The population of Belize stood at approximately 410,000 people in the 2022 census, making it the least populous country in Central America and one of the least densely populated nations in the Western Hemisphere. This figure represents steady growth from 240,204 in the 2000 census. Roughly half the population resides in rural areas, a higher proportion than most neighboring nations. Belize City held approximately 61,461 residents in 2010, while the capital Belmopan contained about 20,000. The six districts divide administrative authority: Belize, Cayo, Corozal, Orange Walk, Stann Creek, and Toledo.
Belize stands apart in Central America through its linguistic profile. English functions as the sole official language, a legacy of British colonial administration that ended in 1981. This makes Belize the only Central American nation where English holds official status. Kriol, an English-based creole, serves as the lingua franca for roughly 45 percent of the population and functions as the primary spoken language in most urban areas and along the coast. Spanish speakers constitute approximately 46 percent of the population, concentrated in the northern districts of Corozal and Orange Walk and increasingly in western Cayo District. The Garifuna language belongs to the Arawakan family and survives among roughly 6 percent of the population in southern coastal communities including Dangriga, Hopkins, Seine Bight, and Punta Gorda. Three Maya languages persist: Q'eqchi', spoken primarily in Toledo District; Mopan, in the south and west; and Yucatec Maya, in northern districts. Mennonite communities maintain Low German dialects, primarily Plautdietsch. Census data from 2010 recorded that 62.9 percent spoke primarily Kriol or English, 56.6 percent Spanish, 10.5 percent Maya languages, 3.2 percent Garifuna, and 3.1 percent German.
The ethnic composition reflects successive waves of migration and colonial history. Mestizos, persons of mixed Maya and European ancestry, comprise roughly 52 percent of the population. Creoles, descended primarily from enslaved Africans and British settlers, make up approximately 25 percent and historically dominated Belize City and coastal areas. Maya peoples constitute about 11 percent, divided among Yucatec, Mopan, Q'eqchi', and K'ekchi groups. The Garifuna, also called Garinagu, represent roughly 6 percent and trace their origins to the 1832 arrival from Honduras, descendants of West African, Central African, Island Carib, and Arawak peoples. East Indians descended from indentured laborers who arrived between 1844 and 1917 constitute approximately 3 percent. Mennonites, who migrated from Mexico beginning in 1958, number around 12,000 and live in closed agricultural communities. Smaller populations include Lebanese, Chinese, and North American expatriates.
Maya civilization dominated the territory of present-day Belize from approximately 1500 BCE through 1500 CE. During the Classic Period, roughly 250 to 900 CE, major ceremonial centers flourished. Caracol, located in the Cayo District near the Guatemala border, reached its apex between 600 and 700 CE with an estimated population of 120,000 to 150,000, making it one of the largest Maya cities. The Caana pyramid at Caracol rises 43 meters, the tallest structure in Belize. Lamanai, on the New River Lagoon, remained occupied from 1500 BCE until Spanish contact in the 16th century, an unparalleled duration. The site's name translates as Submerged Crocodile in Yucatec Maya. Xunantunich, near San Ignacio, features El Castillo, a 40-meter pyramid with friezes depicting the Maya cosmos. Altun Ha, 50 kilometers north of Belize City, yielded the largest carved jade object from the Maya world, a 4.42-kilogram head representing the sun god Kinich Ahau, now held in a vault at the Central Bank of Belize. Lubaantun in Toledo District, built entirely without mortar using precisely fitted stones, dates from 730 to 890 CE. The terminal collapse of Classic Maya civilization around 900 CE depopulated major centers, though coastal trade persisted through Postclassic sites like Lamanai and Santa Rita.