Panama

total: 809,000 (2023 est.) subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 18 (2023 est.)

multiple privately owned TV networks and a government-owned educational TV station; multi-channel cable and satellite TV subscription services are available; more than 100 commercial radio stations (2019)

.pa

percent of population: 78% (2023 est.)

total subscriptions: 811,000 (2023 est.) subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 18 (2023 est.)

total subscriptions: 6.98 million (2023 est.) subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 157 (2023 est.)

sugarcane, rice, bananas, oranges, oil palm fruit, chicken, plantains, maize, milk, pineapples (2023) note: top ten agricultural products based on tonnage

on food: 15.4% of household expenditures (2023 est.) on alcohol and tobacco: 1.6% of household expenditures (2023 est.)

revenues: $7.57 billion (2021 est.) expenditures: $12.046 billion (2021 est.) note: central government revenues and expenses (excluding grants/extrabudgetary units/social security funds) converted to US dollars at average official exchange rate for year indicated

$1.672 billion (2024 est.) -$2.581 billion (2023 est.) $28.769 million (2022 est.) note: balance of payments - net trade and primary/secondary income in current dollars

upper middle-income Central American economy; increasing Chinese trade; US dollar user; canal expansion fueling broader infrastructure investment; services sector dominates economy; historic money-laundering and illegal drug hub

balboas (PAB) per US dollar - 1 (2024 est.) 1 (2023 est.) 1 (2022 est.) 1 (2021 est.) 1 (2020 est.)

$37.376 billion (2024 est.) $37.905 billion (2023 est.) $35.717 billion (2022 est.) note: balance of payments - exports of goods and services in current dollars

copper ore, ships, refined petroleum, bananas, fish (2023) note: top five export commodities based on value in dollars

China 25%, Japan 10%, USA 6%, Thailand 5%, Costa Rica 5% (2023) note: top five export partners based on percentage share of exports

$86.26 billion (2024 est.) note: data in current dollars at official exchange rate

household consumption: 46.7% (2023 est.) government consumption: 12.2% (2023 est.) investment in fixed capital: 32.3% (2023 est.) investment in inventories: 5.4% (2023 est.) exports of goods and services: 46.5% (2023 est.) imports of goods and services: -43.1% (2023 est.) note: figures may not total 100% due to rounding or gaps in data collection

agriculture: 2.6% (2024 est.) industry: 26.3% (2024 est.) services: 68.8% (2024 est.) note: figures may not total 100% due to non-allocated consumption not captured in sector-reported data

48.9 (2023 est.) note: index (0-100) of income distribution; higher values represent greater inequality

lowest 10%: 1.2% (2023 est.) highest 10%: 36.9% (2023 est.) note: % share of income accruing to lowest and highest 10% of population

$30.887 billion (2024 est.) $35.927 billion (2023 est.) $32.646 billion (2022 est.) note: balance of payments - imports of goods and services in current dollars

crude petroleum, ships, refined petroleum, nitrogen compounds, cars (2023) note: top five import commodities based on value in dollars

USA 15%, Colombia 13%, China 13%, Ecuador 13%, Japan 11% (2023) note: top five import partners based on percentage share of imports

-2.6% (2024 est.) note: annual % change in industrial value added based on constant local currency

construction, brewing, cement and other construction materials, sugar milling

0.7% (2024 est.) 1.5% (2023 est.) 2.9% (2022 est.) note: annual % change based on consumer prices

2.206 million (2024 est.) note: number of people ages 15 or older who are employed or seeking work

21.8% (2021 est.) note: % of population with income below national poverty line

37.4% of GDP (2016 est.)

$164.484 billion (2024 est.) $159.908 billion (2023 est.) $148.891 billion (2022 est.) note: data in 2021 dollars

2.9% (2024 est.) 7.4% (2023 est.) 10.8% (2022 est.) note: annual GDP % growth based on constant local currency

$36,400 (2024 est.) $35,900 (2023 est.) $33,800 (2022 est.) note: data in 2021 dollars

0.6% of GDP (2024 est.) 0.6% of GDP (2023 est.) 0.7% of GDP (2022 est.) note: personal transfers and compensation between resident and non-resident individuals/households/entities

$6.856 billion (2024 est.) $6.757 billion (2023 est.) $6.876 billion (2022 est.) note: holdings of gold (year-end prices)/foreign exchange/special drawing rights in current dollars

