Panama
Republic of PanamaRepublica de Panama
presidential republicIndependence 3 November 1903 (from Colombia
Panama as the 2021 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 173 fields, one of 36 editions from 1990 to 2025.
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Introduction
1 fieldBackground
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 - named the Republic of Gran Colombia. When the latter 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 on either side of the structure (the Panama Canal Zone). The Panama Canal was built by the US Army Corps of Engineers 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, 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.
Geography
Central America, bordering both the Caribbean Sea and the North Pacific Ocean, between Colombia and Costa Rica
18 fieldsLand useshare of 75,420 sq km
Location
Central America, bordering both the Caribbean Sea and the North Pacific Ocean, between Colombia and Costa Rica
Climate
- tropical maritime;
- hot, humid, cloudy;
- prolonged rainy season (May to January), short dry season (January to May)
Terrain
interior mostly steep, rugged mountains with dissected, upland plains; coastal plains with rolling hills
Population distribution
- 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
Geography - note
- strategic location on eastern end of isthmus forming land bridge connecting North and South America;
- controls Panama Canal that links North Atlantic Ocean via Caribbean Sea with North Pacific Ocean
People and Society
37 fieldsAge structuremale left, female right · (2020 est.)
Per 1,000 population(2021 est.)
Male · female
Ethnic groups(2010 est.)
Religions(2018 est.)
Languages
Spanish (official), indigenous languages (including Ngabere (or Guaymi), Buglere, Kuna, Embera, Wounaan, Naso (or Teribe), and Bri Bri), Panamanian English Creole (similar to Jamaican 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); note - many Panamanians are bilingual; major-language sample(s): La Libreta Informativa del Mundo, la fuente indispensable de información básica. (Spanish); The World Factbook, the indispensable source for basic information.
Demographic profile
Panama is a country of demographic and economic contrasts. It is in the midst of a demographic transition, characterized by steadily declining rates of fertility, mortality, and population growth, but disparities persist based on wealth, geography, and ethnicity. Panama has one of the fastest growing economies in Latin America and dedicates substantial funding to social programs, yet poverty and inequality remain prevalent.
The indigenous population accounts for a growing share of Panama's poor and extreme poor, while the non-indigenous rural poor have been more successful at rising out of poverty through rural-to-urban labor migration. The government's large expenditures on untargeted, indirect subsidies for water, electricity, and fuel have been ineffective, but its conditional cash transfer program has shown some promise in helping to decrease extreme poverty among the indigenous population.
Panama has expanded access to education and clean water, but the availability of sanitation and, to a lesser extent, electricity remains poor. The increase in secondary schooling - led by female enrollment - is spreading to rural and indigenous areas, which probably will help to alleviate poverty if educational quality and the availability of skilled jobs improve.
Inadequate access to sanitation contributes to a high incidence of diarrhea in Panama's children, which is one of the main causes of Panama's elevated chronic malnutrition rate, especially among indigenous communities.
Population distribution
- 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
Sex ratio
- at birth:
- 1.04 male(s)/female
- 0-14 years:
- 1.04 male(s)/female
- 15-24 years:
- 1.04 male(s)/female
- 25-54 years:
- 1.03 male(s)/female
- 55-64 years:
- 0.99 male(s)/female
- 65 years and over:
- 0.84 male(s)/female
- total population:
- 1.01 male(s)/female (2020 est.)
Major infectious diseases
- degree of risk:
- intermediate (2020)
- food or waterborne diseases:
- bacterial diarrhea
- vectorborne diseases:
- dengue fever
Environment
13 fieldsLand use(2018 est.)
Environment - current issues
- water pollution from agricultural runoff threatens fishery resources;
- deforestation of tropical rain forest;
- land degradation and soil erosion threatens siltation of Panama Canal;
- air pollution in urban areas;
- mining threatens natural resources
Environment - international agreements
- 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
Air pollutants
- particulate matter emissions:
- 11.18 micrograms per cubic meter (2016 est.)
- carbon dioxide emissions:
- 10.71 megatons (2016 est.)
