About Panama
Spanish - the sole official language.
Indigenous languages including Ngabere (Guaymi), Buglere, Kuna, Embera, Wounaan, Naso (Teribe), and Bri Bri are also spoken.
Panamanian English Creole (similar to Jamaican Creole, also known as Guari Guari or Colon Creole), English, and Chinese are also spoken; many Panamanians are bilingual.
Spanish is the sole official language of Panama.
| Geography |
Location: Middle America, bordering both the Caribbean Sea and the North Pacific Ocean, between Colombia and Costa Rica
Map references: Central America and the Caribbean
Area:
total: 75,417 sq km
Land boundaries:
border countries: Colombia, Costa Rica
Environment - current issues: water pollution from agricultural runoff; deforestation of tropical rainforest; land degradation and soil erosion around the Panama Canal; air pollution in urban areas; effects of mining
| People |
Population: 4.34-4.5 million (2018-2024 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 25-25.44%
15-64 years: 64.8-65.66%
65 years and over: 8.9-10.1%
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 77.62 years
male: 74.76 years
female: 80.66 years
Infant mortality rate: 16.44 deaths/1,000 live births
Nationality:
noun/adjective: Panamanian(s)
Ethnic groups: Mestizo approximately 65%, Indigenous peoples, descendants of enslaved Africans, Chinese-descended, and a small White minority
Religions: Evangelical 55%, Roman Catholic 33.4%, none 10.1%, unspecified 1.5% (2023 est.)
Languages: Spanish (official), Indigenous languages (Ngabere/Guaymi, Buglere, Kuna, Embera, Wounaan, Naso/Teribe, Bri Bri), Panamanian English Creole (Guari Guari/Colon Creole), English, Chinese (Yue and Hakka), Arabic, French Creole, other (Yiddish, Hebrew, Korean, Japanese)
Literacy: total population 96.3% (2024 est.)
Population distribution: concentrated toward the center of the country, particularly around the Canal; a sizeable segment also lives in the far west around David; the eastern third of the country is sparsely inhabited
| Government |
Country name:
conventional long form: Republic of Panama
conventional short form: Panama
Data code: PM
Government type: presidential republic
National capital: Panama City
Independence: 3 November 1903 (from Colombia)
| Economy |
Economy - overview: upper-middle-income (nearing high-income), fast-growing Central American economy; increasing Chinese trade; US dollar user; canal expansion fueling broader infrastructure investment; services sector dominates; historic hub for money laundering and illegal drug trafficking
GDP (purchasing power parity): $195.279-214.43 billion (2025-2026 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: 3.8% (2026)
GDP - per capita: $42,772-46,405 PPP (2025-2026 est.)
Inflation rate: -0.19% (2024)
Unemployment rate: 6.6-8.4% (2024-2025)
Population below poverty line: 13.4% (2023)
Currency: Panamanian balboa (PAB); US dollar also widely used
| Military |
Military - note: no regular military forces; Ministry of Public Security: National Police (Policia Nacional, PN), National Aeronaval Service (SENAN), National Border Service (SENAFRONT) (2025)