7.5% (of GDP) (2021 est.) note: central government tax revenue as a % of GDP

6.6% (2024 est.) 6.6% (2023 est.) 8.1% (2022 est.) note: % of labor force seeking employment

total: 16.8% (2024 est.) male: 13.4% (2024 est.) female: 22.1% (2024 est.) note: % of labor force ages 15-24 seeking employment

consumption: 863,000 metric tons (2023 est.) imports: 863,000 metric tons (2023 est.)

installed generating capacity: 4.485 million kW (2023 est.) consumption: 11.777 billion kWh (2023 est.) exports: 404.9 million kWh (2023 est.) imports: 234 million kWh (2023 est.) transmission/distribution losses: 924.16 million kWh (2023 est.)

electrification - total population: 95% (2022 est.) electrification - urban areas: 99% electrification - rural areas: 100%

fossil fuels: 38.2% of total installed capacity (2023 est.) solar: 6.8% of total installed capacity (2023 est.) wind: 6.9% of total installed capacity (2023 est.) hydroelectricity: 47.8% of total installed capacity (2023 est.) biomass and waste: 0.3% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)

78.01 million Btu/person (2023 est.)

consumption: 564.786 million cubic meters (2023 est.) imports: 564.786 million cubic meters (2023 est.)

refined petroleum consumption: 131,000 bbl/day (2023 est.)

23.458 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2023 est.) from coal and metallurgical coke: 1.969 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2023 est.) from petroleum and other liquids: 20.389 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2023 est.) from consumed natural gas: 1.101 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2023 est.)

tropical maritime; hot, humid, cloudy; prolonged rainy season (May to January), short dry season (January to May)

water pollution from agricultural runoff; deforestation of tropical rainforest; land degradation and soil erosion in Panama Canal; air pollution in urban areas; effects of mining

party to: Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Climate Change-Paris Agreement, Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping-London Convention, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 2006, Wetlands, Whaling signed, but not ratified: Marine Life Conservation

agricultural land: 29.5% (2023 est.) arable land: 7.6% (2023 est.) permanent crops: 1.6% (2023 est.) permanent pasture: 20.3% (2023 est.) forest: 62.3% (2023 est.) other: 8.2% (2023 est.)

11.9 micrograms per cubic meter (2019 est.)

139.304 billion cubic meters (2022 est.)

municipal: 759.1 million cubic meters (2022 est.) industrial: 6.2 million cubic meters (2022 est.) agricultural: 446.1 million cubic meters (2022 est.)

urban population: 69.5% of total population (2023) rate of urbanization: 1.92% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

municipal solid waste generated annually: 1.472 million tons (2024 est.) percent of municipal solid waste recycled: 14.2% (2022 est.)

total : 75,420 sq km land: 74,340 sq km water: 1,080 sq km

slightly smaller than South Carolina

tropical maritime; hot, humid, cloudy; prolonged rainy season (May to January), short dry season (January to May)

2,490 km

highest point: Volcan Baru 3,475 m lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m mean elevation: 360 m

9 00 N, 80 00 W

strategic location on eastern end of isthmus forming land bridge that connects North and South America; controls the Panama Canal, which links the North Atlantic Ocean with the North Pacific Ocean via the Caribbean Sea

394 sq km (2022)

total: 687 km border countries (2): Colombia 339 km; Costa Rica 348 km

agricultural land: 29.5% (2023 est.) arable land: 7.6% (2023 est.) permanent crops: 1.6% (2023 est.) permanent pasture: 20.3% (2023 est.) forest: 62.3% (2023 est.) other: 8.2% (2023 est.)

Central America, bordering both the Caribbean Sea and the North Pacific Ocean, between Colombia and Costa Rica

salt water lake(s): Laguna de Chiriqui - 900 sq km

Central America and the Caribbean

territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm or edge of continental margin

occasional severe storms and forest fires in the Darien area

copper, mahogany forests, shrimp, hydropower

population is concentrated towards the center of the country, particularly around the Canal, but a sizeable segment of the populace also lives in the far west around David; the eastern third of the country is sparsely inhabited

interior mostly steep, rugged mountains with dissected, upland plains; coastal plains with rolling hills

