Belize - Military

Geography - People - Economy - Government - Communications - Transportation - Military - Transnational Issues

Belize is located Central America, bordering the Caribbean Sea, between Guatemala and Mexico. The climate is tropical; very hot and humid; rainy season (May to November); dry season (February to May). The terrain is flat, swampy coastal plain; low mountains in south.

Military branches

This entry lists the service branches subordinate to defense ministries or the equivalent (typically ground, naval, air, and marine forces).
Military branches - Belize Defense Force (BDF) : Army, BDF Air Wing, BDF Volunteer Guard (2007)

Military service age and obligation

This entry gives the required ages for voluntary or conscript military service and the length of service obligation.
Military service age and obligation : 18 years of age for voluntary military service; laws allow for conscription only if volunteers are insufficient; conscription has never been implemented; volunteers typically outnumber available positions by 3:1 (2008)

Manpower available for military service

This entry gives the number of males and females falling in the military age range for a country (defined as being ages 16-49) and assumes that every individual is fit to serve.
Manpower available for military service - males age 16-49 : 74,605
Manpower available for military service - females age 16-49 : 72,926 (2008 est.)

Manpower fit for military service

This entry gives the number of males and females falling in the military age range for a country (defined as being ages 16-49) and who are not otherwise disqualified for health reasons; accounts for the health situation in the country and provides a more realistic estimate of the actual number fit to serve.
Manpower fit for military service - males age 16-49 : 54,627
Manpower fit for military service - females age 16-49 : 53,500 (2008 est.)

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually

This entry gives the number of males and females entering the military manpower pool (i.e., reaching age 16) in any given year and is a measure of the availability of military-age young adults.
Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually - male : 3,580
Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually - female : 3,449 (2008 est.)

Military expenditures

This entry gives spending on defense programs for the most recent year available as a percent of gross domestic product (GDP); the GDP is calculated on an exchange rate basis, i.e., not in terms of purchasing power parity (PPP).
Military expenditures : 1.4% of GDP (2006)

More Information about the country