Belize Population and Ethnic Groups Explained

BELIZE · POPULATION

Belize is a small, young and mixed country where English, Kriol and Spanish share the streets. This guide explains who lives there, where they live and how the groups fit together.

Belize population stood at 397,483 people in the 2022 census, which makes it one of the smaller countries in the Americas. It is also very mixed, with Mestizo, Creole, Maya, Garifuna, Mennonite and East Indian communities.

This guide covers who lives in Belize, what they speak and where they live, as of November 2026. Related reading: the Rio Times Belize page, Belize Explained 2026, the culture pillar, the politics pillar and Moving to Belize.

Belize Population in Numbers

The Statistical Institute of Belize, the government statistics office, counted 397,483 people in the census of 2022. That is 75,060 more than the 322,424 counted in 2010, a rise of about 23%.

The same office published a mid-year estimate of 418,982 people for July 2026. The World Bank, which uses its own method, shows 422,924 people for 2025 and annual growth of 1.4%.

Women outnumber men slightly, with 201,789 women and 195,695 men in 2022. Growth averaged about 1.8% a year from 2010 to 2022, calculated from the two census counts.

• People in 2022: 397,483, up from 322,424 in 2010, 248,916 in 2000 and 145,353 in 1980.
• Urban and rural: 42.2% urban and 57.8% rural in 2022.
• Median age: 25 years in 2022, up from 21 in 2010.
• Born abroad: 11.5% of residents in 2022; 87.8% were born in Belize.

Belize is a young country that is ageing. The median age rose from 21 in 2010 to 25 in 2022, while people aged 65 and over are 5.2%.

The World Bank puts fertility at 2.0 children per woman in 2024, near the level that keeps a population steady. Average household size fell from 4.0 people in 2010 to 3.6 in 2022.

Ethnic Groups of Belize

Belize has no official ethnic quota, but the census asks people which group they belong to. In 2022 the statistics office reported 51.7% Mestizo, 25.2% Creole, 4.0% Garifuna and 1.5% East Indian.

For the Maya it gives two numbers, 11.2% in its census infographic and 9.8% on its key-findings page. The Maya share is therefore best read as roughly 10% to 11%.

Mestizo is the biggest group and has grown from 33.1% in 1980 to 51.7% in 2022. The Creole share fell from 39.7% in 1980 to 21.1% in 2010, then rose to 25.2% in 2022.

• Mestizo: people of mixed Spanish and Maya ancestry; the largest group, living across the country but mostly in the north and in Cayo.
• Creole: people of mixed African and British descent; about two-thirds live in Belize City, on the coast.
• Maya: Belize’s Indigenous people, in three groups, Q’eqchi’ (Ketchi), Mopan and Yucatec; Toledo district in the south is the heartland.
• Garifuna: descendants of Africans and Indigenous Caribbean people, centred on Dangriga and the southern coast.
• East Indian and Mennonite: East Indians descend from indentured labourers; Mennonite farmers, mostly German-speaking, began arriving from Canada and Mexico in 1958.

The Mestizo share grew in two waves, first with Caste War refugees from Yucatan, Mexico, in the mid-1800s. Refugees and migrants from Central America followed in the 1980s.

Garifuna people mark 19 November each year as Settlement Day, a public holiday that remembers their arrival at Dangriga in 1832. UNESCO, the UN culture agency, lists the language, dance and music of the Garifuna as intangible heritage of humanity.

Languages and Religion

English is the only official language and the language of schools, courts and government. The 2022 census counted 278,390 English speakers, 199,393 Spanish speakers and 180,792 Kriol speakers.

Kriol, an English-based creole language, is spoken by 49.0% of people, and by 72.9% in Belize District. Spanish is spoken by 54.0%, and by 82.5% in Corozal and 83.6% in Orange Walk.

• English: 278,390 speakers, 75.5% as the statistics office shows it; 85.8% in Belize District and 79.8% in Cayo.
• Spanish: 199,393 speakers, 54.0%; highest in Orange Walk and Corozal in the north.
• Kriol: 180,792 speakers, 49.0%; strongest in Belize District, at 72.9%.
• Q’eqchi’ (Ketchi): 23,315 speakers, 6.3%; about half of Toledo district speaks it.
• Mopan Maya: 14,479 speakers, 3.9%; most live in Stann Creek and Toledo.
• Others: smaller groups speak German, Garifuna, Yucatec Maya and Chinese.

Many people speak two or three of these languages, so the shares add up to more than 100%. The census does not measure how well people read or write each one.

