Demographics of Belize

Demographics of Belize
Population pyramid of Belize in 2022
Population	397,483 (2022 census)
Growth rate	1.64% (2022 est.)
Birth rate	21.28 births/1,000 population (2022 est.)
Death rate	3.94 deaths/1,000 population (2022 est.)
Life expectancy	75.82 years
• male	74.23 years
• female	77.5 years
Fertility rate	2.62 children born/woman (2022 est.)
Infant mortality rate	11.15 deaths/1,000 live births
Net migration rate	-0.96 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2022 est.)
Age structure
0–14 years	32.57%
65 and over	4.53%
Sex ratio
Total	1 male(s)/female (2022 est.)
At birth	1.05 male(s)/female
Under 15	1.04 male(s)/female
65 and over	0.78 male(s)/female
Nationality
Nationality	Belizean
Major ethnic	Mestizo (52.9%)
Minor ethnic	Creole (25.9%)
Language
Official	English

Demographics of the population of Belize include population density, ethnicity, education level, health of the populace, economic status, religious affiliations and other aspects.

Belize is the most sparsely populated nation in Central America. It is larger than El Salvador. Slightly more than half of the people live in rural areas. About one-fourth live in Belize City, the principal port, commercial centre, and former capital. About 80% of the population are Christian.

Most Belizeans are of multiracial descent. About 52.9% of the population is of mixed Indigenous (mostly Maya) and European descent (or Mestizo), 24.9% are Kriols, about 10.6% are Maya, and about 6.1% are Afro-Amerindian (Garifuna).^[1] The remaining population includes European, East Indian, Chinese, Middle Eastern, and North American groups. In the case of Europeans, most are descendants of Spanish and British colonial settlers, whether pure-blooded or mixed with each other. Most Spanish left the nation just after it was taken by the British colonists who, in the same way, left after independence. Dutch and Prussian Mennonites settled in Belize, mostly in isolated areas.