- methane emissions:
- 5.97 megatons (2020 est.)
Climate
- tropical maritime;
- hot, humid, cloudy;
- prolonged rainy season (May to January), short dry season (January to May)
Urbanization
- urban population:
- 68.8% of total population (2021)
- rate of urbanization:
- 1.92% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)
Major infectious diseases
- degree of risk:
- intermediate (2020)
- food or waterborne diseases:
- bacterial diarrhea
- vectorborne diseases:
- dengue fever
Total water withdrawal
- municipal:
- 759.1 million cubic meters (2017 est.)
- industrial:
- 6.2 million cubic meters (2017 est.)
- agricultural:
- 446.1 million cubic meters (2017 est.)
Government
Presidential republic; President Laurentino "Nito" CORTIZO Cohen (since 1 July 2019); President Laurentino "Nito" CORTIZO Cohen (since 1 July 2019)
21 fieldsPresidential electionpercent of vote
National Assembly or Asamblea Nacional, 71 seats, elected 5 May 2019one dot, one seat
Composition: men 55, women 16, percent of women 22.5%
Country name
- conventional long form:
- Republic of Panama
- conventional short form:
- Panama
- local long form:
- Republica de Panama
- local short form:
- Panama
- etymology:
- named after the capital city which was itself named after a former indigenous fishing village
Capital
- name:
- Panama City
- geographic coordinates:
- 8 58 N, 79 32 W
- time difference:
- UTC-5 (same time as Washington, DC, during Standard Time)
- etymology:
- according to tradition, the name derives from a former fishing area near the present capital - an indigenous village and its adjacent beach - that were called "Panama" meaning "an abundance of fish"
Administrative divisions
- 10 provinces (provincias, singular - provincia) and 4 indigenous regions* (comarcas);
- Bocas del Toro, Chiriqui, Cocle, Colon, Darien, Embera-Wounaan*, Guna Yala*, Herrera, Los Santos, Naso Tjer Di*, Ngobe-Bugle*, Panama, Panama Oeste, Veraguas
Constitution
- history:
- several previous; latest effective 11 October 1972
- amendments:
- 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;
- amended several times, last in 2004
International law organization participation
accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations; accepts ICCt jurisdiction
Citizenship
- citizenship by birth:
- yes
- citizenship by descent only:
- yes
- dual citizenship recognized:
- no
- residency requirement for naturalization:
- 5 years
Executive branch
- chief of state:
- President Laurentino "Nito" CORTIZO Cohen (since 1 July 2019);
- Vice President Jose Gabriel CARRIZO Jaen (since 1 July 2019);
- note - the president is both chief of state and head of government
- head of government:
- President Laurentino "Nito" CORTIZO Cohen (since 1 July 2019); Vice President Jose Gabriel CARRIZO Jaen (since 1 July 2019)
- cabinet:
- Cabinet appointed by the president
- elections/appointments:
- 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);
- election last held on 5 May 2019 (next to be held in 2024)
- election results:
- ;
- 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 (Panamenista Party) 10.8%, Ana Matilde GOMEZ Ruiloba (independent) 4.8%, other 1.3%
- 2014: Juan Carlos VARELA elected president;
- percent of vote - Juan Carlos VARELA (PP) 39.1%, Jose Domingo ARIAS (CD) 31.4%, Juan Carlos NAVARRO (PRD) 28.2%, other 1.3%
Legislative branch
- description:
- unicameral National Assembly or Asamblea Nacional (71 seats; 45 members directly elected in multi-seat constituencies - populous towns and cities - by open list proportional representation vote and 26 directly elected in single-seat constituencies - outlying rural districts - by simple majority vote; members serve 5-year terms)
- elections:
- last held on 5 May 2019 (next to be held in May 2024)
- election results:
- percent of vote by party - NA;
- seats by party - PRD 35, CD 18, Panamenista 8, MOLIRENA 5, independent 5;
- composition - men 55, women 16, percent of women 22.5%
Judicial branch
- highest courts:
- 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
Political parties and leaders
- Democratic Change or CD [Romulo ROUX]
- Democratic Revolutionary Party or PRD [Benicio ROBINSON]
- Nationalist Republican Liberal Movement or MOLIRENA [Francisco "Pancho" ALEMAN]
- Panamenista Party [Jose Luis "Popi" VARELA Rodriguez] (formerly the Arnulfista Party)
