According to the the 2010 Belize Population Census, Belize demographics as reflected by ethnicity exhibited the following trends:
Latino, Creole, Maya, Garifuna and Mennonite remained the five largest ethnic groups. Latinos are the largest group, with its share of the total population growing from from 49% to 50%. Creoles accounted for 21%, down from 25%. Maya and Garifuna made up 10% and 4.6% respectively.The number of Garifunas and East Indians remained at their 2000 levels. About 19 thousand persons or 6% of the population claimed to be of mixed ethnic origin. Update: Overview of the 2022 Census.
Population
420,000 – Citation 14 June 2021 Dr. Natalia Largaespada Beer, Maternal & Child Health Technical Advisor, Ministry of Health projection;
country comparison to the world: 177
Age structure:
0-14 years: 36.8% (male 60,327/female 57,933)
15-64 years: 59.6% (male 96,886/female 94,605)
65 years and over: 3.5% (male 5,404/female 5,960) (2011 est.)
Median age:
total: 21 years
male: 20.8 years
female: 21.2 years (2011 est.)
Population growth rate:
2.056% (2011 est.)
country comparison to the world: 45
Birth rate:
26.43 births/1,000 population (2011 est.)
country comparison to the world: 53
Death rate:
5.87 deaths/1,000 population (July 2011 est.)
country comparison to the world: 169
Urbanization:
urban population: 52% of total population (2010)
rate of urbanization: 2.7% annual rate of change (2010-15 est.)
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: 0.91 male(s)/female
total population: 1.03 male(s)/female (2011 est.)
Maternal mortality rate:
94 deaths/100,000 live births (2008)
country comparison to the world: 75
Infant mortality rate:
total: 21.95 deaths/1,000 live births
country comparison to the world: 91
male: 24.43 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 19.35 deaths/1,000 live births (2011 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 68.23 years
country comparison to the world: 154
male: 66.53 years
female: 70.02 years (2011 est.)
Total fertility rate:
3.21 children born/woman (2011 est.)
country comparison to the world: 52
Source: CIA World Fact Book July 2011
Tabulable Belize Population by Ethnicity and District, 2010p |
||||||||
Corozal |
Orange Walk |
Belize |
Cayo |
Stann Creek |
Toledo |
Total |
||
2010 |
2000 |
|||||||
Total |
39,539 |
44,804 |
87,523 |
70,157 |
31,514 |
29,885 |
303,422 |
232,111 |
Asian |
266 |
344 |
1,220 |
648 |
265 |
80 |
2,823 |
1,716 |
Black/African |
65 |
41 |
729 |
199 |
79 |
38 |
1,151 |
582 |
Caucasian/White |
341 |
98 |
1,156 |
787 |
476 |
241 |
3,099 |
1,758 |
Creole |
2,151 |
2,402 |
42,107 |
10,247 |
5,128 |
1,022 |
63,057 |
57,859 |
East Indian |
1,142 |
159 |
2,041 |
806 |
917 |
1,421 |
6,486 |
6,868 |
Garifuna |
235 |
262 |
3,578 |
975 |
7,518 |
1,417 |
13,985 |
14,061 |
Hindu |
106 |
76 |
320 |
50 |
28 |
7 |
587 |
n.a |
Lebanese |
52 |
0 |
146 |
39 |
3 |
0 |
240 |
n.a |
Maya ‐Ketchi |
68 |
72 |
837 |
1,408 |
1,333 |
13,691 |
17,409 |
12,366 |
Maya ‐Mopan |
84 |
237 |
627 |
1,936 |
3,166 |
4,507 |
10,557 |
8,980 |
Maya ‐Yucatec |
289 |
164 |
166 |
1,469 |
29 |
24 |
2,141 |
3,155 |
Mennonite |
2,566 |
4,852 |
353 |
2,809 |
46 |
239 |
10,865 |
8,276 |
Mestizo/Spanish/Latino |
30,061 |
34,616 |
26,974 |
44,445 |
9,501 |
5,324 |
150,921 |
113,045 |
Other |
30 |
40 |
356 |
164 |
132 |
40 |
762 |
2,610 |
Mixed ethnicity |
1,893 |
1,355 |
6,835 |
4,145 |
2,885 |
1,834 |
18,947 |
|
DK/NS |
190 |
86 |
78 |
30 |
8 |
0 |
392 |
835 |
Religion
The Roman Catholic faith is the single largest religion, but with its share of the total population falling from 50% to 40%. Pentecostalism, the second largest religion, saw its share of the population increasing from 7.4% to 8.5%. The number of persons who said they did not belong to any religion doubled. This group is larger than any of the main religions except Roman Catholicism.
