2022 Census Reveals Unanticipated Low Population  

On Monday, the Statistical Institute of Belize released the preliminary results of the 2022 census. In that report, it was revealed that Belize’s population has increased by twenty-three percent since 2010, with just over seventy-five thousand more people. This number was lower than what was initially projected by the S.I.B., and the data shows that the population has been declining by a larger number of people each year. Several factors contributed to this, which were further detailed in the census review. News Five’s Britney Gordon reports.

 

Britney Gordon, Reporting

In the preliminary results of the 2022 Census , Belize demonstrated a steady decline in population due to the dwindling birth rate. Director General of the SIB, Diana Castillo-Trejo expanded on these trends.

 

Diana Castillo-Trejo, Director General, S.I.B.

“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 the rate of growth for our population has been decelerating. We grow by less and less every year, and this is due in large part to declining fertility rates.”

 

The data also revealed a decline in the number of people married across the country.

 

Diana Castillo-Trejo

“We also see some slight shifts with respect to marital status. So, the percent of our population that reported that they had never been married for 2022, both males and females, was somewhere around sixty percent. For males, it was over sixty-two percent. For females, it was over fifty percent and both of these were up a few percentage points from 2010, and this corresponded with a slight decrease in the number of persons who reported that they had been married.”

 

Contrary to the declining marriage rates, the number of people reported in common law partnerships increased.

 

Diana Castillo-Trejo

“Similarly, when we look at union status, there is a shift, a slight shift away from being married, 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.”

 

According to Castillo-Trejo, the decline in population is consistent with the trends observed in a number of other countries around the world, such as China and Korea. In 2021, data from the World Bank revealed that Korea had the lowest birthrate worldwide, which has only declined since, resulting in the implementation of several government initiatives to boost the birth rates, such as subsidized housing for newlyweds, discounted postpartum care for new mothers, and payments of over two thousand dollars for every newborn. She further explained that not only has the population decreased, but it has also aged as a result of the low birth rate.

 

Diana Castillo-Trejo

“We can take a 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 not only changes in terms of growth of the population, but also changes in terms of 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 actually narrower relative to the age groups just above it. By 2022, we can see that this trend was even more pronounced, and this is signaling at least the beginning of a gradual aging of our population. Remember, fertility rates are declining, people are having less children, base of our population is shrinking, and we are starting to age as a population over time.”

 

Another contributor to the low population was the decline in people who were born abroad migrating to Belize. Doctor Osmond Martinez, CEO of the Ministry of Economic Development, stated that the number of people who migrate to Belize for work is still significant; however, they are operating in informal positions such as construction and agriculture, which he stated were in need of more employees. As a result, the question was posed to the CEO about whether or not the borders should be opened for these workers.

 

Dr. Osmond Martinez, C.E.O., Ministry of Economic Development

“I don’t think that we need to open the borders. I think there needs to be, and the Ministry of Labor is working on the work permit. 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, gang members, so it is important that who comes to Belize is well screened and that all the background is done and all the due diligence that needs to do by our security department 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 that are coming into Belize. It’s important to enable that environment where visas can be issue on a more timely manner and the work permits. I am happy to say, that the Ministry of Labor have and it’s working continuously to improve that system.”

 

Britney Gordon for News Five.