There are no census records between the years of 1836 and 1860 because, as recorded in the ‘Blue Book of 1855’, no Census had been taken for years. An approximation in 1855, estimated the population at 15,000 persons. In the ‘West Indian Census, 1946’ document it was observed that the censuses conducted up to 1835 were concentrated around the Belize District and there is no mention of the population of the Northern, Western and Southern parts of the Settlement. Therefore, the increase between 1835 and 1861 (see Table 5) is attributed to the inclusion and the increase of the population in other parts of the Settlement. The Northern Districts expanded due to the immigration from Mexico caused by the Caste War, while the population of the Stann Creek and Toledo Districts increased with migrants from Honduras and Guatemala.
Table 5
Population by sex
Census 1816-2010
| Year | Male | Female | Total | Rate of increase |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1816 | 3,824 | |||
| 1823 | 2,495 | 1,612 | 4,107 | 7.4% |
| 1826 | 3,958 | 1,695 | 5,653 | 37.6% |
| 1829 | 2,636 | 1,599 | 4,235 | -25.1% |
| 1832 | 2,850 | 1,687 | 4,537 | 7.1% |
| 1835 | 1,422 | 1,121 | 2,543 | -43.9% |
| 1861 | 13,789 | 11,846 | 25,635 | 908.1% |
| 1871 | 12,603 | 12,107 | 24,710 | -3.6% |
| 1881 | 14,108 | 13,344 | 27,452 | 11.1% |
| 1891 | 16,268 | 15,203 | 31,471 | 14.6% |
| 1901 | 19,140 | 18,339 | 37,479 | 19.1% |
| 1911 | 20,374 | 20,084 | 40,458 | 7.9% |
| 1921 | 22,564 | 22,753 | 45,317 | 12.0% |
| 1931 | 25,524 | 25,823 | 51,347 | 13.3% |
| 1946 | 28722 | 30498 | 59220 | 15.3% |
| 1960 | 44,659 | 45,846 | 90,505 | 52.8% |
| 1970 | 60,091 | 59,843 | 119,934 | 32.5% |
| 1980 | 73,617 | 71,736 | 145,353 | 21.2% |
| 1991 | 96,325 | 93,068 | 189,393 | 30.3% |
| 2000 | 125,065 | 123,851 | 248,916 | 31.4% |
| 2010 | 161,220 | 161,221 | 322,441 | 29.5% |