10 provinces ( provincias , singular - provincia ) and 4 indigenous regions* ( comarcas ); Bocas del Toro, Chiriqu , Cocl , Colon, Darien, Embera-Wounaan*, Guna Yala*, Herrera, Los Santos, Naso Tjer Di*, Ngabe-Bugle*, Panama, Panama Oeste, Veraguas

name: Panama City geographic coordinates: 8 58 N, 79 32 W time difference: UTC-5 (same time as Washington, DC, during Standard Time) etymology: origin is unclear; may come from a Guaran word meaning "place of many fish"

citizenship by birth: yes citizenship by descent only: yes dual citizenship recognized: no residency requirement for naturalization: 5 years

history: several previous; latest effective 11 October 1972 amendment process: proposed by the National Assembly, by the Cabinet, or by the Supreme Court of Justice; passage requires approval by one of two procedures: 1) absolute majority vote of the Assembly membership in each of three readings and by absolute majority vote of the next elected Assembly in a single reading without textual modifications; 2) absolute majority vote of the Assembly membership in each of three readings, followed by absolute majority vote of the next elected Assembly in each of three readings with textual modifications, and approval in a referendum

conventional long form: Republic of Panama conventional short form: Panama local long form: Rep blica de Panama local short form: Panama etymology: origin is unclear; may come from a Guarani word meaning "place of many fish"

chief of mission: Ambassador Kevin Marino CABRERA (since 5 May 2025) embassy: Building 783, Demetrio Basilio Lakas Avenue, Clayton mailing address: 9100 Panama City PL, Washington, DC 20521-9100 telephone: [507] 317-5000 FAX: [507] 317-5568 email address and website: Panama-ACS@state.gov https://pa.usembassy.gov/

chief of mission: Ambassador Jos Miguel ALEM N HEALY (since 18 September 2024) chancery: 2862 McGill Terrace NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 483-1407 FAX: [1] (202) 483-8413 email address and website: info@embassyofpanama.org https://www.embassyofpanama.org/ consulate(s) general: Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New Orleans, New York, Philadelphia, Tampa

chief of state: President Jos Ra l MULINO Quintero (since 1 July 2024) head of government: President Jos Ra l MULINO Quintero (since 1 July 2024) cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president election/appointment process: president and vice president directly elected on the same ballot by simple-majority popular vote for a 5-year term; president eligible for a single non-consecutive term) most recent election date: 5 May 2024 election results: 2024: Jos Ra l MULINO Quintero elected president; percent of vote - Jos Ra l MULINO Quintero (RM) 34.2%, Ricardo Alberto LOMBANA Gonz lez (MOCA) 24.6%, Mart n Erasto TORRIJOS Espino (PP) 16%, Alberto ROUX Moses (CD) 11.4%, Zulay RODR GUEZ Lu (independent) 6.6%, Jos Gabriel CARRIZO Ja n (PRD) 5.9%, other 1.3% 2019: Laurentino "Nito" CORTIZO Cohen elected president; percent of vote - Laurentino CORTIZO Cohen (PRD) 33.3%, Romulo ROUX (CD) 31%, Ricardo LOMBANA (independent) 18.8%, Jose BLANDON (Paname ista Party) 10.8%, Ana Matilde GOMEZ Ruiloba (independent) 4.8%, other 1.3% expected date of next election: May 2029 note: the president is both chief of state and head of government

description: divided into four equal rectangles; one of the top quadrants is white (left side) with a five-pointed blue star in the center, and the other is plain red; one of the bottom quadrants is plain blue (left side), and the other is white with a five-pointed red star in the center meaning: blue and red stand for the main political parties, and white for peace between them; the blue star stands for the civic virtues of purity and honesty, and the red star for authority and law

presidential republic

3 November 1903 (from Colombia); 28 November 1821 (from Spain)

accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations; accepts ICCt jurisdiction

ACS, BCIE, CAN (observer), CD, CELAC, FAO, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC (national committees), ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC (NGOs), LAES, LAIA, MIGA, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, OPCW, Pacific Alliance (observer), PCA, SICA, UN, UNASUR (observer), UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, Union Latina, UNOOSA, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU (NGOs), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

highest court(s): Supreme Court of Justice or Corte Suprema de Justicia (consists of 9 magistrates and 9 alternates and divided into civil, criminal, administrative, and general business chambers) judge selection and term of office: magistrates appointed by the president for staggered 10-year terms subordinate courts: appellate courts or Tribunal Superior; Labor Supreme Courts; Court of Audit; circuit courts or Tribunal Circuital (2 each in 9 of the 10 provinces); municipal courts; electoral, family, maritime, and adolescent courts

