Belice: General Information: People

Belize was once the most sparsely populated nation in Central America; it is larger than El Salvador and compares in size to the state of Massachusetts. Slightly more than half the people live in rural areas. Approximately one-fourth of the population lives in Belize City, the principal port, commercial center, and former capital.

The overall population of Belize has increased dramatically in the last decade due to the influx of Central American refugees and other immigrants, mostly from Guatemala and El Salvador.

Most Belizeans are of multiracial descent. About 44 percent of the population is of mixed Mayan and European descent (mestizo); 30 percent are of African and Afro-European (Creole) ancestry; about 11 percent are Mayan; and about seven percent are Afro-Amerindian (Garifuna). The remainder, less than 10 percent, includes European, East Indian, Chinese, Middle Eastern, and North American groups.

English, the official language is spoken by virtually the entire population, with the exception of recent immigrants and refugees. Spanish is, however, spoken by about 50 percent of the population as a native tongue; it is spoken by another 20 percent of the population as a second language. The result is a high degree of de facto bilingualism. In addition, most Belizeans speak a Creole dialect, similar to that spoken in the English-speaking Caribbean.

Christianity is the predominant religion, with most practitioners being Roman Catholic. Anglicans and other Protestant denominations make up the other Christian sects, with a sizable number of Mennonite settlers included in this category.

Belize’s infant mortality rate was 31.57 deaths to 1,000 live births, according to a 1999 estimate. The life expectancy at birth of the total population was estimated in 1999 to be 69.2 years - 67.23 years for males and 71.26 years for females. The literacy rate in Belize varies according to source, from as low as 70.3 percent to as high as 75 percent. The rate was equal across gender lines.

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