STATISTICS: BELIZE

Belize Official name: Belize. Form of government: constitutional monarchy with two legislative houses (Senate ; House of Representatives ). Chief of state: British Monarch represented by Governor-General. Head of government: Prime Minister. Capital: Belmopan. Official language: English. Official religion: none. Monetary unit: 1 Belize dollar (BZ$) = 100 cents; valuation (Sept. 25, 1998) 1 U.S.$ = BZ$2.00{3}; 1 = BZ$3.41. Demography Population (1998): 235,000. Density (1998): persons per sq mi 26.5, persons per sq km 10.2. Urban-rural (1994): urban 47.5%; rural 52.5%. Sex distribution (1996): male 50.02%; female 49.98%. Age breakdown (1996): under 15, 41.6%; 15-29, 26.4%; 30-44, 16.3%; 45-59, 8.6%; 60 and over, 7.1%. Population projection: (2000) 248,000; (2010) 307,000. Doubling time: 26 years. Ethnic composition (1991): mestizo (Spanish-Indian) 43.6%; Creole (predominantly black) 29.8%; Mayan Indian 11.0%; Garifuna (black-Carib Indian) 6.7%; white 3.9%; East Indian 3.5%; other or not stated 1.5%. Religious affiliation (1991): Roman Catholic 57.7%; Protestant 34.3%, of which Anglican 7.0%, Pentecostal 6.3%, Methodist 4.2%, Seventh-day Adventist 4.1%, Mennonite 4.0%; other Christian 1.7%; other 0.3%; none or not stated 6.0%. Major cities (1996): Belize City 52,670; Orange Walk 14,960; San Ignacio/ Santa Elena 11,315; Corozal 8,020; Belmopan 6,490. Vital statistics Birth rate per 1,000 population (1996): 32.8 (world avg. 25.0); (1992) legitimate 41.6%; illegitimate 58.4%. Death rate per 1,000 population (1996): 5.7 (world avg. 9.3). Natural increase rate per 1,000 population (1996): 27.1 (world avg. 15.7). Total fertility rate (avg. births per childbearing woman; 1996): 4.1. Marriage rate per 1,000 population (1994): 6.3. Divorce rate per 1,000 population (1993): 0.6. Life expectancy at birth (1996): male 66.6 years; female 70.6 years. Major causes of death per 100,000 population (1990): accidents 92.6; heart diseases 84.7; diseases of the respiratory system 57.1; malignant neoplasms (cancers) 52.4; cerebrovascular disease 47.6; diabetes mellitus 37.0. National economy Budget (1996-97). Revenue: BZ$302,800,000 (current revenue 88.3%; development revenue 11.7%). Expenditures: BZ$375,000,000 (current expenditures 71.2%; development expenditures 28.8%, of which foreign grants and loans 27.0%). Tourism (1995): receipts from visitors U.S.$78,000,000; expenditures by nationals abroad U.S.$21,000,000. Production (metric tons except as noted). Agriculture, forestry, fishing (1996): sugarcane 1,091,000, oranges 127,900, bananas 67,000, grapefruits 44,000, corn (maize) 28,200, rice 9,600, coconuts 3,200, red kidney beans 3,100, cacao 182, honey (1994) 72; livestock (number of live animals) 60,000 cattle, 22,000 pigs, 1,300,000 chickens; roundwood (1994) 187,600 cu m; fish catch (1995) 1,366, of which shrimp 635, lobsters 392, conchs 184, freshwater and marine fish 155. Mining and quarrying (1995): sand and gravel 320,000; limestone 310,000. Manufacturing (1995): sugar (1996) 110,500; molasses 46,500; fertilizer 26,600; flour 11,500; orange concentrate (1996) 113,000 hectolitres; beer 41,100 hectolitres; grapefruit concentrate (1996) 34,000 hectolitres; cigarettes 94,000,000 units; garments (1996) 2,100,000 units. Construction (publicly financed buildings under construction; 1991): residential 180 units; nonresidential, n.a. Energy production (consumption): electricity (kW-hr; 1994) 110,000,000 (110,000,000); coal, none (none); crude petroleum, none (none); petroleum products (metric tons; 1994) none (81,000); natural gas, none (none). Household income and expenditure. Average household size (1991) 4.9; average annual income of employed head of household (1993) BZ$6,450{4} (U.S.$3,225{4}); sources of income: n.a.; expenditure (1990): food, beverages, and tobacco 34.0%, transportation 13.7%, energy and water 9.1%, housing 9.0%, clothing and footwear 8.8%, household furnishings 8.0%. Population economically active (1996): total 75,450; activity rate of total population 34.1% (participation rates: ages 14-64, 58.5%; female 30.8%; unemployed 13.8%). Public debt (external, outstanding; 1996): U.S.$252,300,000. Gross national product (1996): U.S.$600,000,000 (U.S.$2,700 per capita). Land use (1994): forested 92.1%; meadows and pastures 2.2%; agricultural and under permanent cultivation 3.6%; other 2.1%. Foreign trade{5} Imports (1995): BZ$517,000,000 (machinery and transport equipment 25.8%; food and beverages 18.3%; mineral fuels and lubricants 11.5%; chemicals and chemical products 10.7%). Major import sources: U.S. 54.0%; Mexico 11.0%; U.K. 6.3%; Netherlands Antilles 5.0%; Canada 3.0%. Exports (1995): BZ$323,400,000 (domestic exports 88.4%, of which raw sugar 29.5%, orange concentrate 13.9%, bananas 13.6%, marine products 9.6%, garments 9.0%; reexports 11.6%). Major export destinations: U.K. 42.0%; U.S. 36.0%; Germany 5.0%; Canada 4.0%. Transport Transport. Railroads: none. Roads (1995): total length 1,721 mi, 2,770 km (paved 19%). Vehicles (1993): passenger cars 10,667; trucks and buses 6,108. Merchant marine (1992): vessels (100 gross tons and over) 32; total dead-weight tonnage 45,706. Air transport (1995){6}: passenger arrivals 174,824, passenger departures 191,409; cargo loaded 299 metric tons, cargo unloaded 1,176 metric tons. Airports (1997) with scheduled flights 9. Education and health Educational attainment (1991). Percentage of population age 25 and over having: no formal schooling 13.0%; primary education 64.3%; secondary 14.9%; higher 6.6%; other 1.2%. Literacy (1991): total population age 14 and over literate 75,500 (70.3%). Health: physicians (1995) 139 (1 per 1,546 persons); hospital beds (1993) 585 (1 per 350 persons); infant mortality rate per 1,000 live births (1996) 33.9. Food (1992): daily per capita caloric intake 2,662 (vegetable products 75%, animal products 25%); 118% of FAO recommended minimum requirement. Military Total active duty personnel (1996): 1,050 (army 95.2%, maritime wing 4.8%). Military expenditure as percentage of GNP (1995): 1.6% (world 2.8%); per capita expenditure U.S.$41. {1} Excludes president of the Senate, who may be elected by the Senate from outside its appointed membership. {2} Excludes speaker of the House of Representatives, who may be elected by the House from outside its elected membership. {3} The Belize dollar is officially pegged to the U.S. dollar. {4} Estimated figure for about 33,000 employed heads of household. {5} Import figures are f.o.b. in balance of trade and c.i.f. in commodities and trading partners. {6} Belize international airport only.