The 2022 census found Roman Catholics at 31.8%, people with no religion at 31.0% and Protestants at 29.8%. Other faiths made up the remaining 6.3%.

Catholics were 61.7% of the population in 1980 and 40.1% in 2010. The share with no religion doubled from 15.5% in 2010 to 31.0% in 2022.

Where Belizeans Live and Where They Come From

Belize has six districts, and the largest is Belize District, with 113,630 people in 2022, or 28.6% of the country. Cayo follows with 99,105, then Orange Walk with 54,152, Stann Creek with 48,162, Corozal with 45,310 and Toledo with 37,124.

Every district grew between 2010 and 2022, led by Stann Creek at 40% and Cayo at 32%. Toledo grew 21%, Belize District 19%, Orange Walk 18% and Corozal 10%.

• Belize District: Belize City, the largest city, with the most Creole residents.
• Cayo: the capital Belmopan, San Ignacio and the Mennonite farms of Spanish Lookout; fast growing.
• Orange Walk and Corozal: the north, with a Spanish-speaking Mestizo majority.
• Stann Creek: Dangriga, Hopkins and Placencia, home to the Garifuna and the fastest-growing district.
• Toledo: the most Maya district, in the far south, with the smallest population.

Belize is both a destination and a source of migrants. The 2022 census found 11.5% of residents born abroad, though the published tables do not rank the home countries.

Many Belizeans live abroad, above all in the United States. The World Bank counts US$123.8 million of remittances, money sent home by workers abroad, in 2025, up from US$121.5 million in 2024.

How the Groups Live Together

Mestizo people form a bare majority at 51.7%, so every other group is a minority. Creole, Maya, Garifuna, East Indian and other communities together make up almost half of the country.

Languages and religion cut across these lines, so a Creole family may speak Spanish and a Mestizo family may be Protestant. Most people speak more than one language.

Tensions exist over land, especially in Toledo, where Maya communities have long sought title to customary lands. In October 2015 a regional appeal court, the Caribbean Court of Justice, found Belize had failed to protect Maya customary land rights.

What It Means for US Readers

Belize is easy for Americans to visit because English is official. The Belize dollar is also pegged at 2 to US$1, so prices convert at a glance.

For retirees, remote workers and investors, the map shows how the coast, the Spanish-speaking north and the Maya south differ. Services, land rules and community life differ too.

For US companies, about 419,000 people is a small market. World Bank data put GDP per head at US$7,865 in 2025.

What Is Not Known

The home countries of the 11.5% born abroad are not confirmed, because no country-of-birth table was found. The size of the Belizean community in the United States could not be retrieved.

The statistics office gives the Maya share as 11.2% in one release and 9.8% in another. The census results used here are labelled preliminary, so final figures may differ.

The share of Mennonites is not given as a separate figure in the documents checked. No current count of undocumented migrants or refugees was found.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many people live in Belize?

The 2022 census counted 397,483 people. The statistics office estimates 418,982 for mid-2026.

What is the biggest ethnic group in Belize?

Mestizo people, of mixed Spanish and Maya descent, are the largest group at 51.7% in the 2022 census. Creole people follow at 25.2%, then Maya at roughly 10% to 11% and Garifuna at 4.0%.

What languages are spoken in Belize?

English is the official language and 278,390 people speak it. Spanish (199,393 speakers) and Kriol (180,792) are also widely spoken, plus Maya languages, Garifuna and German.

What religion is most common in Belize?

Roman Catholics are the largest group at 31.8% in 2022, just ahead of people with no religion at 31.0%. Protestants are 29.8%.

Who are the Garifuna of Belize?

The Garifuna are a people of African and Indigenous Caribbean descent. They make up 4.0% of Belizeans and celebrate Settlement Day each 19 November.

Is Belize growing or shrinking?

Belize is growing. The census showed a 23% rise between 2010 and 2022, and the World Bank puts growth at 1.4% in 2025.

Sources: Statistical Institute of Belize, Census 2022 preliminary results; Statistical Institute of Belize, languages spoken, 2022 census; Statistical Institute of Belize, 2022 census key findings (released 8 April 2024); Statistical Institute of Belize, mid-year population estimate (July 2026); World Bank, population, growth, age, fertility, remittances and GDP per head for Belize; UNESCO, Garifuna language, dance and music; Central Bank of Belize, exchange rate; Caribbean Court of Justice, Maya Leaders Alliance v Attorney General (30 October 2015) (all accessed 4 November 2026).