civil law system; Supreme Court of Justice reviews legislative acts

legislature name: National Assembly (Asamblea Nacional) legislative structure: unicameral number of seats: 71 (all directly elected) electoral system: mixed system scope of elections: full renewal term in office: 5 years most recent election date: 5/5/2024 parties elected and seats per party: Realizing Goals (RM) (14); Democratic Revolutionary Party (PRD) (13); Democratic Change (CD) (8); Panamenista Party (8); Independents (20); Other (8) percentage of women in chamber: 21.7% expected date of next election: May 2029

title: "Himno Istmeno" (Isthmus Hymn) lyrics/music: Jeronimo DE LA OSSA/Santos A. JORGE history: adopted 1925

blue, white, red

total World Heritage Sites: 6 (3 cultural, 3 natural) selected World Heritage Site locales: Caribbean Fortifications (c); Darien National Park (n); Talamanca Range-La Amistad National Park (n); Panam Viejo and Historic District of Panam (c); Coiba National Park (n); The Colonial Transisthmian Route of Panam (c)

Independence Day (Separation Day), 3 November (1903)

harpy eagle

Alliance Party or PA Alternative Independent Socialist Party or PAIS Another Way Movement or MOCA Democratic Change or CD Democratic Revolutionary Party or PRD Nationalist Republican Liberal Movement or MOLIRENA Paname ista Party (formerly the Arnulfista Party) Popular Party or PP (formerly Christian Democratic Party or PDC) Realizing Goals Party or RM

18 years of age; universal

Explored and settled by the Spanish in the 16th century, Panama broke with Spain in 1821 and joined a union of Colombia, Ecuador, and Venezuela that was named the Republic of Gran Colombia. When the union dissolved in 1830, Panama remained part of Colombia. With US backing, Panama seceded from Colombia in 1903 and promptly signed a treaty with the US allowing for the construction of a canal and US sovereignty over a strip of land known as the Panama Canal Zone on either side of the structure. The US Army Corps of Engineers built the Panama Canal between 1904 and 1914. In 1977, an agreement was signed for the complete transfer of the Canal from the US to Panama by the end of the century. Certain portions of the Zone and increasing responsibility over the Canal were turned over in the subsequent decades. With US help, Panamanian dictator Manuel NORIEGA was deposed in 1989. The entire Panama Canal, the area supporting the Canal, and remaining US military bases were transferred to Panama by the end of 1999. An ambitious expansion project to more than double the Canal's capacity by allowing for more Canal transits and larger ships was carried out between 2007 and 2016.

the Panamanian Public Forces focus on law enforcement, border control, and maritime security; the National Police are responsible for internal law enforcement and public order, while the National Border Service (SENAFRONT) handles border security; the Aeronaval Service is responsible for carrying out air and naval operations that include some internal security responsibilities; key areas of focus are countering narcotics trafficking and securing the border, particularly along the frontier with Colombia where SENAFRONT maintains a significant presence Panama created a paramilitary National Guard (Guardia Nacional de Panam ) in the 1950s from the former National Police (established 1904); the National Guard subsequently evolved into more of a military force with some police responsibilities; it seized power in a coup in 1968 and military officers ran the country until 1989; in 1983, the National Guard was renamed the Panama Defense Force (PDF); the PDF was disbanded after the 1989 US invasion and the current national police forces were formed in 1990; the armed forces were officially abolished under the 1994 Constitution (2025)

no regular military forces Ministry of Public Security: National Police (Polic a Nacional, PN), National Aeronaval Service (Servicio Nacional Aeronaval, SENAN), National Border Service (Servicio Nacional de Fronteras, SENAFRONT) (2025) note 1: collectively, the security forces are known as the Panamanian Public Forces note 2: the PNP includes a special forces directorate with counterterrorism and counternarcotics units; SENAFRONT has four regionally based border security brigades, plus a specialized brigade comprised of special forces, counternarcotics, maritime, and rapid reaction units

approximately 30,000 Ministry of Public Security personnel (2025)

1.1% of GDP (2024 est.) 1.1% of GDP (2023 est.) 1.2% of GDP (2022 est.) 1.3% of GDP (2021 est.) 1.4% of GDP (2020 est.)

0-14 years: 25% (male 574,336/female 544,180) 15-64 years: 64.8% (male 1,465,907/female 1,433,023) 65 years and over: 10.1% (2024 est.) (male 211,014/female 241,781)

total: 6.54 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.) beer: 5.29 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.) wine: 0.02 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.) spirits: 1.2 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.) other alcohols: 0.02 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

17.11 births/1,000 population (2025 est.)

