37 / 64
Two-thirds of the Creole population resides in Belize City. After slavery
ended, Creole men rose to positions of authority in the logging industry.
Today, political parties and media—television, newspapers, and radio—
tend to be dominated by people of this background.
The Garifuna
The Garifuna are descended from Carib and Arawak Indians who intermar-
ried with escaped Africans from two slave ships that sunk in the eastern
Caribbean in the 17th century. By the late 1700s, they lived apart in commu-
A Mosaic of Backgrounds and Languages
37
Population:
340,844
Ethnic groups:
48.7 percent
mestizo
; 24.9
percent Creole; 10.6 percent Maya; 6.1
percent Garifuna; 9.7 percent other.
Age structure:
0–14 years: 35.3 percent
15–64 years: 61.1 percent
65 years and over: 3.6 percent
Population growth rate:
1.92 percent
Birth rate:
25.14 births/1,000 population
Death rate:
5.95 deaths/1,000 population
Infant mortality rate:
20.31 deaths/1,000 live
births
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 68.49 years
male: 66.88 years
female: 70.17 years
Total fertility rate:
3.02 children born per
woman
Religions:
Roman Catholic 39.3%,
Pentacostal 8.3%, Anglican 4.5%,
Mennonite 3.7%, other Christian, 16%;
Baha'i, Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam,
Mormon, other 14%; none 15.2% (2010
census)
Languages:
English (official), Spanish,
Mayan, Garifuna (Carib), Creole,
German.
Literacy:
76.9 percent (2000 est.)
Source: CIA World Factbook 2014. *All figures 2014 estimates, unless otherwise noted.
Quick Facts: The People of Belize