Population Distribution
| Total population |
399,598 |
| Population growth rate |
1.72% |
| Birth rate |
24.00 births per 1,000 residents |
| Life expectancy |
|
| Overall life expectancy |
68.40 years |
| Men life expectancy |
66.75 years |
| Women life expectancy |
70.13 years |
| Age structure |
|
| 0-14 years |
33.61% |
| 15-64 years |
62.05% |
| 65 years and above |
4.35% |
| Median age |
22.10 years |
| Gender ratio |
1.03 M / F |
| Population density |
17.40 residents per km² |
| Urbanization |
48.30% |
| Cities |
|
| Belize City 60,963, San Ignacio / Santa
Elena 20,582, Belmopan 19,458, San Pedro 16,444, Orange Walk Town
13,687, Corozal 11,722, Dangriga 10,108, Benque Viejo 6589 |
| Ethnicities |
|
| 34% European-indigenous, 25% African, 11% indigenous
(especially Maya), 6% African-indigenous (Garifuna), 6% Chinese, 4%
European, 3% Indian origin |
| Religions |
|
| Catholics (Roman Catholic) 62%, Protestants 30%
(Anglicans 12%, Methodists 6%, Mennonites 4%, Seventh-Day Adventists 3%,
Pentecostal 2%, Jehovah's Witnesses 1%, other 2%), no religion 2%, Other
6% (1980) |
| Human Development Index (HDI) |
0.720 |
| HDI ranking |
103 |
People in Belize
Among the residents of Belize, descendants from
connections between white Europeans and indigenous
peoples are the most strongly represented at 52.9
percent. They live mainly in the north and west of the
country.
The second largest group are the Creoles with 25.9
percent. They are descendants of African slaves brought
to Belize and English settlers. They can be black or
lighter in color, and they are united by their culture
and language, Belizean Creole, which developed from
English with African influences.
The indigenous population only makes up 11.3 percent.
They belong to the Mayaat. Three groups of Maya, each
with their own language, live in Belize. In the north it
is the Yucateco, in the middle and south west the Mopan
and in the southeast the Kekchí (Q'eqchi ').
6 percent of the population belong to the Garifuna.
They are the descendants of black slaves from West
Africa who mixed with the residents of the Caribbean
island of St. Vincent. In 1635 two slave ships ran
aground there. In 1795 the British took possession of
the island and relocated the Garifuna to islands off
Honduras, from where they spread to Belize and
Guatemala. They live in Belize mainly on the southern
coast.
- Children: Each woman in Belize has an
average of 2.7 children. With us, every woman has an
average of 1.4 children.
- Urban and rural areas: Slightly less than
half of the population (46 percent) live in cities.
So 54 percent live in the country.
Languages in Belize
English is the official language in Belize. It is the
only country in Latin America where English is the
official language. The reason is that Belize was a
British colony, even until 1981. So classes are also in
English and English is used in all documents and forms.
62.9 percent of the population speaks English - so not
all of them.
Almost as many people speak Spanish, 56.6 percent.
44.6 percent speak Creole as their mother tongue, namely
Belizean Creole. But not only the Creoles themselves,
but also many Garifuna and even Mestizos and Maya speak
Creole, at least as a second language. 10.5 percent
speak Maya languages. 3.2 percent, namely the Mennonites
, speak German.
Religions in Belize
71.6 percent of Belizeans belong to Christianity.
40.1 percent are Catholic and 31.5 percent are
Protestants. 4 percent of the Protestants are Mennonites
. 15.5 percent do not belong to any church. The rest are
Jehovah's Witnesses, Buddhists, Hindus or Muslims.
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