World Factbook
Belize
Last updated: 2026-03-28 (today)
Literacy
male
87.9% (2022 est.)
female
87.9% (2022 est.)
total population
87.9% (2022 est.)
Languages
note
note: shares sum to more than 100% because some respondents gave more than one answer on the census
Languages
English 62.9% (official), Spanish 56.6%, Creole 44.6%, Maya 10.5%, German 3.2%, Garifuna 2.9%, other 1.8%, unknown 0.5% (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)
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, Church of Jesus Christ, Muslim, Rastafarian, Salvation Army), unspecified 0.6%, none 15.5% (2010 est.)
Sex ratio
at birth
1.05 male(s)/female
0-14 years
1.03 male(s)/female
15-64 years
0.96 male(s)/female
total population
0.98 male(s)/female (2024 est.)
65 years and over
0.99 male(s)/female
Birth rate
17.44 births/1,000 population (2025 est.)
Death rate
4.87 deaths/1,000 population (2025 est.)
Median age
male
26.4 years
total
27.2 years (2025 est.)
female
27.2 years
Population
male
208,844
total
421,960 (2025 est.)
female
213,116
Nationality
noun
Belizean(s)
adjective
Belizean
Tobacco use
male
14.8% (2025 est.)
total
8.3% (2025 est.)
female
1.8% (2025 est.)
Urbanization
urban population
46.6% of total population (2023)
rate of urbanization
2.3% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)
Age structure
0-14 years
27.7% (male 58,529/female 56,811)
15-64 years
66.7% (male 135,903/female 141,503)
65 years and over
5.5% (2024 est.) (male 11,463/female 11,580)
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% (2010 est.)
note: percentages add up to more than 100% because respondents were able to identify more than one ethnic origin
Child marriage
men married by age 18
22.2% (2016)
women married by age 15
6.3% (2016)
women married by age 18
33.5% (2016)
Dependency ratios
total dependency ratio
49.4 (2025 est.)
youth dependency ratio
40.8 (2025 est.)
potential support ratio
11.6 (2025 est.)
elderly dependency ratio
8.6 (2025 est.)
Physician density
1.09 physicians/1,000 population (2018)
Health expenditure
Health expenditure (as % of GDP)
5% of GDP (2021)
Health expenditure (as % of national budget)
11.5% of national budget (2022 est.)
Net migration rate
2.17 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2025 est.)
Hospital bed density
1 beds/1,000 population (2018 est.)
Total fertility rate
2.02 children born/woman (2025 est.)
Drinking water source
improved: rural
rural: 98% of population (2022 est.)
improved: total
total: 98.4% of population (2022 est.)
improved: urban
urban: 98.9% of population (2022 est.)
unimproved: rural
rural: 2% of population (2022 est.)
unimproved: total
total: 1.6% of population (2022 est.)
unimproved: urban
urban: 1.1% of population (2022 est.)
Education expenditure
Education expenditure (% GDP)
4.6% of GDP (2024 est.)
Education expenditure (% national budget)
18.9% national budget (2024 est.)
Infant mortality rate
male
12.4 deaths/1,000 live births
total
11.3 deaths/1,000 live births (2025 est.)
female
10.1 deaths/1,000 live births
Population growth rate
1.47% (2025 est.)
Gross reproduction rate
0.99 (2025 est.)
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
Life expectancy at birth
male
72.6 years
female
76.1 years
total population
74.3 years (2024 est.)
Maternal mortality ratio
67 deaths/100,000 live births (2023 est.)
Sanitation facility access
improved: rural
rural: 95.7% of population (2022 est.)
improved: total
total: 97.3% of population (2022 est.)
improved: urban
urban: 99.1% of population (2022 est.)
unimproved: rural
rural: 4.3% of population (2022 est.)
unimproved: total
total: 2.7% of population (2022 est.)
unimproved: urban
urban: 0.9% of population (2022 est.)
Alcohol consumption per capita
beer
3.88 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
wine
0.68 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
total
5.93 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
spirits
1.19 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
other alcohols
0.17 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Major urban areas - population
23,000 BELMOPAN (capital) (2018)
Obesity - adult prevalence rate
24.1% (2016)
Children under the age of 5 years underweight
4.6% (2015/16)
School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education)
male
12 years (2023 est.)
total
12 years (2023 est.)
female
12 years (2023 est.)