,000#38 of 192 · 2024 |
| Death rateRwanda: 1.18× the death rate | 5.0 per 1,000#171 of 192 · 2024 | 5.9 per 1,000#144 of 192 · 2024 |
| Children under 15Rwanda: 10.7 points higher | 26.3%#85 of 192 · 2025 | 37.0%#41 of 192 · 2025 |
| People over 65Belize: 1.2 points higher | 5.2%#120 of 192 · 2025 | 4.0%#142 of 192 · 2025 |
| Net migrationBelize: 0.5 per 1,000 higher | +0.9 per 1,000#53 of 192 · 2025 | +0.4 per 1,000#60 of 192 · 2025 |
| Refugees abroadRwanda: 64.5× the refugees for its size | 0.26 per 1,000#93 of 190 · 2025 | 16.78 per 1,000#12 of 190 · 2025 |
| Health & education | ||
| Life expectancyBelize: 5.7 years longer | 73.7 years#98 of 192 · 2024 | 68.0 years#143 of 192 · 2024 |
| Infant mortalityRwanda: 2.72× the infant mortality | 10.8 per 1,000 births#107 of 191 · 2024 | 29.4 per 1,000 births#48 of 191 · 2024 |
| DoctorsBelize: 12.1× the doctors per person | 1.09 per 1,000#106 of 178 · 2018 | 0.09 per 1,000#168 of 178 · 2022 |
| University enrolmentBelize: 2.64× the university enrolment | 24.8%#106 of 145 · 2024 | 9.4%#135 of 145 · 2024 |
| Human Development IndexBelize: 0.143 higher | 0.721#114 of 190 · 2023 | 0.578#156 of 190 · 2023 |
| Economy | ||
| GNI per capitaBelize: 6.55× the income per person | $7,530#92 of 185 · 2025 | $1,150#165 of 185 · 2025 |
| GDPRwanda: 4.92× the economy | $3.33B2025 | $16.37B2025 |
| Income group | Upper-middle income | Low income |
| GDP per capita (PPP)Belize: 3.59× the output per person | $14,966#110 of 184 · 2025 | $4,164#160 of 184 · 2025 |
| GDP growthRwanda: 6.7 points higher | +2.7%#111 of 187 · 2025 | +9.4%#6 of 187 · 2025 |
| InflationRwanda: 4.8 points higher | +1.1%#138 of 176 · 2025 | +5.9%#36 of 176 · 2025 |
| UnemploymentRwanda: 1.28× the unemployment | 8.9%#43 of 178 · 2025 | 11.4%#28 of 178 · 2025 |
| Extreme povertyRwanda: 38.6× the share in extreme poverty | 1.0%#85 of 149 · 2018 | 38.6%#23 of 149 · 2023 |
| Income inequality (Gini)Belize: 0.5 higher | 39.9#38 of 149 · 2018 | 39.4#42 of 149 · 2023 |
| Jobs in agricultureRwanda: 19.0 points higher | 16.1% of jobs#88 of 178 · 2025 | 35.1% of jobs#47 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in industryRwanda: 3.1 points higher | 15.3% of jobs#135 of 178 · 2025 | 18.4% of jobs#99 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in servicesBelize: 22.0 points higher | 68.5% of jobs#59 of 178 · 2025 | 46.5% of jobs#132 of 178 · 2025 |
| Foreign investmentRwanda: 5.9 points higher | 0.0% of GDP#162 of 184 · 2025 | 5.9% of GDP#33 of 184 · 2025 |
| ExportsBelize: 33.6 points higher | 55.2% of GDP#37 of 168 · 2024 | 21.6% of GDP#128 of 168 · 2025 |
| Military spendingRwanda: 1.29× the military spending | 1.0% of GDP#114 of 155 · 2025 | 1.3% of GDP#100 of 155 · 2025 |
| Internet usersBelize: 2.52× the share online | 80%#98 of 184 · 2024 | 32%#164 of 184 · 2024 |
| Mobile subscriptionsRwanda: 1.39× the mobile subscriptions | 67 per 100#166 of 191 · 2022 | 93 per 100#140 of 191 · 2024 |
| Energy & environment | ||
| Forest areaBelize: 2.22× the forest share | 58% of land#31 of 192 · 2024 | 26% of land#106 of 192 · 2024 |
| CO₂ per personBelize: 5.81× the CO₂ per person | 0.93 t a year#130 of 185 · 2024 | 0.16 t a year#172 of 185 · 2024 |
| Renewable energyRwanda: 49.1 points higher | 30.8%#78 of 190 · 2022 | 79.9%#17 of 190 · 2022 |
| Access to electricityBelize: 27.6 points higher | 99.6%#107 of 192 · 2024 | 72.0%#153 of 192 · 2024 |
