Belize population pyramid 2026
Latin America and the Caribbean · Central America
428,644 people in 2026 (projected). Belize’s pyramid has become a straight-sided column below age 35, shaped by falling fertility and by emigrants to the US replaced by Central American arrivals.
- 2026 population
- 428.6Krank 177 of 237
- Median age
- 27.3 yearsoldest rank 154
- Fertility rate
- 1.99births per woman · below replacement
- Structure
- Transitional5.4% age 65+
Belize population pyramid
2026 · Share of total by five-year age group and sex
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The UN series provides historical estimates through 2023. Figures from 2024 onward—including 2026—are medium-scenario projections, not counts or predictions guaranteed to occur.
Belize age distribution in 2026
Children under 15 account for 26.0% of the population, while 5.4% are aged 65 or older. The remaining 68.5% are in the conventional working-age range of 15–64. On these shares, the site classifies Belize’s age structure as transitional; the guide to population pyramid types explains what that shape implies.
The total age dependency ratio is 45.9: about 46 people under 15 or 65+ for every 100 people aged 15–64 (38.0 children and 7.9 older people). This is an age-balance indicator, not a literal count of economic dependants per worker.
What shapes Belize’s population pyramid
Two migrations in opposite directions
In 1975 the Belize pyramid was unusually steep: the 0–4 band was nearly three times the size of the 25–29 band. High fertility, about six children per woman, explains the broad base, but the thin young-adult bands reflect emigration, largely to the United States. The UN estimates a net loss of about 38,000 people between 1950 and 1999, more than half the 1950 population.
From the 1980s the flow was offset by arrivals from neighbouring Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras, many fleeing conflict, and the UN records a net gain of about 41,000 between 2000 and 2023. The country’s ethnic and linguistic make-up changed considerably as a result, though the pyramid itself shows only the combined effect on age and sex.
A column, not a triangle
Fertility fell from about 5.9 in 1980 to about 2.0 today, and the 2026 pyramid is almost straight-sided below 35, closer in shape to Nicaragua or Paraguay than to its own past. Births, at about 7,500 a year, still far exceed deaths, so the population keeps growing through population momentum. Under the UN medium scenario it peaks at about 528,000 in 2063, with deaths first exceeding births in 2064, and the median age rises from about 27 in 2026 to almost 51 by 2100.
What to notice across the years
Distinctive cohorts and turning points
No five-year band under age 80 is more than 10% larger or smaller than both of its neighbours, so Belize’s 2026 pyramid has a comparatively smooth profile without sharp bulges or notches.
Births outnumber deaths in 2026; the medium scenario projects deaths to exceed births from 2064. People aged 65 and older are projected to outnumber children under 15 by 2060.
Births, deaths, and migration
A pyramid changes in only three ways: births add to the base, deaths remove people at every age, and migration adds or removes people mainly in young adulthood. In 2026, Belize is projected to record 7,471 births (about 20 births a day) and 2,175 deaths, a natural increase of 5,296. Net migration adds +392 people, ranking #75 in the net migration rate ranking.
Between 2000 and 2023 the UN estimates 176,978 births, 41,376 deaths, and cumulative net migration of +41,497. Over that period the balance of births and deaths moved the total more than migration did. See how migration shapes a pyramid and birth rate versus fertility rate. The medium scenario assumes net migration of +1,395 between 2026 and 2050.
Annual values 1950–2100; dashed lines after 2023 are the UN medium projection. The trend table below lists the values by decade.
Life expectancy and mortality
- Life expectancy, women
- 77.0 years51.4 in 1950
- Life expectancy, men
- 71.4 years47.1 in 1950
- Further years at 65
- 16.0 yearsboth sexes
- Infant mortality
- 8.2per 1,000 births · 129 in 1950
- Under-five mortality
- 9.9per 1,000 births
- Mother’s mean age at birth
- 27.2 yearssex ratio at birth 105.1
Women in Belize are projected to live 5.6 years longer than men, which is why the female side of the pyramid widens relative to the other at older ages (see the life expectancy gap ranking). Infant mortality has fallen from 129 to 8.2 deaths per 1,000 live births since 1950, ranking #134 of 237 in the infant mortality ranking (highest first). A mean age at childbearing of 27.2 years sets the spacing between generations, and so how far apart echo cohorts sit in the pyramid.
Median age, fertility rate, and global ranks for Belize
The median age of 27.3 years splits the population into two equal halves. A total fertility rate of 1.99 births per woman is below the replacement level of roughly 2.1, and life expectancy at birth is 74.1 years.
