Country Fast Facts: Belize

Belize was the site of several Mayan city states until their decline at the end of the first millennium A.D.

The British and Spanish disputed the region in the 17th and 18th centuries; it formally became the colony of British Honduras in 1854. Territorial disputes between the UK and Guatemala delayed the independence of Belize until 1981.

Guatemala refused to recognize the new nation until 1992 and the two countries are involved in an ongoing border dispute.

Guatemala and Belize are gearing up for a simultaneous referendum to determine if this dispute will go before the International Court of Justice at The Hague. Tourism has become the mainstay of the economy.

Current concerns include an unsustainable foreign debt, high unemployment, growing involvement in the South American drug trade, growing urban crime, and increasing incidences of HIV/AIDS

Source: CIA World Fact Book

Population:
307,899 (July 2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 178

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Age structure:
0-14 years: 37.9% (male 59,462/female 57,117)
15-64 years: 58.6% (male 91,298/female 89,170)
65 years and over: 3.5% (male 5,185/female 5,667) (2009 est.)

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Median age:
total: 20.4 years
male: 20.3 years
female: 20.6 years (2009 est.)

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Population growth rate:
2.154% (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 47

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Birth rate:
27.33 births/1,000 population (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 59

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Death rate:
5.77 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 169

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Net migration rate:
NA (2009 est.)

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Urbanization:
urban population: 52% of total population (2008)
rate of urbanization: 3.1% annual rate of change (2005-10 est.)

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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: 0.92 male(s)/female
total population: 1.03 male(s)/female (2009 est.)

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Infant mortality rate:
total: 23.07 deaths/1,000 live births
country comparison to the world: 94
male: 26 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 19.99 deaths/1,000 live births (2009 est.)

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Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 68.2 years
country comparison to the world: 151
male: 66.44 years
female: 70.05 years (2009 est.)

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Total fertility rate:
3.36 children born/woman (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 59

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HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
2.1% (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 30

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HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
3,600 (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 129

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HIV/AIDS - deaths:
fewer than 200 (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 106

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Major infectious diseases:
degree of risk: high
food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever
vectorborne diseases: dengue fever and malaria
water contact disease: leptospirosis (2009)

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Nationality:
noun: Belizean(s)
adjective: Belizean

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Ethnic groups:
mestizo 48.7%, Creole 24.9%, Maya 10.6%, Garifuna 6.1%, other 9.7% (2000 census)

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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% (2000)

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Languages:
Spanish 46%, Creole 32.9%, Mayan dialects 8.9%, English 3.9% (official), Garifuna 3.4% (Carib), German 3.3%, other 1.4%, unknown 0.2% (2000 census)

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Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 76.9%
male: 76.7%
female: 77.1% (2000 census)

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School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):
total: 13 years
male: 13 years
female: 13 years (2004)

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Education expenditures:
5.3% of GDP (2004)
country comparison to the world: 55

In this small, essentially private-enterprise economy, tourism is the number one foreign exchange earner followed by exports of marine products, citrus, cane sugar, bananas, and garments.

The government's expansionary monetary and fiscal policies, initiated in September 1998, led to sturdy GDP growth averaging nearly 4% in 1999-2007, though growth slipped to 3.8% in 2008 as a result of the global slowdown, natural disasters, and the drop in the price of oil. Oil discoveries in 2006 bolstered the economic growth.

Exploration efforts continue and a small increase in production is expected in 2009. Major concerns continue to be the sizable trade deficit and unsustainable foreign debt equivalent to nearly 70% of GDP.

In February 2007, the government restructured nearly all of its public external commercial debt, which helped reduce interest payments and relieve some of the country's liquidity concerns.

A key short-term objective remains the reduction of poverty with the help of international donors.

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GDP (purchasing power parity):
$2.82 billion (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 175
$2.459 billion (2007)
$2.421 billion (2006)
note: data are in 2008 US dollars

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GDP (official exchange rate):
$1.383 billion (2008 est.)

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GDP - real growth rate:
3.8% (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 113
1.6% (2007 est.)
5.3% (2006 est.)

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GDP - per capita (PPP):
$8,600 (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 115
$8,300 (2007 est.)
$8,400 (2006 est.)
note: data are in 2008 US dollars

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GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 29%
industry: 16.9%
services: 54.1% (2008 est.)

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Labor force:
113,000
country comparison to the world: 173
note: shortage of skilled labor and all types of technical personnel (2006 est.)

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Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture: 19.5%
industry: 17.9%
services: 61.9% (2005)

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Unemployment rate:
8.5% (2007)
country comparison to the world: 113

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Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%

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Investment (gross fixed):
24.5% of GDP (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 56

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Budget:
revenues: $335.5 million
expenditures: $361.5 million (2008 est.)

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Inflation rate (consumer prices):
4.5% (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 76

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Central bank discount rate:
12% (31 December 2007)
country comparison to the world: 26

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Commercial bank prime lending rate:
14.33% (31 December 2007)
country comparison to the world: 54

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Stock of money:
$323.9 million (31 December 2007)
country comparison to the world: 149

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Stock of quasi money:
$549 million (31 December 2007)
country comparison to the world: 139

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Stock of domestic credit:
$877.6 million (31 December 2007)
country comparison to the world: 140

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Market value of publicly traded shares:
$NA

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Agriculture - products:
bananas, cacao, citrus, sugar; fish, cultured shrimp; lumber; garments

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Industries:
garment production, food processing, tourism, construction, oil

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Industrial production growth rate:
1.8% (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 126

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Electricity - production:
213.5 million kWh (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 173

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Electricity - consumption:
193.3 million kWh (2006 est.)
country comparison to the world: 177

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Electricity - exports:
0 kWh (2007 est.)

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Electricity - imports:
0 kWh (2007 est.)

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Oil - production:
3,000 bbl/day (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 99

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Oil - consumption:
7,000 bbl/day (2006 est.)
country comparison to the world: 156

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Oil - exports:
1,960 bbl/day (2006)
country comparison to the world: 115

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Oil - imports:
7,122 bbl/day (2005)
country comparison to the world: 146

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Oil - proved reserves:
6.7 million bbl (1 January 2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 92

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Natural gas - production:
0 cu m (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 96

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Natural gas - consumption:
0 cu m (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 205

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Natural gas - exports:
0 cu m (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 48

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Natural gas - imports:
0 cu m (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 70

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Natural gas - proved reserves:
0 cu m (1 January 2006 est.)
country comparison to the world: 200

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Current account balance:
-$32 million (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 72

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Exports:
$496 million f.o.b. (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 164

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Exports - commodities:
sugar, bananas, citrus, clothing, fish products, molasses, wood, crude oil

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Exports - partners:
US 28.7%, UK 16.3%, Thailand 5.8%, Cote d'Ivoire 5.4%, Finland 4.2%, Spain 4% (2007)

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Imports:
$718 million f.o.b. (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 183

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Imports - commodities:
machinery and transport equipment, manufactured goods; fuels, chemicals, pharmaceuticals; food, beverages, tobacco

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Imports - partners:
US 31.2%, Mexico 13.6%, Cuba 8.5%, Guatemala 8%, Russia 4.6% (2007)

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Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
$117 million (31 December 2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 147

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Debt - external:
$1.2 billion (June 2005 est.)
country comparison to the world: 149

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Exchange rates:
Belizean dollars (BZD) per US dollar - 2 (2008), 2 (2007), 2 (2006), 2 (2005), 2 (2004)