Belize

parliamentary democracy (National Assembly) under a constitutional monarchy; a Commonwealth realm

name: Belmopan geographic coordinates: 17 15 N, 88 46 W time difference: UTC-6 (1 hour behind Washington, DC, during Standard Time) etymology: the name is formed from two words: "Belize," the name of the longest river in the country, and "Mopan," one of the rivers in the area that empties into the Belize River

chief of state: King CHARLES III (since 8 September 2022); represented by Governor-General Froyla TZALAM (since 27 May 2021) head of government: Prime Minister John BRICE O (since 12 November 2020) cabinet: governor general appoints Cabinet from among members of the National Assembly, on the advice of the prime minister election/appointment process: the monarchy is hereditary; governor-general appointed by the monarch; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or majority coalition usually appointed prime minister by the governor-general; prime minister recommends the deputy prime minister

legislature name: National Assembly legislative structure: bicameral

highest court(s): Supreme Court of Judicature (consists of the Court of Appeal with the court president and 3 justices, and the Supreme Court with the chief justice and 10 justices); the Caribbean Court of Justice is the final court of appeal judge selection and term of office: Court of Appeal president and justices appointed by the governor-general upon advice of the prime minister after consultation with the National Assembly opposition leader; justices' tenures vary by terms of appointment; Supreme Court chief justice appointed by the governor-general upon the advice of the prime minister and the National Assembly opposition leader; other judges appointed by the governor-general upon the advice of the Judicial and Legal Services Section of the Public Services Commission and with the concurrence of the prime minister after consultation with the National Assembly opposition leader; judges can be appointed beyond age 65 but must retire by age 75 subordinate courts: Magistrates' Courts; Family Court

history: previous 1954, 1963 (pre-independence); latest signed and entered into force 21 September 1981 amendment process: proposed and adopted by two-thirds majority vote of the National Assembly House of Representatives except for amendments relating to rights and freedoms, changes to the Assembly, and to elections and judiciary matters, which require at least three-quarters majority vote of the House; both types of amendments require assent of the governor general

ACP, ACS, AOSIS, C, Caricom, CD, CDB, CELAC, FAO, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC (NGOs), ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ITU, LAES, MIGA, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, OPCW, PCA, Petrocaribe, SICA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

1% of GDP (2024 est.) 0.9% of GDP (2023 est.) 1.1% of GDP (2022 est.) 1.3% of GDP (2021 est.) 1.5% of GDP (2020 est.)

Belize Defense Force (BDF): Army, Air Wing; Belize Coast Guard (BCG) (2025) note: the Ministry of National Defense and Border Security is responsible for oversight of the BDF and the Coast Guard, while the Ministry of Home Affairs and New Growth Industries has responsibility for the Belize Police Department (BPD) and prisons

18-23 years of age for voluntary military service; laws allow for conscription only if volunteers are insufficient, but conscription has never been implemented; initial service obligation is 12 years (2025)

the Belize Defense Force (BDF) is responsible for external security but also provides some support to civilian authorities; it has limited powers of arrest within land and shoreline areas, while the Coast Guard has arrest powers and jurisdiction within coastal and maritime areas; the BDF traces its history back to the Prince Regent Royal Honduras Militia, a volunteer force established in 1817; the BDF was established in 1978 from the disbanded Police Special Force and the Belize Volunteer Guard to assist the resident British forces with the defense of Belize against Guatemala the British Army has maintained a presence in Belize since its independence; the presence consists of a small training support unit that provides jungle training to troops from the UK and international partners (2025)

$5.538 billion (2024 est.) $5.12 billion (2023 est.) $5.062 billion (2022 est.) note: data in 2021 dollars

$13,300 (2024 est.) $12,500 (2023 est.) $12,600 (2022 est.) note: data in 2021 dollars

8.2% (2024 est.) 1.1% (2023 est.) 9.7% (2022 est.) note: annual GDP % growth based on constant local currency

3.3% (2024 est.) 4.4% (2023 est.) 6.3% (2022 est.) note: annual % change based on consumer prices

99% of GDP (2017 est.) note: central government debt as a % of GDP

$1.64 billion (2024 est.) $1.536 billion (2023 est.) $1.369 billion (2022 est.) note: balance of payments - exports of goods and services in current dollars

$1.724 billion (2024 est.) $1.573 billion (2023 est.) $1.574 billion (2022 est.) note: balance of payments - imports of goods and services in current dollars

7% (2024 est.) 8.3% (2023 est.) 8.8% (2022 est.) note: % of labor force seeking employment

revenues: $554.405 million (2017 est.) expenditures: $506.316 million (2017 est.) note: central government revenues and expenses (excluding grants/extrabudgetary units/social security funds) converted to US dollars at average official exchange rate for year indicated

garment production, food processing, tourism, construction, oil

sugarcane, maize, bananas, sorghum, soybeans, chicken, rice, oranges, fruits, plantains (2023) note: top ten agricultural products based on tonnage

total: 421,960 (2025 est.) male: 208,844 female: 213,116

1.47% (2025 est.)

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)

17.44 births/1,000 population (2025 est.)

4.87 deaths/1,000 population (2025 est.)

2.17 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2025 est.)

total population: 74.3 years (2024 est.) male: 72.6 years female: 76.1 years

urban population: 46.6% of total population (2023) rate of urbanization: 2.3% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

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

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 informaci n b sica. (Spanish) note: shares sum to more than 100% because some respondents gave more than one answer on the census

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.)

total population: 87.9% (2022 est.) male: 87.9% (2022 est.) female: 87.9% (2022 est.)

arable land potential, timber, fish, hydropower

USG identification: major illicit drug-producing and/or drug-transit country (2025)

refugees: 2,287 (2024 est.) IDPs: 8 (2024 est.)

27 (2025)

total: 774 (2023) by type: bulk carrier 49, general cargo 410, oil tanker 64, other 251

total subscriptions: 271,000 (2022 est.) subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 67 (2022 est.)

percent of population: 72% (2023 est.)