Belizeans Feel Slightly Better About Money, But Worry About the Future

Belizeans started 2026 with a slight lift in confidence about the economy. The national Consumer Confidence Index (CCI) stood at 48.3 in January, up 0.9% from December 2025, according to the Statistical Institute of Belize.

The increase suggests that people felt a little less pessimistic about their current situation and about making big purchases, even as optimism about the future dipped slightly.

Sentiment about current economic conditions and household finances rose 3.8%, moving from 43.4 in December to 45.1 in January. This shows that more families felt their financial situation had improved compared to the previous month.

Confidence about buying big-ticket items like homes, cars, and appliances showed a small improvement. While people remained cautious, they were slightly more willing to consider major purchases.

On the other hand, optimism about the next twelve months fell 0.7%, suggesting that while people felt somewhat better about the present, they were less hopeful about the year ahead.

Confidence varied across districts. Corozal saw the biggest improvement, up 7.1%, driven by stronger expectations and present conditions. Stann Creek, however, recorded the sharpest decline, dropping 13.7%, with residents more pessimistic about buying durable goods and the future outlook.

By ethnic group, confidence rose sharply among people in the “Other” category and improved among the Maya community. Meanwhile, sentiment weakened among Mestizo/Hispanic and Garifuna consumers, who reported lower confidence than the previous month.