| Air pollution (PM2.5)Rwanda: 2.14× the air pollution | 16.8 µg/m³#101 of 191 · 2023 | 36.0 µg/m³#30 of 191 · 2023 |
| Protected landBelize: 28.2 points higher | 37.3% of land#20 of 191 · 2025 | 9.1% of land#146 of 191 · 2025 |
| Arable landRwanda: 44.3 points higher | 4.6% of land#132 of 190 · 2024 | 48.9% of land#6 of 190 · 2024 |
| Water stressRwanda: 15.5× the water stress | 1.3%#159 of 176 · 2022 | 20.2%#69 of 176 · 2022 |
| PrecipitationBelize: 1.41× the rain and snow | 1,705 mm#46 of 180 · 2022 | 1,212 mm#74 of 180 · 2022 |
| Governance & safety | ||
| Political stabilityBelize: 0.69 higher | +0.81#48 of 193 · 2025 | +0.12#93 of 193 · 2025 |
| Control of corruptionRwanda: 0.78 higher | −0.14#88 of 193 · 2025 | +0.64#50 of 193 · 2025 |
| Homicide rateBelize: 7.81× the homicide rate | 28.1 per 100,000#11 of 146 · 2022 | 3.6 per 100,000#60 of 146 · 2020 |
| State | ||
| Status | Independent state | Independent state |
| Government | Constitutional monarchyparliamentary democracy (National Assembly) under a constitutional monarchy; a Commonwealth realm | Presidential republic |
| Capital | Belmopan | Kigali |
| Currency | Belize dollar (BZD) | Rwandan franc (RWF) |
| Official languages | English | English, French, Swahili, Kinyarwanda |
| Traffic drives | On the right | On the right |
| Time zone | UTC−6 | UTC+2 |
| Calling code | +501 | +250 |
| Region | Central America, North America | Eastern Africa, Africa |
Area: Wikidata. Population, income, health, economy, environment and governance: World Bank. Human Development Index: UNDP. Government: CIA World Factbook. Ranks among the 194 independent states. All sources
Why the map you grew up with disagrees
On a Mercator map, area grows with distance from the equator. Belize sits at about 17° N and is stretched to 1.1× its true area; Rwanda at 2° S is stretched to 1.0×. Here the two are distorted about the same amount, so Mercator gets this pair roughly right. The figure above uses the Equal Earth projection, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.
Questions about this pair
- Is Belize bigger than Rwanda?
- No. Belize is 13% smaller than Rwanda. Belize covers 22,966 km² and Rwanda covers 26,338 km².
- How many times does Belize fit into Rwanda?
- About 1.1 times: Rwanda has 1.15× the area of Belize.
- Why do Belize and Rwanda look different on Google Maps?
- Web maps use the Mercator projection, which stretches area with distance from the equator. Belize is drawn about 1.1× its true area there and Rwanda about 1.0×. For this pair the distortion is similar, so Mercator gets the comparison roughly right. Kartavera uses Equal Earth, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.
- Which has more people, Belize or Rwanda?
- Rwanda: 14,569,341 people against 422,924. Density: Belize 18 per km², Rwanda 553 per km².
- Which is richer, Belize or Rwanda?
- By gross national income per person, Belize: $7,530 against $1,150 (World Bank, Atlas method, 2025) — 6.55× as much.
- Where do people live longer, Belize or Rwanda?
- In Belize: life expectancy at birth is 73.7 years, against 68.0 — 5.7 years longer (World Bank, 2024).
- What kind of government do Belize and Rwanda have?
- By constitution, as the CIA World Factbook describes them — Belize: constitutional monarchy; Rwanda: presidential republic.