Population and Demographics

Belize has a relatively young and growing population. Its birth rate is among the highest in the world and there are indications that this trend will continue for the foreseeable future.

Age and Gender

The greatest portion of Belize's population is under the age of 30. Nearly 40% of Belizeans are under 15, and nearly 60% are between the ages of 15 and 65. Males slightly outnumber females, though this trend is beginning to change among certain ethnic groups, such as the Creoles and the Garifuna, where there are more middle-age and elderly women. Maya and Mestizo families are more likely to have male-dominated households.

Life Expectancy

Belize's birth rate currently stands at nearly 29 per 1,000. Nearly 6 persons die per year out of a 1,000 members of the population; this figure includes murders, accidents and death from natural causes. Infant mortality, high at the beginning of the 20th century, is now down to 24 babies out of a thousand. Male babies are more likely to die, however, than females. The life expectancy of a typical male is 66 years, while for a female it is 70. HIV/AIDS, while not a serious threat to national stability, does affect enough of the population to give Belize a high rating among Caribbean and Central American nations.

Ethnic Groups

According to the latest census, the country's population is close to 300,000, and much of that number is multiracial and multiethnic. The Maya are the most established of all ethnic groupings, having been in Belize and the Yucatán region since the 500 AD. However, much of Belize's original Maya population was wiped out due to disease and conflicts between tribes and with Europeans. Three Maya groups now inhabit the country: Yucatecs (who came from Yucatán, Mexico to escape the Caste War), Mopans (indigenous to Belize, but were forced out by the British; they returned from Guatemala to evade slavery), and Kekchi (also fled from slavery in Guatemala).

White English and Scottish settlers entered the area in the 1630s to cut logwood for export and began settling down. The first African slaves began arriving from elsewhere in the Caribbean and Africa and began intermarrying with whites and each other, to create the Belizean Kriol people ethnic grouping. After 1800, Mestizo settlers from Mexico and Guatemala began to settle in the North; the Garifuna, a mix of African and Carib ancestry, settled in the South by way of Honduras not long after that.

The 1900s saw the arrival of Asian settlers from Mainland China, India, Taiwan, Korea, Syria and Lebanon. Central American immigrants and expatriate Americans and Africans also began to settle in the country, presenting an interesting potage. However, this was balanced by the migration of Creoles and other ethnic groups to the United States and elsewhere for better opportunities. Estimates have generally placed the number of the Belizean diaspora, consisting mainly of Kriol and Garifuna, at an amount roughly equal to the number currently living in Belize.

Religion

Belize is a predominantly Christian society. Roman Catholicism is accepted by about half of the population, and Protestantism by about one-quarter. Much of the remaining population is comprised of Taoists, Buddhists and more recently introduced religions like Jainists, Islam, and Bahá'í. Hinduism is common among South Asian immigrants; Islam is also common among the Middle-eastern immigrants and has also gained a following among Creoles and Garifuna. Religious freedom is guaranteed and churches dot the streets of Belize almost as frequently as places of business; Catholics frequently visit the country for special gospel revivals.

Facts and Figures

• Population: 287,730
• Age Structure:
  • 0-14 years: 39.5% (male 57,923/female 55,678)
  • 15-64 years: 57% (male 82,960/female 81,046)
  • 65 years and over: 3.5% (male 4,888/female 5,235)
• Median Age:
  • Total: 19.6 years
  • Male: 19.5 years
  • Female: 19.8 years
• Population Growth Rate: 2.31%
• Birth Rate: 28.84 births/1,000 population
• Death Rate: 5.72 deaths/1,000 population
• Net Migration Rate: 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population
• Sex Ratio:
  • At birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
  • Under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
  • 15-64 years: 1.02 male(s)/female
  • 65 years and over: 0.93 male(s)/female
  • Total population: 1.03 male(s)/female
• Infant Mortality Rate:
  • Total: 24.89 deaths/1,000 live births
  • Male: 28.07 deaths/1,000 live births
  • Female: 21.55 deaths/1,000 live births
• Life Expectancy at Birth:
  • Total population: 68.3 years
  • Male: 66.43 years
  • Female: 70.26 years
  • Total Fertility Rate: 3.6 children born/woman
• HIV/AIDS:
  • Adult prevalence rate: 2.4%
  • People living with HIV/AIDS: 3,600
• Ethnic Groups:
  • Mestizo 48.7%
  • Creole 24.9%
  • Maya 10.6%
  • Garifuna 6.1%
  • Other 9.7%
• Religions:
  • Roman Catholic 49.6%
  • Protestant 27% (Pentecostal 7.4%, Anglican 5.3%, Seventh-Day Adventist 5.2%, Mennonite 4.1%, Methodist 3.5%, Jehovah's Witnesses 1.5%)
  • Other 14%
  • None 9.4%
• Languages:
  • English (official)
  • Spanish
  • Mayan
  • Garifuna (Carib)
  • Creole
• Literacy:
  • Total population: 94.1%
  • Male: 94.1%
  • Female: 94.1%