Tabulable Belize Population by Religious Denomination and District, 2010p |
||||||||
Corozal |
Orange Walk |
Belize |
Cayo |
Stann Creek |
Toledo |
Total |
||
2010 |
2000 |
|||||||
Total |
39,304 |
44,403 |
89,956 |
69,409 |
31,274 |
29,760 |
304,106 |
232,111 |
Anglican |
383 |
501 |
9,875 |
1,498 |
1,503 |
256 |
14,016 |
12,386 |
Bahai Faith |
27 |
14 |
46 |
68 |
43 |
4 |
202 |
205 |
Baptist |
622 |
424 |
3,978 |
1,843 |
1,757 |
2,385 |
11,009 |
8,077 |
Buddhism |
57 |
104 |
379 |
159 |
49 |
9 |
757 |
n.a |
Hinduism |
106 |
92 |
344 |
41 |
22 |
7 |
612 |
367 |
Islam |
67 |
1 |
428 |
48 |
29 |
4 |
577 |
243 |
Jehovah’s Witness |
709 |
1,018 |
1,467 |
1,083 |
506 |
331 |
5,114 |
3,366 |
Mennonite |
2,552 |
4,915 |
554 |
2,812 |
210 |
615 |
11,658 |
9,497 |
Methodist |
528 |
299 |
6,193 |
367 |
857 |
577 |
8,821 |
8,024 |
Mormon |
130 |
192 |
397 |
500 |
68 |
6 |
1,293 |
928 |
Nazarene |
821 |
152 |
1,987 |
2,605 |
1,262 |
1,833 |
8,660 |
6,117 |
Pentecostal |
1,721 |
2,029 |
5,378 |
10,838 |
2,839 |
3,094 |
25,899 |
17,189 |
Rastafarian |
13 |
18 |
250 |
113 |
93 |
36 |
523 |
n.a |
Roman Catholic |
18,371 |
19,916 |
34,416 |
24,229 |
12,850 |
13,228 |
123,010 |
115,035 |
Seventh Day Adventist |
3,988 |
2,302 |
5,519 |
3,011 |
1,373 |
472 |
16,665 |
12,160 |
Salvation Army |
13 |
5 |
244 |
100 |
6 |
2 |
370 |
371 |
Other |
2,666 |
6,891 |
5,556 |
6,268 |
2,244 |
3,028 |
26,653 |
14,984 |
None |
6,464 |
5,495 |
12,547 |
13,660 |
5,527 |
3,818 |
47,511 |
21,795 |
DK/NS |
66 |
35 |
398 |
166 |
36 |
55 |
756 |
1,367 |
Education
About 88 thousand persons were enrolled in formal education: 63,700 at the primary level, 17,200 secondary and 7,400 tertiary.
Males slightly outnumbered females up to primary education.Females outnumber males by a ratio of two to one at the university level. In terms of highest level of education completed, females outnumber males from secondary to university level.
