Belize is a country in North America, known for the Belize Barrier Reef and tropical rainforests. It has a population of nearly 423 thousand, making it the 177th largest country in the world. Its capital is Belmopan. Belize has a tourism-based economy with growing agricultural sector.
* As of 6/9/2025
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Belize is located on the eastern coast of Central America where it’s bordered by Mexico and Guatemala. Belize is the only country in Central America with English as the official language. With 8,800 square miles of land, this gives Belize a population density of about 45.4 persons per square mile. This is the lowest density in Latin America, and one of the lowest in the world.
The largest city in Belize is Belize City, which has a population of 57,000. The capital, Belmopan, has a population of 16,500.
The demographics of Belize have been heavily influenced by colonization, slavery and immigration, and the country has many ethnic groups, languages and cultures combined. The Maya have inhabited the region since the second millennium BC, although much of this population has been wiped out. There are now three Maya groups in Belize: the Mopan who are indigenous to the area and returned from Guatemala in the 19th century after evading slavery), the Yucatec (who came from Mexico to escape the Caste War) and the Q’eqchi (who fled from slavery in Guatemala).
Belizean Creoles, or Kriols, account for 21% of the population but almost 75% of the country’s diaspora. They are descendants of the Baymen slave owners and slaves brought to the region for logging.
Mestizos account for 50% of the country’s population. Mestizos were originally a mix of Maya and Spanish. The Garinagu, who are a mix of West/Central African, Arawak and Island Carib, account for 4.5% of the population.
There are also large communities of Asians, East Indians and expatriate Americans and Africans residing in Belize. Many Creoles and other ethnic groups of Belize have emigrated to the United States and the United Kingdom for more opportunities. It’s estimated that there are 160,000 Belizeans in the United States.