These ranks compare all 237 countries and areas in this dataset using the same 2026 UN medium projection. Ranks use the stored source precision, so displayed rounding can make adjacent values look identical; small differences should not be overinterpreted.
| Indicator | 2026 value | Global rank | Ranking direction |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 428,644 | #177 | Largest first |
| Median age | 27.3 years | #154 | Oldest first |
| Fertility rate | 1.99 | #111 | Highest first |
| Annual growth | +1.3% | #77 | Fastest first |
| Life expectancy | 74.1 years | #136 | Highest first |
| Population aged 65+ | 5.4% | #162 | Highest share first |
Largest age groups in Belize
The five largest cohorts identify where the 2026 population is concentrated. They can reflect past birth patterns, survival, and migration; the chart alone does not establish which cause dominates.
| Rank | Age group | Population | Share of total | Male / female |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 25–29 | 40,189 | 9.4% | 20.5K / 19.7K |
| 2 | 20–24 | 38,866 | 9.1% | 19.8K / 19.1K |
| 3 | 30–34 | 38,416 | 9.0% | 19.6K / 18.8K |
| 4 | 10–14 | 37,606 | 8.8% | 19.2K / 18.4K |
| 5 | 5–9 | 37,573 | 8.8% | 19.2K / 18.3K |
Sex ratio and the balance by age
In the 2026 projection, Belize has 216,161 males and 212,484 females. That is 101.7 males per 100 females, ranking #50 when the dataset is ordered from the highest male-to-female ratio to the lowest.
Males account for 50.4% of the population and females for 49.6%. There are 3,677 more males than females overall. Among people aged 65 and older, the ratio is 90.6 males per 100 females.
The overall balance can conceal large differences by age; how sex ratios change with age explains the usual pattern. The ratio reflects the male/female categories in the UN source and is not a measure of gender identity. Compare all profiles in the sex-ratio ranking.
At birth, 105.1 boys are projected to be born for every 100 girls in 2026, close to the biological norm of about 105 (compare the sex ratio at birth ranking). The ratio at birth sets the balance at the base of the pyramid; how it changes with age then depends on survival and migration.
How Belize has changed since 1950
The population has increased from 69,073 in 1950 to 428,644 in 2026, a change of 521%. Over the same span, median age moved from 19.6 to 27.3 years.
The under-15 share changed from 39.0% to 26.0%, while the share aged 65 and older changed from 3.6% to 5.4%. These shifts show why total population growth and age-structure change need to be read separately.
How the population could change by 2050
Under the UN medium scenario, Belize’s population is projected to grow by about 21%, reaching 516,627 in 2050. The median age changes from 27.3 to 37.8 years.
The 65+ share is projected to rise by 7.5 percentage points to 12.9%. At the same time, the under-15 share is projected at 18.2%. How UN projections work explains the assumptions behind these figures.
The annual UN series reaches its highest projected population of 528,020 in 2063. That turning point depends on the medium scenario and may move in later revisions. Compare timing across countries in the population peak ranking.
Population trend: 1950–2100
Mid-year population for every year. Estimates through 2023; dashed line shows the UN medium projection.
| Year | Population | Median age | Fertility | Life exp. | Births | Deaths | Net migration | Growth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 69,073 | 19.6 | 6.69 | 49.2 | 3,651 | 1,228 | −578 | +2.7% |
| 1960 | 91,318 | 16.8 | 6.50 | 57.4 | 4,068 | 1,166 | −577 | +2.5% |
| 1970 | 120,736 | 14.3 | 6.30 | 63.0 | 4,585 | 1,098 | −1,297 | +1.8% |
| 1980 | 145,062 | 16.1 | 5.85 | 66.9 | 6,126 | 1,096 | −1,350 | +2.5% |
| 1990 | 183,076 | 16.5 | 4.80 | 69.6 | 6,808 | 1,081 | −1,763 | +2.2% |
| 2000 | 240,799 | 18.6 | 3.63 | 68.9 | 7,275 | 1,341 | +1,675 | +3.2% |
| 2010 | 320,245 | 20.9 | 2.55 | 70.9 | 7,037 | 1,657 | +1,639 | +2.2% |
| 2020 | 390,812 | 24.7 | 2.04 | 71.6 | 7,173 | 2,179 | +64 | +1.3% |
| 2023 | 411,106 | 25.9 | 2.01 | 73.6 | 7,410 | 2,025 | +595 | +1.5% |
| 2024* | 417,072 | 26.4 | 2.02 | 73.7 | 7,529 | 2,069 | +490 | +1.4% |
| 2026* | 428,644 | 27.3 | 1.99 | 74.1 | 7,471 | 2,175 | +392 | +1.3% |
| 2030* | 449,839 | 29.2 | 1.93 | 74.7 | 7,176 | 2,411 | +160 | +1.1% |
| 2040* | 491,595 | 33.9 | 1.83 | 76.4 | 6,436 | 3,131 | −91 | +0.7% |
| 2050* | 516,627 | 37.8 | 1.78 | 78.0 | 5,907 | 3,980 | −43 | +0.4% |
| 2060* | 527,582 | 41.4 | 1.74 | 79.6 | 5,370 | 4,851 | −184 | +0.1% |
| 2070* | 524,069 | 44.4 | 1.73 | 81.2 | 4,805 | 5,751 | −105 | -0.2% |
| 2080* | 505,898 | 47.2 | 1.72 | 82.7 | 4,300 | 6,521 | −154 | -0.5% |
| 2090* | 478,424 | 49.1 | 1.70 | 84.1 | 3,868 | 6,771 | −86 | -0.6% |
| 2100* | 447,373 | 50.5 | 1.69 | 85.4 | 3,435 | 6,495 | −134 | -0.7% |
* 2024 onward is the UN medium projection. Fertility is births per woman; life expectancy is years at birth; births, deaths, and net migration are counts for that calendar year.
