Belize Facts and Figures. BASIC FACTS Official name Capital Area Belize Belmopan 22,965 sq km 8,867 sq mi PEOPLE Population 301,022 (2008 estimate) Population growth Population growth rate 2.20 percent (2008 estimate) Projected population in 2025 410,468 (2025 estimate) Projected population in 2050 541,734 (2050 estimate) Population density 13 persons per sq km (2008 estimate) 34 persons per sq mi (2008 estimate) Urban/rural distribution Share urban 48 percent (2005 estimate) Share rural 52 percent (2005 estimate) Largest cities, with population Belize City 59,400 (2004 estimate) San Ignacio 16,100 (2004 estimate) Orange Walk Dangriga Corozal 13,483 (2000) 10,400 (2004 estimate) 7,888 (2000) Ethnic groups Mestizo 44 percent Creole 30 percent Maya 11 percent Garifuna 7 percent O ther 8 percent Languages English (official), Spanish, Maya, Garifuna (Carib) Religious affiliations Roman Catholic 57 percent Protestant 16 percent Anglican 5 percent Baha'i 3 percent Hindu 2 percent O ther 17 percent HEALTH AND EDUCATION Life expectancy Total 68.2 years (2008 estimate) Female 70.1 years (2008 estimate) Male 66.3 years (2008 estimate) Infant mortality rate 24 deaths per 1,000 live births (2008 estimate) Population per physician 957 people (2004) Population per hospital bed 769 people (2003) Literacy rate Total 93.2 percent (2000 estimate) Female 93.2 percent (2000 estimate) Male 93.3 percent (2000 estimate) Education expenditure as a share of gross national product (GNP) Number of years of compulsory schooling Number of students per teacher, primary school 5.7 percent (2002-2003) 10 years (2002-2003) 21 students per teacher (2002-2003) GOVERNMENT Form of government Parliamentary democracy Voting qualifications Universal at age 18 Constitution 21 September 1981 Armed forces Total number of military personnel Military expenditures as a share of gross domestic product (GDP) 1,050 (2004) 2.4 percent (2003) ECONOMY Gross domestic product (GDP, in U.S.$) $1,214 million (2006) GDP per capita (U.S.$) $4,077.80 (2006) GDP by economic sector Agriculture, forestry, fishing 14 percent (2006) I ndustry 21 percent (2006) Services 65 percent (2006) Employment Number of workers 118,674 (2006) Workforce share of economic sector Agriculture, forestry, fishing 28 percent (1999) I ndustry 17 percent (1999) Services 55 percent (1999) Unemployment rate 10 percent (2002) National budget (U.S.$) Total revenue $123.7 million (1997) Total expenditure $140.6 million (1997) Monetary unit 1 Belizean dollar (BZ$), consisting of 100 cents Major trade partners for exports United States, United Kingdom, Peru, Japan, Taiwan Major trade partners for imports United States, Mexico, Netherlands Antilles, Japan, Cuba ENERGY, COMMUNICATIONS, AND TRANSPORTATION Electricity production Electricity from thermal sources 33.33 percent (2003 estimate) Electricity from hydroelectric sources 66.67 percent (2003 estimate) Electricity from nuclear sources 0 percent (2003 estimate) Electricity from geothermal, solar, and wind sources 0 percent (2003 estimate) Number of radios per 1,000 people 591 (1997) Number of telephones per 1,000 people 114 (2005) Number of televisions per 1,000 people 183 (2000 estimate) Number of Internet hosts per 10,000 people 89 (2003) Daily newspaper circulation per 1,000 people 18 (1985) Number of motor vehicles per 1,000 people 91 (1998) Paved road as a share of total roads 17 percent (1999) SOURCES Basic Facts and People sections Area data are from the statistical bureaus of individual countries. Population, population growth rate, and population projections are from the United States Census Bureau, International Programs Center, International Data Base (IDB) (www.census.gov). Urban and rural population data are from the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations (UN), FAOSTAT database (www.fao.org). Largest cities population data and political divisions data are from the statistical bureaus of individual countries. Ethnic divisions and religion data are largely from the latest Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) World Factbook and from various country censuses and reports. Language data are largely from the Ethnologue, Languages of the World, Summer Institute of Linguistics International (www.sil.org). Health and Education section Life expectancy and infant mortality data are from the United States Census Bureau, International Programs Center, International database (IDB) (www.census.gov). Population per physician and population per hospital bed data are from the World Health Organization (WHO) (www.who.int). Education data are from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) database (www.unesco.org). Government section Government, independence, legislature, constitution, highest court, and voting qualifications data are largely from various government Web sites, the latest Europa World Yearbook, and the latest Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) World Factbook. The armed forces data is from Military Balance. Economy section Gross domestic product (GDP), GDP per capita, GDP by economic sectors, employment, and national budget data are from the World Bank database (www.worldbank.org). Monetary unit, agriculture, mining, manufacturing, exports, imports, and major trade partner information is from the statistical bureaus of individual countries, latest Europa World Yearbook, and various United Nations and International Monetary Fund (IMF) publications. Energy, Communication, and Transportation section Electricity information is from the Energy Information Administration (EIA) database (www.eia.doe.gov). Radio, telephone, television, and newspaper information is from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) database (www.unesco.org). Internet hosts, motor vehicles, and road data are from the World Bank database (www.worldbank.org). Note Figures may not total 100 percent due to rounding. Microsoft ® Encarta ® 2009. © 1993-2008 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. Microsoft ® Encarta ® 2009. © 1993-2008 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.