- Popular Party or PP [Juan Carlos ARANGO Reese] (formerly Christian Democratic Party or PDC)
International organization participation
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, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU (NGOs), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
Diplomatic representation in the US
- chief of mission:
- Ambassador Juan Ricardo DE DIANOUS HENRIQUEZ (since 16 September 2019)
- chancery:
- 2862 McGill Terrace NW, Washington, DC 20007
- telephone:
- [1] (202) 483-1407
- FAX:
- [1] (202) 483-8413
- email address and website:
- [email protected]; https://www.embassyofpanama.org/
- consulate(s) general:
- Houston, Miami, Los Angeles, New Orleans, New York, Philadelphia, Tampa, Washington DC
Diplomatic representation from the US
- chief of mission:
- Ambassador (vacant), Charge d'Affairs Steward TUTTLE (since August 2020)
- 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 (2018)
- email address and website:
- [email protected]; https://pa.usembassy.gov/
Flag description
- divided into four, equal rectangles;
- the top quadrants are white (hoist side) with a blue five-pointed star in the center and plain red;
- the bottom quadrants are plain blue (hoist side) and white with a red five-pointed star in the center;
- the blue and red colors are those of the main political parties (Conservatives and Liberals respectively) and the white denotes peace between them;
- the blue star stands for the civic virtues of purity and honesty, the red star signifies authority and law
National anthem
- name:
- "Himno Istmeno" (Isthmus Hymn)
- lyrics/music:
- Jeronimo DE LA OSSA/Santos A. JORGE
note: adopted 1925
Economy
34 fieldsGDP - composition, by sector of origin(2017 est.)
Trading partnersexports left, imports right
By end use% of GDP · (2017 est.)
Budget(2017 est.)
Economic overview
Panama's dollar-based economy rests primarily on a well-developed services sector that accounts for more than three-quarters of GDP. Services include operating the Panama Canal, logistics, banking, the Colon Free Trade Zone, insurance, container ports, flagship registry, and tourism and Panama is a center for offshore banking.
Panama's transportation and logistics services sectors, along with infrastructure development projects, have boosted economic growth; however, public debt surpassed $37 billion in 2016 because of excessive government spending and public works projects. The US-Panama Trade Promotion Agreement was approved by Congress and signed into law in October 2011, and entered into force in October 2012.
Future growth will be bolstered by the Panama Canal expansion project that began in 2007 and was completed in 2016 at a cost of $5.3 billion - about 10-15% of current GDP. The expansion project more than doubled the Canal's capacity, enabling it to accommodate high-capacity vessels such as tankers and neopanamax vessels that are too large to traverse the existing canal. The US and China are the top users of the Canal.
Strong economic performance has not translated into broadly shared prosperity, as Panama has the second worst income distribution in Latin America. About one-fourth of the population lives in poverty; however, from 2006 to 2012 poverty was reduced by 10 percentage points.
Agricultural products
sugar cane, bananas, rice, poultry, milk, plantains, pineapples, maize, beef, pork
Labor force
1.633 million (2017 est.) note: shortage of skilled labor, but an oversupply of unskilled labor
Exports
$20.18 billion note: data are in current year dollars (2020 est.) · $28.58 billion note: data are in current year dollars (2019 est.) · $28.55 billion note: data are in current year dollars (2018 est.) note: includes the Colon Free Zone
Exports - commodities
refined petroleum, copper, bananas, ships, coal tar oil, packaged medicines (2019)
Imports
$17.41 billion note: data are in current year dollars (2020 est.) · $27.38 billion note: data are in current year dollars (2019 est.) · $28.9 billion note: data are in current year dollars (2018 est.) note: includes the Colon Free Zone
Imports - commodities
ships, refined petroleum, crude petroleum, tanker ships, packaged medicines (2019)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold
$2.703 billion (31 December 2017 est.) · $3.878 billion (31 December 2016 est.)