Download every year, 1950–2100 (CSV)
2026 population by age and sex
The table provides the counts behind the chart. Age groups are five-year bands, with everyone aged 100 or older combined.
| Age group | Male | Female | Total | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0–4 | 18,613 | 17,709 | 36,322 | 8.5% |
| 5–9 | 19,247 | 18,326 | 37,573 | 8.8% |
| 10–14 | 19,246 | 18,360 | 37,606 | 8.8% |
| 15–19 | 18,927 | 18,128 | 37,055 | 8.6% |
| 20–24 | 19,785 | 19,081 | 38,866 | 9.1% |
| 25–29 | 20,491 | 19,698 | 40,189 | 9.4% |
| 30–34 | 19,636 | 18,780 | 38,416 | 9.0% |
| 35–39 | 17,437 | 16,956 | 34,393 | 8.0% |
| 40–44 | 14,620 | 14,715 | 29,335 | 6.8% |
| 45–49 | 12,031 | 12,277 | 24,308 | 5.7% |
| 50–54 | 10,175 | 10,622 | 20,797 | 4.9% |
| 55–59 | 8,291 | 8,732 | 17,023 | 4.0% |
| 60–64 | 6,566 | 6,851 | 13,417 | 3.1% |
| 65–69 | 4,710 | 5,099 | 9,809 | 2.3% |
| 70–74 | 3,057 | 3,358 | 6,415 | 1.5% |
| 75–79 | 1,804 | 2,056 | 3,860 | 0.9% |
| 80–84 | 932 | 1,046 | 1,978 | 0.5% |
| 85–89 | 432 | 495 | 927 | 0.2% |
| 90–94 | 133 | 162 | 295 | 0.1% |
| 95–99 | 25 | 33 | 58 | 0.0% |
| 100+ | 2 | 2 | 4 | 0.0% |
Countries with the most similar age structure
These profiles have the 2026 age distributions closest to Belize’s, measured by the total difference in the share of the population in each five-year band. Similar shapes can arise from very different histories, so the match is a starting point for comparison, not an explanation.
- Nicaragua97% overlap · median age 26.3
- Philippines96% overlap · median age 26.6
- Bangladesh96% overlap · median age 26.3
- South Africa96% overlap · median age 28.9
- Paraguay96% overlap · median age 27.3
- Laos96% overlap · median age 25.3
To calculate school-age, working-age, or older groups with other boundaries, use the age-group calculator for Belize.
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APA
World Population Pyramid. (2026, October 19). Belize Population Pyramid 2026. https://worldpopulationpyramid.com/countries/belize/
MLA
“Belize Population Pyramid 2026.” World Population Pyramid, 19 Oct. 2026, worldpopulationpyramid.com/countries/belize/.
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World Population Pyramid. “Belize Population Pyramid 2026.” Last modified October 19, 2026. https://worldpopulationpyramid.com/countries/belize/.
Underlying data: United Nations, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division (2024). World Population Prospects 2024.
Frequently asked questions
What is the population of Belize in 2026?
Under the UN World Population Prospects 2024 medium scenario, Belize's population in 2026 is projected at 428,644.
What is the median age in Belize?
The projected median age in Belize in 2026 is 27.3 years: half the population is younger and half is older.
What is the fertility rate in Belize?
The projected total fertility rate in 2026 is 1.99 births per woman, below the replacement level of about 2.1 in low-mortality populations.
Is Belize's population projected to grow?
Between 2026 and 2050, the UN medium scenario indicates the population will grow by about 21%, from 428.6K to 516.6K.
What share of Belize is aged 65 or older?
In 2026, 5.4% of the projected population is aged 65 or older. By 2050, the medium scenario places the share at 12.9%.
How many babies are born in Belize each year?
The UN medium scenario projects 7,471 births and 2,175 deaths in 2026, about 20 births a day. Births exceed deaths by 5,296.
What is life expectancy in Belize for men and women?
Life expectancy at birth in 2026 is projected at 77.0 years for women and 71.4 years for men, a gap of 5.6 years in favour of women.
Does Belize have more immigrants or emigrants?
Belize is projected to gain about 392 more people through migration than it loses in 2026. Between 2000 and 2023 the UN estimates cumulative net migration of +41,497.
What is the sex ratio in Belize?
The projected 2026 population sex ratio is 101.7 males per 100 females. This all-age ratio is different from the sex ratio at birth and can vary substantially by age.
Sources and notes
- United Nations, DESA, Population Division: World Population Prospects 2024, medium scenario.
- Population values are mid-year figures. Source values published in thousands are converted to people; displayed figures may imply more precision than is appropriate for planning.
- Historical values through 2023 are estimates. Values from 2024 onward are projections.
- Calculations follow the site methodology.