Economy and Infrastructure

Economy[1]

Unsustainable foreign debt, a sizeable trade deficit, and poverty reduction are the country’s major economic concerns.  Belize is mainly a private-enterprise economy, with the tourism industry serving as the number one foreign exchange income followed by: marine products, citrus, cane sugar, bananas, and garments.[2]  GDP growth averaged 4% from 1999-2006.

The United States is Belize’s biggest trade partner, accounting for 55% of total exports and 39% of all imports in 2004.[3]  Because Belize participates in world trade, it is susceptible to changeable trade agreements as demonstrated by its sugar cane exports to Europe; the cost per ton of sugar is set to drop from EU$523 to EU$329 in 2009.[4]  As a result, the nation is redirecting its sugar cane resources to ethanol production, which is expected to be more profitable on the world market in the near future.

Generally, Belize is facing an increasing problem with lack of job opportunities, especially for young people and those living in more remote, rural areas.  Currently, the country has a 9% unemployment rate and more than half the country is under the age of 19.  On the upside, unemployment is down from around 12% several years ago and employers in the agriculture and farm-related industries complain about a labor shortage.

Wages in Belize are about a quarter of they are in the U.S.  Belize’s average annual salary is around $6,000 per year,[5] with a minimum hourly wage of $1 to $1.13 per hour.  Some typical wages are: $20-40/day for a carpenter or mason, $7,000/yr for a nurse, $10,000-20,000/yr for a doctor in public healthcare, $8,000/yr for a high school teacher, $15-20/day for lodge or resort workers, $75-125 for a shop clerk.[6]

Infrastructure

Transportation: As with many developing countries, road infrastructure is often rustic. Many roads remain unpaved and are subject to closure due to inclement weather, especially in the lowlands.[7]  That being said, the few main roads in Belize are some of the best roads in all of Central America.  The main paved roads in Belize are:

• Northern Highway (North-South from Belize City to Orange Walk to Corozol)
• Old Northern Highway (North-South between Orange Walk and Belize City, 25% of this highway is unpaved)
• Hummingbird Highway (From Belmopan southeast to the coast in Dangriga)
• Southern Highway (North-South between Dangriga and Punta Gorda)
• Western Highway (East-West from Belize City to the Guatemalan border, bisecting the country's northern and southern halves)

The international airport is in Belize City (BZE), but there are 16 smaller airports throughout the country: 

• TZA — Belize City Municipal
• BGK — Big Creek
• CUK — Caye Caulker
• CYC — Caye Chapel
• CZH — Corozal Municipal
• DGA — Dangriga
• INB — Independence
• MZE — Manatee
• MDB — Melinda
• ORZ — Orange Walk
• PLJ — Placencia
• PND — Punta Gorda
• SPR — San Pedro
• STU — Santa Cruz
• SJX — Sartaneja
• SVK — Silver Creek

The bus is the most inexpensive way to get around Belize, and because it is the preferred way to travel for most Belizeans, it is very reliable.  There is one national line, fittingly called National, and two other major bus lines, James and BBDC, that will get you most anywhere you want to go in Belize. 

Residential Buildings: More than half the population lives in rural areas.  Most people in Belize live in very basic conditions. Most new buildings are made using a lot of concrete for concrete walls, concrete blocks, concrete bricks, and concrete floors. Older, more traditional structures are commonly made of wood and raised on stilts off the ground. Many older homes have been damaged by the weather, with warped and rotting wood. Collapsing structures are a common sight.  Roofs are typically constructed of corrugated metal or clay tiles.  

Drinking Water: Water throughout the country is very drinkable, even by Western standards, with many residents, hotels and other businesses using cisterns to trap rainwater for their drinking water supply.

Health: Belize has two private hospitals and the national government runs the public hospitals in Belize’s major towns.  Good emergency centers are still lacking.  Belize city is home to the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital, which provides the greatest variety of medical care and specialists in the country.  There are eight public district hospitals in addition to six other hospitals in Belize, most of which are located in Dangriga, Orange Walk, Belmopan, San Ignacio, Punta Gorda and Corozol Town.  The average cost of a visit to a private physician is $20, and a hospital room is $30 per day.[8]  The leading cause of death in Belize is traffic accidents.[9] 

Incidence of AIDS has begun to reach epidemic proportions with AIDS workers estimating one in 38 Belizeans are HIV positive – the highest rate in Central America and nearly three times the average rate worldwide.[10]  There is also still some concern about the threat from dengue fever, which has become widespread in more than 100 other sub-tropical countries.[11]  Incidence of malaria in Belize used to be the highest in the world, but this is no longer the case, due to country-wide spraying.

Education: Children aged 6 to 14 are required to attend primary school, and it is free for everyone.  Based on 1997 estimates, there were 280 primary schools with 53,110 students enrolled (in 2001 this was 93% of eligible children[12]), 30 secondary schools with 10,912 students, and 11 post-secondary schools with 2500 students.[13]   One of the main reasons for the drastic decrease in student attendance from primary to secondary is the cost of attending secondary school.[14]   Teacher training is also an area of concern in Belize; in 1992 only 48% of teachers were trained.[15]

The University of Belize is the national university of Belize with six campuses across the country.  In addition, Belize has several smaller colleges and private universities.  Some of these include:

• Galen University: Offers undergraduate, graduate, and professional programs in business, arts, sciences, and education.  Offers semester program in sustainable development for international study abroad students.
• St. John's College, Belize City: Jesuit educational organization comprising high school, junior college, professional studies, and extension college.
• Medical University of the Americas, Ambergris Caye
• Central America Health Sciences University, Belize Medical College: medical college in Belize City offering program based on U.S. Medical Schools.
• St. Luke's University School of Medicine, Belmopan: conceived out of a desire to serve the people of Belize and to educate our students to become skilled and compassionate physicians.

In 2007, Belize adopted a new countrywide curriculum in an effort to revamp the education system and prepare for the exams for the Caribbean Certificate of Secondary Level Competence (CCSLC), which is equivalent to the American General Education Development (GED) certificate.

Several Belizean programs are aimed at supporting youth entrepreneurship.  This training is spearheaded by the 4-H organization, with collaboration from the Enterprise Unit of Youth and Youth for the Future.  The primary focus of the business development is related to food processing, adding value to crops that would otherwise not be suitable for the consumer market.  The 4-H group plans to revitalize the 4-H movement throughout the entire country.