Population:
353,858 (July 2016 est.)
country comparison to the world: 178
[see also: Population country ranks ]

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, Morman, Muslim, Rastafarian), unknown 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: 34.41% (male 62,139/female 59,611)
[see also: Age structure 0-14 years country ranks ]
15-24 years: 20.71% (male 37,333/female 35,960)
[see also: Age structure 15-24 years country ranks ]
25-54 years: 36.26% (male 64,968/female 63,346)
[see also: Age structure 25-54 years country ranks ]
55-64 years: 4.84% (male 8,445/female 8,666)
[see also: Age structure 55-64 years country ranks ]
65 years and over: 3.78% (male 6,291/female 7,099) (2016 est.)
[see also: Age structure 65 years and over country ranks ]
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%
[see also: Dependency ratios - total dependency ratio country ranks ]
youth dependency ratio: 50.9%
[see also: Dependency ratios - youth dependency ratio country ranks ]
elderly dependency ratio: 5.9%
[see also: Dependency ratios - elderly dependency ratio country ranks ]
potential support ratio: 17% (2015 est.)
[see also: Dependency ratios - potential support ratio country ranks ]

Median age:
total: 22.4 years
[see also: Median age - total country ranks ]
male: 22.2 years
[see also: Median age - male country ranks ]
female: 22.6 years (2016 est.)
[see also: Median age - female country ranks ]
country comparison to the world: 176

Population growth rate:
1.84% (2016 est.)
country comparison to the world: 59
[see also: Population growth rate country ranks ]

Birth rate:
24.3 births/1,000 population (2016 est.)
country comparison to the world: 59
[see also: Birth rate country ranks ]

Death rate:
6 deaths/1,000 population (2016 est.)
country comparison to the world: 163
[see also: Death rate country ranks ]

Net migration rate:
0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2016 est.)
country comparison to the world: 75
[see also: Net migration rate country ranks ]

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: 44% of total population (2015)
[see also: Urbanization - urban population country ranks ]
rate of urbanization: 1.93% annual rate of change (2010-15 est.)
[see also: Urbanization - rate of urbanization country ranks ]

Major urban areas - population:
BELMOPAN (capital) 17,000 (2014)

Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
[see also: Sex ratio - at birth country ranks ]
0-14 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
[see also: Sex ratio - 0-14 years country ranks ]
15-24 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
[see also: Sex ratio - 15-24 years country ranks ]
25-54 years: 1.03 male(s)/female
[see also: Sex ratio - 25-54 years country ranks ]
55-64 years: 0.97 male(s)/female
[see also: Sex ratio - 55-64 years country ranks ]
65 years and over: 0.89 male(s)/female
[see also: Sex ratio - 65 years and over country ranks ]
total population: 1.03 male(s)/female (2016 est.)

Maternal mortality rate:
28 deaths/100,000 live births (2015 est.)
country comparison to the world: 105
[see also: Maternal mortality rate country ranks ]

Infant mortality rate:
total: 19.3 deaths/1,000 live births
[see also: Infant mortality rate - total country ranks ]
male: 21.6 deaths/1,000 live births
[see also: Infant mortality rate - male country ranks ]
female: 16.9 deaths/1,000 live births (2016 est.)
[see also: Infant mortality rate - female country ranks ]
country comparison to the world: 87

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 68.7 years
[see also: Life expectancy at birth - total country ranks ]
male: 67.2 years
[see also: Life expectancy at birth - male country ranks ]
female: 70.4 years (2016 est.)
[see also: Life expectancy at birth - female country ranks ]
country comparison to the world: 163

Total fertility rate:
2.9 children born/woman (2016 est.)
country comparison to the world: 58
[see also: Total fertility rate country ranks ]

Contraceptive prevalence rate:
55.2% (2011)
[see also: Contraceptive prevalence rate country ranks ]

Health expenditures:
5.8% of GDP (2014)
country comparison to the world: 121
[see also: Health expenditures country ranks ]

Physicians density:
0.83 physicians/1,000 population (2009)
[see also: Physicians density country ranks ]

Hospital bed density:
1.1 beds/1,000 population (2012)
[see also: Hospital bed density country ranks ]

Drinking water source:
improved: urban: 98.9% of population rural: 100% of population total: 99.5% of population
[see also: Drinking water source - Improved - total country ranks ]
unimproved: urban: 1.1% of population rural: 0% of population total: 0.5% of population (2015 est.)
[see also: Drinking water source - Unimproved - total country ranks ]

Sanitation facility access:
improved: urban: 93.5% of population rural: 88.2% of population total: 90.5% of population
[see also: Sanitation facility access - Total Improved country ranks ]
unimproved: urban: 6.5% of population rural: 11.8% of population total: 9.5% of population (2015 est.)
[see also: Sanitation facility access - Total UnImproved country ranks ]

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
1.52% (2015 est.)
country comparison to the world: 38
[see also: HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate country ranks ]

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
3,600 (2015 est.)
country comparison to the world: 114
[see also: HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS country ranks ]

HIV/AIDS - deaths:
100 (2015 est.)
country comparison to the world: 128
[see also: HIV/AIDS - deaths country ranks ]

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:
20.6% (2014)
country comparison to the world: 15
[see also: Obesity - adult prevalence rate country ranks ]

Children under the age of 5 years underweight:
6.2% (2011)
country comparison to the world: 81
[see also: Children under the age of 5 years underweight country ranks ]

Education expenditures:
6.2% of GDP (2013)
country comparison to the world: 29
[see also: Education expenditures - percent of GDP country ranks ]

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):
total: 13 years
[see also: School life expectancy - total country ranks ]
male: 13 years
[see also: School life expectancy - male country ranks ]
female: 13 years (2013)
[see also: School life expectancy - female country ranks ]

Child labor - children ages 5-14:
total number: 27,751
[see also: Child labor - children ages 5-14 - total number country ranks ]
percentage: 40% (2001 est.)
[see also: Child labor - children ages 5-14 - percentage country ranks ]

Unemployment, youth ages 15-24
total: 25%
[see also: Unemployment, youth ages 15-24 - total country ranks ]
male: 18%
[see also: Unemployment, youth ages 15-24 - male country ranks ]
female: 35.6% (2012 est.)
[see also: Unemployment, youth ages 15-24 - female country ranks ]
country comparison to the world: 56