Belize population growing slower than estimated

The Director General of the Statistical Institute of Belize, Diana Castillo-Trejo says the country's population has been growing at a slower rate than was previously estimated.

Preliminary results of the 2022 census showed that the population had increased by 23 per cent since 2010.

The census showed that over the 12 year period, the population had increased by just over 75 thousand, with the data indicating that the population has been declining by a larger number each year.

Mrs Castill-Trejo says this is due in large part to declining fertility rates.

She says there has also been a decline in the number of people getting married in Belize, while common law partnerships have increased.