This State Department web site is a permanent electronic archive of information released prior to January 20, 2001. Please see the current site for material released since that date. Contact us with any questions about finding information. Country commercial guides are prepared annually at U.S. embassies through the combined efforts of several U.S. Government agencies.
Tourism continues to be the number one foreign exchange earner followed closely by cane sugar.
Other important foreign exchange earners include citrus, bananas, garments, and marine products. Belize continues to rely heavily on foreign trade, with the United States as its number one trading partner. In 1997, the U.S. accounted for 46 percent of Belize's total exports and provided 52 percent of all Belizean imports. These proportions reflected a 67 million dollar U.S. trade surplus with Belize, down 4.5 percent from 1996. Belize's small market size is often overlooked by major U.S. exporters, thereby creating opportunities for smaller suppliers.