Capital

Belize

name: Belmopan

geographic coordinates: 17 15 N, 88 46 W

time difference: UTC-6 (1 hour behind Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

etymology: the decision to move the capital of the country inland to higher and more stable land was made in the 1960s; the name chosen for the new city was formed from the union of two words: "Belize," the name of the longest river in the country, and "Mopan," one of the rivers in the area of the new capital that empties into the Belize River

Citizenship

Belize

citizenship by birth: yes

citizenship by descent only: yes

dual citizenship recognized: yes

residency requirement for naturalization: 5 years

Legal system

Belize

English common law

Suffrage

Belize

18 years of age; universal

Area

Belize

total: 22,966 sq km

land: 22,806 sq km

water: 160 sq km

Land use

Belize

agricultural land: 6.9% (2018 est.)

arable land: 3.3% (2018 est.)

permanent crops: 1.4% (2018 est.)

permanent pasture: 2.2% (2018 est.)

forest: 60.6% (2018 est.)

other: 32.5% (2018 est.)

Location

Belize

Central America, bordering the Caribbean Sea, between Guatemala and Mexico

Age structure

Belize

0-14 years: 30.93% (male 66,160/female 63,478)

15-64 years: 64.15% (male 134,019/female 134,867)

65 years and over: 4.92% (2023 est.) (male 9,741/female 10,872)

Birth rate

Belize

20.93 births/1,000 population (2023 est.)

Death rate

Belize

3.89 deaths/1,000 population (2023 est.)

Languages

Belize

English 62.9% (official), Spanish 56.6%, Creole 44.6%, Maya 10.5%, German 3.2%, Garifuna 2.9%, other 1.8%, unknown 0.5%; note - shares sum to more than 100% because some respondents gave more than one answer on the census (2010 est.)

major-language sample(s):
The World Factbook, the indispensable source for basic information. (English)

La Libreta Informativa del Mundo, la fuente indispensable de información básica. (Spanish)

Life expectancy at birth

Belize

total population: 76.08 years (2023 est.)

male: 74.49 years

female: 77.75 years

Major urban areas - population

Belize

23,000 BELMOPAN (capital) (2018)

Median age

Belize

total: 23.9 years (2020)

male: 23 years

female: 24.8 years

Net migration rate

Belize

-0.95 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2023 est.)

Population distribution

Belize

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

Population growth rate

Belize

1.61% (2023 est.)

Total fertility rate

Belize

2.59 children born/woman (2023 est.)

Urbanization

Belize

urban population: 46.6% of total population (2023)

rate of urbanization: 2.3% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

Education expenditures

Belize

8.7% of GDP (2021 est.)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education)

Belize

total: 13 years

male: 12 years

female: 13 years (2021)

Budget surplus (+) or deficit (-)

Belize

-1% (of GDP) (2017 est.)

Industrial production growth rate

Belize

15.08% (2021 est.)

Labor force

Belize

176,900 (2021 est.)

note: shortage of skilled labor and all types of technical personnel

Population below poverty line

Belize

41% (2013 est.)

Unemployment rate

Belize

8.22% (2021 est.)

8.46% (2020 est.)

6.71% (2019 est.)

Public debt

Belize

99% of GDP (2017 est.)

95.9% of GDP (2016 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

Belize

3.24% (2021 est.)

0.12% (2020 est.)

0.19% (2019 est.)

Exports

Belize

$1.044 billion (2021 est.)

$714.624 million (2020 est.)

$1.102 billion (2019 est.)

note: Data are in current year dollars and do not include illicit exports or re-exports.

Exports - partners

Belize

United States 16%, United Kingdom 16%, Guatemala 7%, Italy 6%, Spain 6% (2021)

Imports

Belize

$1.252 billion (2021 est.) note: data are in current year dollars

$901.819 million (2020 est.) note: data are in current year dollars

$1.203 billion (2019 est.) note: data are in current year dollars

Imports - partners

Belize

United States 29%, China 14%, Seychelles 13%, Guatemala 10%, Mexico 9% (2021)

Airports

Belize

47 (2021)

Broadband - fixed subscriptions

Belize

total: 36,000 (2020 est.)

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 9 (2020 est.)

Internet users

Belize

total: 248,000 (2021 est.)

percent of population: 62% (2021 est.)

Roadways

Belize

total: 3,281 km (2017)

paved: 601 km (2017)

unpaved: 2,680 km (2017)

Telephones - fixed lines

Belize

total subscriptions: 19,000 (2021 est.)

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 5 (2021 est.)

Telephones - mobile cellular

Belize

total subscriptions: 260,000 (2021 est.)

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 66 (2021 est.)

Waterways

Belize

825 km (2011) (navigable only by small craft)

Disputes - international

Belize

Belize-Guatemala: demarcated but insecure boundary due to Guatemala’s claims to more than half of Belizean territory; a Line of Adjacency operates in lieu of an international boundary to control influx of Guatemalan squatters onto Belizean territory, as well as smuggling, narcotics trafficking, and human trafficking for sexual exploitation and debt bondage; Belize and Honduras 12-nm territorial sea claims close off Guatemalan access to Caribbean in the Bahia de Amatique; maritime boundary remains unresolved pending further negotiation

Belize-Honduras: Honduras claims the Belizean-administered Sapodilla Cays off the coast of Belize in its constitution, but agreed to a joint ecological park around the cays should Guatemala consent to a maritime corridor in the Caribbean under the OAS-sponsored 2002 Belize-Guatemala Differendum

Belize-Mexico: Belize and Mexico are working to solve minor border demarcation discrepancies arising from inaccuracies in the 1898 border treaty; transshipment of illegal narcotics, smuggling, human trafficking, illegal immigration, and the growing of marijuana in very low population areas are issues in the region