(WIPO code: BZ) (latest review October 2023)

by KATZAROV SA, Geneva, Switzerland

General Information

Area

24,000 sq. km.

Population

419,137 (2023).

Capital

Belmopan.

Languages

English (official), Spanish, Maya.

Currency

Belize dollar.

Industries

Food processing, clothing and tourism. The fishing industry is important

Agriculture

Sugar (main export), citrus, bananas, tobacco and honey

Minerals and mining

Drilling for oil began in 1977 in offshore and onshore areas.

Foreign trade

Imports: mainly food, machinery and transport equipment, manufactured goods and fuels; exports: chiefly sugar, molasses, citrus fruits, fish, timber and clothing.

Principal trade partners

United States, Great Britain, Canada, Caribbean countries and Mexico.

General Remarks

Belize has a highly agricultural and tourist-dependent economy. Services such as telecommunications, offshore banking, hotels, cable TV, car rental, etc., are well-developed.

Starting in 2000, Belize enacted a set of modern legislation for the protection of intellectual property including patents, trademarks, industrial designs, layout designs (topographies) of integrated circuits, new plant varieties and copyrights.