​UNIT TITLE: studying population

17.1 Describe the population of Belize using data from the Statistical Institute of Belize and other sources.


"Population statistics reveal much about the nature of society. . . Population changes affect virtually every social, political and economic problem that faces the world."

Extracted from the SIB Website. Click on the icon below to access more resources

Some Key Questions

  • How many people live in Belize?
  • How many people live in each district?
  • How many people live in urban areas compared to rural areas?
  • What percentage of people living in Belize are women? What percentage are men?
  • How many babies are born in Belize each year?
  • What does Belize's population pyramid look like?

17.2 Compare data from Belize related to births, religion, marriages, deaths, population growth and population density with data from other countries in Central America and the Caribbean.


Population Estimates from Selected Caribbean Countries in Millions


  • Cuba 11.1
  • Haiti 10.8
  • Dominican Republic 10.3
  • Jamaica 2.8
  • Trinidad and Tobago 1.2
  • Belize 0.4
  • Barbados 0.3
  • Grenada 0.2

Population Density

Population density measures how many people live in a given area. It is usually stated as the number of people per square kilometre. The higher the population density, the more crowded a place is. Cities have a high population density. Rural areas have a low density. Areas with very few people living in them are called "sparsely" populated.
The most densely populated areas of the world are Asian cities such as Mumbai and Hong Kong. In this region, some of the small Caribbean islands are densely populated due to a lack of space. Belize's population density is low. This means it has a lot of land compared to the number of people.



Selected Population Density for Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean

CountryArea Km SquaredTotal PopulationPopulation Density
Barbados430287,025668
Haiti27,06511,403,000421
El Salvador21,0406,704,864319
Grenada344108,825316
Saint Lucia617180,454292
St Vincent & The Grenadines389110,520284
Trinidad and Tobago5,1551,363,985265
Jamaica10,9912,726,667248
Dominican Republic47,87510,358,320216
St Kitts& Nevis27056,345208
Guatemala108,88917,679,735162
Costa Rica51,1005,058,00799
Honduras112,4929,158,34581
Mexico1,967,138126,577,69164
Panama74,1774,158,78356
Nicaragua121,4286,393,82452
Belize22,965408,48718

Key Questions


Why is high population density more likely on islands?
How did the history of Belize affect its population density?
Is having a low population density advantageous or disadvantageous for Belize?

17.3 Analyse short term and long term trends in Belize's population data

17.4 Explain how population data is used.

17.5 Explain the importance of quantitative data in the social sciences.
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