BELIZE-Belize records a decline in population growth.

BELMOPAN, Belize, CMC—The Director General of the Statistical Institute of Belize (SIB), Diana Castillo-Trejo, says the country’s population has been growing “slower rate than was previously estimated.” The preliminary results of the 2022 census showed that the population had increased by 23 percent since 2010.

The SIB released the preliminary findings of the census earlier this week. The data show that over the 12-year period, the population increased by just over 75,000, while the population has been declining by a larger number each year.

“And what we can see here from the population series that has been revised for 2011 to 2021 is that one, our population has been growing at a slower rate than was previously estimated. We also see that our population’s growth rate has been decelerating. We grow by less and less every year, and this is largely due to declining fertility rates,” Castillo-Trejo said, noting that there has also been a decline in the number of people getting married in Belize.

“We also see some slight shifts concerning marital status. In 2022, around 60 percent of our population, both males and females, reported that they had never been married.

“For males, it was over 62 percent. For females, it was over 50 percent. Both were up a few percentage points from 2010, corresponding with a slight decrease in the number of persons who reported being married.”

However, the SIB director general said that while there have been declining marriage rates, the number of people reported in joint law partnerships has increased.

“Similarly, when we look at union status, there is a slight shift from marriage and living with a spouse to common law living arrangements. So, there’s a decrease in both males and females in the percent of the population that reported that they were married and currently living with their spouse.”

She said the population decline is consistent with the trends observed in several other countries worldwide.

“We can look at how our population has changed just in a snapshot form over the past several decades, and we will see that there have been changes in population growth and our general age structure.

“So you’ll see over time that the very base of our pyramid, which indicates our younger population, has been steadily widening right up until 2010, which was the first census in which we observed that our very base, our children aged zero to four years old, was narrower relative to the age groups just above it.

“By 2022, we can see that this trend was even more pronounced, signaling at least the beginning of a gradual aging of our population. Remember, fertility rates are declining, people are having fewer children, the base of our population is shrinking, and we are starting to age as a population over time,” said Castillo-Trejo.

Meanwhile, the chief executive officer of the Ministry of Economic Development, Dr. Osmond Martinez, said that another contributor to the low population has been the decline in the number of people born abroad who migrated to Belize.

He said that while the number of people who migrate to Belize for work is still significant, they operate in informal positions such as construction and agriculture. He does not believe the country should open its borders to accommodate such workers.

“I don’t think that we need to open the borders. There needs to be a work permit, and the Ministry of Labour is working on it.

“But we have to be clear, and it is visible that there is still a lot of crime in Central America, criminals in Central America, and gang members. So it is important that who comes to Belize is well screened, that all the background checks are done, and that all the due diligence that our security department needs to do is being done.

“And so, I don’t think it needs to open the border, but yes, we need to improve, especially for the private sector and new investors coming into Belize. It’s important to enable an environment where visas and work permits can be issued more timely. I am happy that the Ministry of Labor has this, and it’s working continuously to improve that system,” Martinez added.