Belize School Enrollment by Level, Sex and District, 2010p |
|||||||
Corozal |
Orange Walk |
Belize |
Cayo |
Stann Creek |
Toledo |
Total |
|
Total |
9,912 |
11,784 |
25,581 |
21,349 |
9,465 |
9,900 |
87,991 |
Pre‐school |
762 |
628 |
2,411 |
1,030 |
741 |
663 |
6,235 |
Primary |
7,340 |
8,806 |
16,351 |
15,470 |
6,917 |
7,809 |
62,693 |
Secondary |
1,786 |
1,932 |
6,130 |
3,726 |
1,985 |
1,639 |
17,198 |
Post Secondary |
573 |
616 |
1,940 |
1,305 |
373 |
291 |
5,098 |
University |
171 |
266 |
988 |
690 |
139 |
110 |
2,364 |
Other |
41 |
152 |
164 |
145 |
50 |
50 |
602 |
DK/NS |
1 |
12 |
8 |
13 |
1 |
1 |
36 |
Male |
4,935 |
5,946 |
12,248 |
10,486 |
4,654 |
5,023 |
43,292 |
Pre‐school |
370 |
305 |
1,218 |
525 |
374 |
344 |
3,136 |
Primary |
3,688 |
4,501 |
8,232 |
7,898 |
3,554 |
3,966 |
31,839 |
Secondary |
876 |
959 |
2,848 |
1,703 |
896 |
864 |
8,146 |
Post Secondary |
263 |
261 |
743 |
557 |
127 |
121 |
2,072 |
University |
83 |
130 |
330 |
231 |
47 |
39 |
860 |
Other |
24 |
89 |
92 |
88 |
29 |
32 |
354 |
DK/NS |
1 |
6 |
3 |
9 |
1 |
1 |
21 |
Female |
4,977 |
5,838 |
13,333 |
10,863 |
4,811 |
4,877 |
44,699 |
Pre‐school |
392 |
323 |
1,193 |
505 |
367 |
319 |
3,099 |
Primary |
3,652 |
4,305 |
8,119 |
7,572 |
3,363 |
3,843 |
30,854 |
Secondary |
910 |
973 |
3,282 |
2,023 |
1,089 |
775 |
9,052 |
Post Secondary |
310 |
355 |
1,197 |
748 |
246 |
170 |
3,026 |
University |
88 |
136 |
658 |
459 |
92 |
71 |
1,504 |
Other |
17 |
63 |
72 |
57 |
21 |
18 |
248 |
DK/NS |
‐ |
6 |
5 |
4 |
‐ |
‐ |
15 |
Belize Labour Force
The Belize Census shows the size of the national labor force increased by 46% to 131 thousand. About 30 thousand persons were without a job at the time they were interviewed, yielding a national unemployment rate of 23.1% compared to 20.3% in 2000. About two-thirds of the persons 14 years and over were either working or looking for a job. This is 3 percentage points higher than in 2000. (LFPR).
Women recorded twice the unemployment rate of men (16.7%). In Toledo and the northern districts, it was as much as three times. Cayo(26.2%) and Corozal(24.5%) experienced the highest rates of unemployment. Persons who have completed university enjoyed a much lower unemployment rate (6.3%).
Males generally earned more than females. In 2010, their average(median) monthly income was $922 compared to $882 for females. These figures are approximately 35% higher than in 2000. The public sector continued to account for about 15% of the employed population.
