Border conflicts
Belize is in dispute over its border limits with two countries, Guatemala and Honduras. These two disputes are now in the hands of the International Court of Justice, which is due to hand down a decision in 2024 concerning the land border between Belize and Guatemala, while it has only just begun, in 2023, to study the second case, which concerns the maritime borders with Honduras, and more specifically the Sapodilla cays. Until these rulings are handed down, particularly those concerning Guatemala, the situation could degenerate at any moment, as provocations are frequent between the two parties. In September 2023, Guatemalan soldiers removed Belizean flags from Sarstoon Island, an island in the river separating the two countries. This is a historical conflict that has fuelled tensions between the two countries since the late 18th century, when Belize became a de facto British colony.
The economy
Highly dependent on tourism and international trade, Belize suffered enormously from the Covid-19 pandemic and the border closures it imposed. But the country is recovering rapidly, and growth reached a moderate level in 2023, while unemployment stabilized at around 8%, a clear improvement over 3 years. In addition, merchandise exports (23.3% of GDP in 2023) should exceed their pre-pandemic level. Buoyed by world prices, strong exports of sugar cane (30% of exports), bananas (18%) and minerals (7%) should more than offset stagnating prices for fruit juices (10%), lobsters and lambis (10%). In the cruise sector, a significant source of revenue for the country, the private project for three new cruise ports ("Port Coral project concept") was due to be finalized in 2024, but is currently at a standstill. Work on the Magical Belize land port and the Port Coral offshore cruise terminal on the island of Stake Bank is not progressing as quickly as planned, but the project has not been abandoned.
Corruption
Transparency International's latest Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) report excludes Belize for the fifteenth consecutive year. While local unions, activists and even the government have spoken out vehemently against the day-to-day corruption faced by Belizeans, Transparency International has in fact indicated that there is insufficient data to assess the level of corruption in the country compared to what is happening in other countries. According to World Bank data, published in 2022, the level of corruption in the country has improved significantly since the last official corruption index was published in 2008.
Global warming
Like all countries with a long coastline, Belize is directly threatened by global warming. Many of its islands and islets are in danger of disappearing in the face of rising sea levels, which are already reducing the surface area of the country's beaches, as is the case throughout the Caribbean. But the stakes are so high that this small country, despite its many ecological initiatives, cannot fight alone.
Violence
The presence of drug gangs in a well-known area of southern Belize City is having a terrible effect on the country's homicide rate, but tourists are rarely affected by the violence when they stay away from these activities and neighborhoods. Authorities placed this area of Belize City under a state of emergency in July 2023 in an attempt to curb gang activity. The battle is uneven, but the will seems to be there.