Exchange rates
balboas (PAB) per US dollar - 1 (2017 est.) · 1 (2016 est.) · 1 (2015 est.) · 1 (2014 est.) · 1 (2013 est.)
Energy
23 fieldsElectrification% of population · (2019)
Installed generating capacity, 3.4 million kW(2016 est.)
Communications
7 fieldsPer 100 inhabitants(2020–21 est.)
Telecommunication systems
- general assessment:
- domestic and international facilities well-developed;
- steady increase in telecom revenue with effective competition;
- mobile connections account for 90% of connections;
- government-funded program to improve Internet infrastructure;
- connectivity through two submarine cables;
- launch of LTE services;
- Chinese company Huawei investment in bandwidth technologies;
- importer of broadcasting equipment from China (2020)
- domestic:
- fixed-line 17 per 100 and rapid subscribership of mobile-cellular telephone 132 per 100 (2019)
- international:
- country code - 507;
- landing points for the PAN-AM, ARCOS, SAC, AURORA, PCCS, PAC, and the MAYA-1 submarine cable systems that together provide links to the US and parts of the Caribbean, Central America, and South America;
- satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean);
- connected to the Central American Microwave System (2019)
note: the COVID-19 pandemic continues to have a significant impact on production and supply chains globally; since 2020, some aspects of the telecom sector have experienced downturn, particularly in mobile device production;
many network operators delayed upgrades to infrastructure; progress towards 5G implementation was postponed or slowed in some countries; consumer spending on telecom services and devices was affected by large-scale job losses and the consequent restriction on disposable incomes;
the crucial nature of telecom services as a tool for work and school from home became evident, and received some support from governments
Broadcast media
- 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)
Transportation
11 fieldsAirports by runway lengthpaved left, unpaved right
Networkskm
National air transport system
- number of registered air carriers:
- 4 (2020); inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers: 122
- annual passenger traffic on registered air carriers:
- 12,939,350 (2018)
- annual freight traffic on registered air carriers:
- 47.63 million mt-km (2018)
Merchant marine
- total:
- 7,980
- by type:
- bulk carrier 2,697, container ship 643, general cargo 1,381, oil tanker 771, other 2,488 (2021)
Ports and terminals
- major seaport(s):
- Balboa, Colon, Cristobal
- container port(s) (TEUs):
- Balboa (2,894,654), Colon (4,379,477) (2019)
Military and Security
5 fieldsPersonnel strengthsone square, 100 people · (2021)
Military and security forces
no regular military forces; Ministry of Public Security: the Panama National Police ( La Policía Nacional de Panamá , PNP), National Air-Naval Service (Servicio Nacional Aeronaval, SENAN), National Border Service (Servicio Nacional de Fronteras, SENAFRONT) (2021)
note - the PNP includes paramilitary special forces units for counterterrorism and counternarcotics missions; in addition to its 3 regionally-based border security brigades, SENAFRONT includes a special forces brigade, which is comprised of special forces, counternarcotics, maritime, and rapid reaction units
Military equipment inventories and acquisitions
Panama's security forces are lightly armed; Canada, Italy and the US have provided equipment to the security forces since 2010 (2021)
Military - note
- Panama created a paramilitary National Guard (Guardia Nacional de Panamá) 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
Transnational Issues
3 fieldsDisputes - international
organized illegal narcotics operations in Colombia operate within the remote border region with Panama
Refugees and internally displaced persons
refugees (country of origin): 80,021 (Venezuela) (economic and political crisis; includes Venezuelans who have claimed asylum or have received alternative legal stay) (2021)
Illicit drugs
- a prime sea and land passage for drugs, primarily cocaine from Colombia, from South America to North America and Europe;
- traffickers ship drugs in containers passing through the Panama Canal each year North America and Europe
Cite this entry
Central Intelligence Agency. “Panama.” The World Factbook 2021. Archived by The Factbook, thefactbook.org/panama/2021.