Population:
360,346 (July 2017 est.)
country comparison to the world: 177
Nationality:
noun: Belizean(s)
adjective: Belizean
Ethnic groups:
mestizo 52.9%, Creole 25.9%, Maya 11.3%, Garifuna 6.1%, East Indian 3.9%, Mennonite 3.6%, white 1.2%, Asian 1%, other 1.2%, unknown 0.3%
note: percentages add up to more than 100% because respondents were able to identify more than one ethnic origin (2010 est.)
Languages:
English 62.9% (official), Spanish 56.6%, Creole 44.6%, Maya 10.5%, German 3.2%, Garifuna 2.9%, other 1.8%, unknown 0.3%, none 0.2% (cannot speak)
note: shares sum to more than 100% because some respondents gave more than one answer on the census (2010 est.)
Religions:
Roman Catholic 40.1%, Protestant 31.5% (includes Pentecostal 8.4%, Seventh Day Adventist 5.4%, Anglican 4.7%, Mennonite 3.7%, Baptist 3.6%, Methodist 2.9%, Nazarene 2.8%), Jehovah's Witness 1.7%, other 10.5% (includes Baha'i, Buddhist, Hindu, Mormon, Muslim, Rastafarian, Salvation Army), unspecified 0.6%, none 15.5% (2010 est.)
Demographic profile:
Migration continues to transform Belize's population. About 16% of Belizeans live abroad, while immigrants constitute approximately 15% of Belize's population. Belizeans seeking job and educational opportunities have preferred to emigrate to the United States rather than former colonizer Great Britain because of the United States' closer proximity and stronger trade ties with Belize. Belizeans also emigrate to Canada, Mexico, and English-speaking Caribbean countries. The emigration of a large share of Creoles (Afro-Belizeans) and the influx of Central American immigrants, mainly Guatemalans, Salvadorans, and Hondurans, has changed Belize's ethnic composition. Mestizos have become the largest ethnic group, and Belize now has more native Spanish speakers than English or Creole speakers, despite English being the official language. In addition, Central American immigrants are establishing new communities in rural areas, which contrasts with the urbanization trend seen in neighboring countries. Recently, Chinese, European, and North American immigrants have become more frequent.
Immigration accounts for an increasing share of Belize's population growth rate, which is steadily falling due to fertility decline. Belize's declining birth rate and its increased life expectancy are creating an aging population. As the elderly population grows and nuclear families replace extended households, Belize's government will be challenged to balance a rising demand for pensions, social services, and healthcare for its senior citizens with the need to reduce poverty and social inequality and to improve sanitation.
Age structure:
0-14 years: 33.95% (male 62,454/female 59,896)
15-24 years: 20.55% (male 37,730/female 36,339)
25-54 years: 36.62% (male 66,880/female 65,082)
55-64 years: 4.99% (male 8,834/female 9,130)
65 years and over: 3.89% (male 6,562/female 7,439) (2017 est.)
population pyramid:
Central America and Caribbean ::BELIZE
Population Pyramid
A population pyramid illustrates the age and sex structure of a country's population and may provide insights about political and social stability, as well as economic development. The population is distributed along the horizontal axis, with males shown on the left and females on the right. The male and female populations are broken down into 5-year age groups represented as horizontal bars along the vertical axis, with the youngest age groups at the bottom and the oldest at the top. The shape of the population pyramid gradually evolves over time based on fertility, mortality, and international migration trends.
For additional information, please see the entry for Population pyramid on the Definitions and Notes page under the References tab.
Dependency ratios:
total dependency ratio: 56.8
youth dependency ratio: 50.9
elderly dependency ratio: 5.9
potential support ratio: 17 (2015 est.)
Median age:
total: 22.7 years
male: 22.5 years
female: 22.9 years (2017 est.)
country comparison to the world: 176
Population growth rate:
1.8% (2017 est.)
country comparison to the world: 58
Birth rate:
24 births/1,000 population (2017 est.)
country comparison to the world: 53
Death rate:
6 deaths/1,000 population (2017 est.)
country comparison to the world: 164
Net migration rate:
0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2017 est.)
country comparison to the world: 73
Population distribution:
approximately 25% to 30% of the population lives in the former capital, Belize City; over half of the overall population is rural; population density is slightly higher in the north and east
Urbanization:
urban population: 43.7% of total population (2017)
rate of urbanization: 1.93% annual rate of change (2015-20 est.)
Major urban areas - population:
BELMOPAN (capital) 17,000 (2014)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
0-14 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-24 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
25-54 years: 1.03 male(s)/female
55-64 years: 0.97 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.89 male(s)/female
total population: 1.03 male(s)/female (2017 est.)
Maternal mortality ratio:
28 deaths/100,000 live births (2015 est.)
country comparison to the world: 116
Infant mortality rate:
total: 18.9 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 21.3 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 16.4 deaths/1,000 live births (2017 est.)
country comparison to the world: 85
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 68.9 years
male: 67.3 years
female: 70.6 years (2017 est.)
country comparison to the world: 163
Total fertility rate:
2.85 children born/woman (2017 est.)
country comparison to the world: 59
Contraceptive prevalence rate:
51.4% (2015)
Health expenditures:
5.8% of GDP (2014)
country comparison to the world: 109
Physicians density:
0.77 physicians/1,000 population (2009)
Hospital bed density:
1.3 beds/1,000 population (2014)
Drinking water source:
improved:
urban: 98.9% of population
rural: 100% of population
total: 99.5% of population
unimproved:
urban: 1.1% of population
rural: 0% of population
total: 0.5% of population (2015 est.)
Sanitation facility access:
improved:
urban: 93.5% of population
rural: 88.2% of population
total: 90.5% of population
unimproved:
urban: 6.5% of population
rural: 11.8% of population
total: 9.5% of population (2015 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
1.8% (2016 est.)
country comparison to the world: 27
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
4,300 (2016 est.)
country comparison to the world: 107
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
<200 (2016 est.)
Major infectious diseases:
degree of risk: high
food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever
vectorborne diseases: dengue fever and malaria
note: active local transmission of Zika virus by Aedes species mosquitoes has been identified in this country (as of August 2016); it poses an important risk (a large number of cases possible) among US citizens if bitten by an infective mosquito; other less common ways to get Zika are through sex, via blood transfusion, or during pregnancy, in which the pregnant woman passes Zika virus to her fetus (2016)
Obesity - adult prevalence rate:
24.1% (2016)
country comparison to the world: 60
Children under the age of 5 years underweight:
4.6% (2015)
country comparison to the world: 81
Education expenditures:
7.4% of GDP (2017)
country comparison to the world: 29
School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):
total: 13 years
male: 13 years
female: 13 years (2015)
Unemployment, youth ages 15-24:
total: 18.9%
male: 12.1%
female: 29.6% (2015 est.)
country comparison to the world: 69