Population 14 years and over by Sex, Economic Activity Status and District, 2010p |
||||||||
Corozal |
Orange Walk |
Belize |
Cayo |
Stann Creek |
Toledo |
Total |
||
2010 |
2000 |
|||||||
Total |
26,290 |
28,985 |
60,519 |
45,301 |
20,238 |
17,449 |
198,888 |
142,505 |
Labour force (LF) |
16,972 |
17,869 |
42,443 |
29,470 |
13,414 |
10,463 |
130,717 |
89,572 |
Employed |
12,815 |
14,217 |
32,841 |
21,759 |
10,589 |
8,252 |
100,537 |
71,431 |
Unemployed |
4,157 |
3,652 |
9,602 |
7,711 |
2,825 |
2,211 |
30,180 |
18,141 |
Not in labour force |
9,318 |
11,116 |
18,076 |
15,831 |
6,824 |
6,986 |
68,171 |
52,933 |
Unemployment rate (%) |
24.5 |
20.4 |
22.6 |
26.2 |
21.1 |
21.1 |
23.1 |
20.3 |
LF participation rate (%) |
64.6 |
61.6 |
70.1 |
65.1 |
66.3 |
60.0 |
65.7 |
62.9 |
Male |
13,144 |
14,668 |
29,524 |
22,513 |
10,587 |
8,780 |
99,284 |
71,411 |
Labour force |
10,807 |
11,890 |
23,390 |
18,056 |
8,478 |
7,108 |
79,760 |
57,789 |
Employed |
9,180 |
10,371 |
18,989 |
14,530 |
7,166 |
6,194 |
66,453 |
50,227 |
Unemployed |
1,627 |
1,519 |
4,401 |
3,526 |
1,312 |
914 |
13,307 |
7,562 |
Not in labour force |
2,337 |
2,778 |
6,134 |
4,457 |
2,109 |
1,672 |
19,524 |
13,622 |
Unemployment rate (%) |
15.1 |
12.8 |
18.8 |
19.5 |
15.5 |
12.9 |
16.7 |
13.1 |
LF participation rate (%) |
82.2 |
81.1 |
79.2 |
80.2 |
80.1 |
81.0 |
80.3 |
80.9 |
Female |
13,146 |
14,317 |
30,995 |
22,788 |
9,651 |
8,669 |
99,604 |
71,094 |
Labour Force |
6,165 |
5,979 |
19,053 |
11,414 |
4,936 |
3,355 |
50,957 |
31,783 |
Employed |
3,635 |
3,846 |
13,852 |
7,229 |
3,423 |
2,058 |
34,084 |
21,204 |
Unemployed |
2,530 |
2,133 |
5,201 |
4,185 |
1,513 |
1,297 |
16,873 |
10,579 |
Not in labour force |
6,981 |
8,338 |
11,942 |
11,374 |
4,715 |
5,314 |
48,647 |
39,311 |
Unemployment rate (%) |
41.0 |
35.7 |
27.3 |
36.7 |
30.7 |
38.7 |
33.1 |
33.3 |
LF participation rate (%) |
46.9 |
41.8 |
61.5 |
50.1 |
51.1 |
38.7 |
51.2 |
44.7 |
Foreign Born Population
Guatemala (19K) remained the single largest source of FBP. El Salvador and Honduras supplied about seven thousand persons each. About 42% of the FBP are between 25 and 44 years old. Sixty percent had at primary education at most. As in 2000, FBP enjoyed a lower unemployment rate (17.7%) than the national average (males -11.0% and females -29.0%).
Foreign‐born Population by Country of Birth and District of Residence, 2010p |
||||||||
Corozal |
Orange Walk |
Belize |
Cayo |
Stann Creek |
Toledo |
Total |
||
2010 |
2000 |
|||||||
Total |
3,834 |
5,104 |
11,550 |
14,548 |
6,005 |
5,185 |
46,226 |
33,424 |
Guatemala |
1,011 |
1,996 |
2,295 |
7,600 |
2,496 |
3,478 |
18,876 |
14,691 |
El Salvador |
579 |
943 |
1,835 |
2,950 |
455 |
305 |
7,067 |
6,044 |
Honduras |
263 |
433 |
2,412 |
987 |
1,917 |
892 |
6,904 |
4,960 |
Mexico |
1,032 |
929 |
354 |
436 |
29 |
41 |
2,821 |
2,351 |
USA |
304 |
156 |
1,299 |
851 |
463 |
206 |
3,279 |
1,746 |
Canada |
95 |
74 |
154 |
254 |
58 |
29 |
664 |
443 |
Jamaica |
19 |
11 |
245 |
74 |
40 |
8 |
397 |
367 |
China |
152 |
132 |
733 |
286 |
203 |
61 |
1,567 |
1,543 |
All Others |
379 |
430 |
2,223 |
1,110 |
344 |
165 |
4,651 |
1,279 |
Source: Belize Population Census Report 2012