2.9% (2019 est.)

53.2% (2023 est.)

5.48 deaths/1,000 population (2025 est.)

total dependency ratio: 54.4 (2025 est.) youth dependency ratio: 38.4 (2025 est.) elderly dependency ratio: 16 (2025 est.) potential support ratio: 6.3 (2025 est.)

urban: 98.5% of population (2022 est.) rural: 86.1% of population (2022 est.) total: 94.7% of population (2022 est.) urban: 1.5% of population (2022 est.) rural: 13.9% of population (2022 est.) total: 5.3% of population (2022 est.)

2.5% of GDP (2023 est.) 16.3% national budget (2024 est.)

Mestizo (mixed Indigenous and White) 65%, Indigenous 12.3% (Ngabe 7.6%, Kuna 2.4%, Embera 0.9%, Bugle 0.8%, other 0.4%, unspecified 0.2%), Black or African descent 9.2%, Mulatto 6.8%, White 6.7% (2010 est.)

1.13 (2025 est.)

9.7% of GDP (2021) 22.2% of national budget (2022 est.)

1.9 beds/1,000 population (2020 est.)

total: 13.2 deaths/1,000 live births (2025 est.) male: 15.4 deaths/1,000 live births female: 12.9 deaths/1,000 live births

Spanish (official), Indigenous languages (including Ngabere (Guaymi), Buglere, Kuna, Embera, Wounaan, Naso (Teribe), and Bri Bri), Panamanian English Creole (a mixture of English and Spanish with elements of Ngabere, also known as Guari Guari and Colon Creole), English, Chinese (Yue and Hakka), Arabic, French Creole, other (Yiddish, Hebrew, Korean, Japanese) major-language sample(s): La Libreta Informativa del Mundo, la fuente indispensable de informaci n b sica. (Spanish) The World Factbook, the indispensable source for basic information.

total population: 79.2 years (2024 est.) male: 76.4 years female: 82.2 years

total population: 96.3% (2024 est.) male: 97.3% (2024 est.) female: 95.9% (2024 est.)

1.977 million PANAMA CITY (capital) (2023)

37 deaths/100,000 live births (2023 est.)

total: 31.7 years (2025 est.) male: 31 years female: 31.9 years

noun: Panamanian(s) adjective: Panamanian

2.82 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2025 est.)

22.7% (2016)

1.63 physicians/1,000 population (2022)

total: 4,536,008 (2025 est.) male: 2,284,105 female: 2,251,903

population is concentrated towards the center of the country, particularly around the Canal, but a sizeable segment of the populace also lives in the far west around David; the eastern third of the country is sparsely inhabited

1.44% (2025 est.)

Evangelical 55%, Roman Catholic 33.4%, none 10.1%, unspecified 1.5% (2023 est.)

urban: 96.1% of population (2022 est.) rural: 70.1% of population (2022 est.) total: 88% of population (2022 est.) urban: 3.9% of population (2022 est.) rural: 29.9% of population (2022 est.) total: 12% of population (2022 est.)

total: 13 years (2016 est.) male: 12 years (2016 est.) female: 14 years (2016 est.)

at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female 0-14 years: 1.06 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.02 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.87 male(s)/female total population: 1.02 male(s)/female (2024 est.)

total: 4.5% (2025 est.) male: 7.4% (2025 est.) female: 1.7% (2025 est.)

2.33 children born/woman (2025 est.)

urban population: 69.5% of total population (2023) rate of urbanization: 1.92% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

Tren de Aragua (TdA) note: details about the history, aims, leadership, organization, areas of operation, tactics, targets, weapons, size, and sources of support of the group(s) appear(s) in the Terrorism reference guide

USG identification: major illicit drug-producing and/or drug-transit country (2025)

refugees: 10,801 (2024 est.) stateless persons: 928 (2024 est.)

77 (2025)

HP

1 (2025)

total: 8,174 (2023) by type: bulk carrier 2732, container ship 671, general cargo 1,428, oil tanker 866, other 2,477

total ports: 12 (2024) large: 0 medium: 3 small: 3 very small: 5 size unknown: 1 ports with oil terminals: 5 key ports: Bahia de las Minas, Balboa, Pedregal, Puerto Armuelles, Puerto Colon, Puerto Cristobal

total: 77 km (2014) standard gauge: 77 km (2014) 1.435-m gauge