Labor force:
90,000
note: shortage of skilled labor and all types of technical personnel
(2001 est.)
Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture 27%, industry 18%, services 55% (2001 est.)
Unemployment rate:
9.1% (2002)
Budget:
revenues: $222 million
expenditures: $300 million, including capital expenditures of $70
million (2003 est.)
Agriculture - products: bananas, coca, citrus, sugar; fish, cultured shrimp; lumber; garments
Industries:
garment production, food processing, tourism, construction
Industrial production growth rate:
4.6% (1999)
Electricity - production:
199.5 million kWh (2001)
Electricity - consumption:
185.5 million kWh (2001)
Electricity - exports:
0 kWh (2001)
Electricity - imports:
0 kWh (2001)
Oil - production:
0 bbl/day (2001 est.)
Oil - consumption:
5,000 bbl/day (2001 est.)
Oil - exports:
NA (2001)
Oil - imports:
NA (2001)
Current account balance:
$-142 million (2003)
Exports:
$207.8 million f.o.b. (2003 est.)
Exports - commodities:
sugar, bananas, citrus, clothing, fish products, molasses, wood
Exports - partners:
US 39.1%, UK 25%, France 4% (2003)
Imports:
$500.6 million f.o.b. (2003 est.)
Imports - commodities:
machinery and transport equipment, manufactured goods; fuels,
chemicals, pharmaceuticals; food, beverages, tobacco
Imports - partners:
US 41.9%, Mexico 12.4%, UK 5.9%, Cuba 5.5% (2003)
Reserves of foreign exchange & gold:
$84.7 million (2003)
Debt - external:
$475 million (2001 est.)
Economic aid - recipient:
NA
Currency:
Belizean dollar (BZD)
Currency code:
BZD
Exchange rates:
Belizean dollars per US dollar - 2 (2003), 2 (2002), 2 (2001), 2
(2000), 2 (1999)
Fiscal year:
1 April - 31 March
Communications Belize
Telephones - main lines in use:
33,300 (2003)
Telephones - mobile cellular:
60,400 (2003)
Telephone system:
general assessment: above-average system
domestic: trunk network depends primarily on microwave radio relay
international: country code - 501; satellite earth station - 1
Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
Radio broadcast stations:
AM 1, FM 12, shortwave 0 (1998)
Radios:
133,000 (1997)
Television broadcast stations:
2 (1997)
Televisions:
41,000 (1997)
Internet country code:
.bz
Internet hosts:
2,613 (2003)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
2 (2000)
Internet users:
30,000 (2002)
Transportation Belize
Highways: total: 2,872 km paved: 488 km unpaved: 2,384 km (1999 est.)
Waterways:
825 km (navigable only by small craft) (2004)
Ports and harbors:
Belize City, Big Creek, Corozol, Punta Gorda
Merchant marine:
total: 336 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 1,015,270 GRT/1,336,890 DWT
registered in other countries: 25 (2004 est.)
by type: bulk 13, cargo 240, chemical tanker 11, combination bulk 4,
combination ore/oil 1, container 10, multi-functional large load
carrier 1, petroleum tanker 27, refrigerated cargo 18, roll on/roll
off 8, short-sea/passenger 1, specialized tanker 2
foreign-owned: Bahamas 2, Belgium 1, British Virgin Islands 11,
Cambodia 6, China 67, Cuba 2, Cyprus 1, Ecuador 1, Estonia 8,
Germany 5, Greece 2, Grenada 1, Honduras 1, Hong Kong 27, Indonesia
4, Italy 2, Japan 5, Jordan 1, South Korea 13, Latvia 5, Liberia 2,
Malaysia 4, Malta 1, Isle of Man 1, Marshall Islands 16, Mexico 1,
Netherlands 1, Nigeria 2, Panama 15, Philippines 4, Portugal 1,
Russia 9, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 3, Singapore 9, Spain 6,
Switzerland 2, Taiwan 1, Thailand 3, Tunisia 1, Turkey 2, Ukraine 3,
United Kingdom 1, United States 3, Yemen 1
Airports:
43 (2003 est.)
Airports - with paved runways:
total: 5
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 2
under 914 m: 2 (2004 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 38
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 11
under 914 m: 26 (2004 est.)
Military Belize
Military branches:
Belize Defense Force (includes Army, Maritime Wing, Air Wing, and
Volunteer Guard)
Military manpower - military age and obligation: 18 years of age for voluntary military service; laws allow for conscription only if volunteers are insufficient; conscription has never been implemented; volunteers typically outnumber available positions by 3:1 (2001)
Military manpower - availability:
males age 15–49: 68,518 (2004 est.)
Military