year=2017&name=Panama - Gheos Worldguide

Statistics Panama

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Panama in the World

Panama - Introduction 2017

Background: 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.

Geographic coordinates: 9 00 N 80 00 W

Map reference: Central America and the Caribbean

Area
Total: 75,420 km²
Land: 74,340 km²
Water: 1080 km²
Rank: 119
Comparative: slightly smaller than South Carolina

Land boundaries
Total: 687 km
Border countries: (2) Colombia 339 km; Costa Rica 348 km

Coastline: 2,490 km

Maritime claims
Territorial sea: 12 nm
Contiguous zone: 24 nm
Exclusive economic zone: 200 nm or edge of continental margin

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

Elevation
Mean elevation: 360 m
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m: highest point: Volcan Baru 3,475 m

Natural resources: copper mahogany forests shrimp hydropower

Land use
Agricultural land: 30.5%

arable land: 7.3%
permanent crops: 2.5%
permanent pasture: 20.7%

Forest: 43.6%
Other: 25.9%

Irrigated land: 321 km² (2012)

Major rivers

Major watersheds area km²

Total water withdrawal

Total renewable water resources

Natural hazards: occasional severe storms and forest fires in the Darien area

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

Panama - People 2017

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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: 3,753,142 (July 2017 est.)
Rank: 130
Growth rate: 1.27% (2017 est.)
Growth rate rank: 90
Below poverty line: 23% (2015 est.)

Nationality
Noun: Panamanian
Adjective: Panamanian

Ethnic groups: mestizo (mixed Amerindian and white) 65% Native American 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.)

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

Religions: Roman Catholic 85% Protestant 15%

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.

Age structure
0-14 years: 26.4%
15-24 years: 16.99%
25-54 years: 40.35%
55-64 years: 7.91%
65 years and over: 8.36% (2017 est.)

Dependency ratios
Total dependency ratio: 54.8
Youth dependency ratio: 43.1
Elderly dependency ratio: 11.7
Potential support ratio: 8.5

Median age
Total: 29.2 years
Male: 28.8 years
Female: 29.6 years
Rank: 125

Population growth rate: 1.27% (2017 est.)
Rank: 90

Birth rate: 17.9 births/1000 population (2017 est.)
Rank: 100

Death rate: 4.9 deaths/1000 population (2017 est.)
Rank: 197

Net migration rate: -0.2 migrant(s)/1000 population (2017 est.)
Rank: 112

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

Urbanization
Urban population: 67.2% of total population
Rate of urbanization: 1.94% annual rate of change

Major urban areas
Population: PANAMA CITY (capital) 1.673 million (2015)

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
International agreements party to: Biodiversity Climate Change Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol Desertification Endangered Species Environmental Modification Hazardous Wastes Law of the Sea Marine Dumping Ozone Layer Protection Ship Pollution Tropical Timber 83 Tropical Timber 94 Wetlands Whaling
International agreements signed but not ratified: Marine Life Conservation

Air pollutants

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.05 male/female
0-14 years: 1.04 male/female
15-24 years: 1.04 male/female
25-54 years: 1.03 male/female
55-64 years: 0.98 male/female
65 years and over: 0.85 male/female
Total population: 1.01 male/female

Mothers mean age at first birth

Maternal mortality ratio

Infant mortality rate
Total: 9.9 deaths/1000 live births
Male: 10.6 deaths/1000 live births
Female: 9.1 deaths/1000 live births
Rank: 138

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 78.8 years
Male: 76 years
Female: 81.7 years
Rank: 55

Total fertility rate: 2.3 children born/woman (2017 est.)
Rank: 90

Contraceptive prevalence rate: 62.8% (2013)

Drinking water source:

urban: 97.7% of population
rural: 86.6% of population
total: 94.7% of population
urban: 2.3% of population
rural: 11.4% of population
total: 5.3% of population (2015 est.)

Current health expenditure

Physicians density: 1.59 physicians/1000 population (2013)

Hospital bed density: 2.2 beds/1000 population (2011)

Sanitation facility access:

urban: 83.5% of population
rural: 58% of population
total: 75% of population
urban: 16.5% of population
rural: 42% of population
total: 25% of population (2015 est.)

Hivaids
Adult prevalence rate: 0.8% (2016 est.)
Adult prevalence rate rank: 49
People living with hivaids: 21,000 (2016 est.)
People living with hivaids rank: 76
Deaths: 1000 (2016 est.)

Major infectious diseases
Degree of risk: intermediate
Food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea
Vectorborne disease: dengue fever
Note: active local transmission of Zika virus by Aedes species mosquitoes has been identified in this country ; it poses an important risk (a large number of cases possible) among US citizens if bitten by an infective mosquito; other less common ways to get Zika are through sex via blood transfusion or during pregnancy in which the pregnant woman passes Zika virus to her fetus (2016)

Obesity adult prevalence rate: 22.7% (2016)
Rank: 72

Alcohol consumption

Tobacco use

Children under the age of 5 years underweight: 3.9% (2008)
Rank: 99

Education expenditures: 3.3% of GDP (2011)
Rank: 122

Literacy
Definition: age 15 and over can read and write
Total population: 95%
Male: 95.7%
Female: 94.4%

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education
Total: 13 years
Male: 12 years
Female: 13 years

Youth unemployment

Panama - Government 2017

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Country name
Conventional long form: Republic of Panama
Conventional short form: Panama
Local long form: Republica de Panama
Local short form: Panama
Etymology: according to tradition the name derives from a former indigenous fishing village and its nearby beach that were called 'Panama' meaning 'an abundance of fish'

Government type: presidential republic

Capital
Name: Panama City
Geographic coordinates: 8 58 N 79 32 W
Time difference: UTC-5

Administrative divisions: 10 provinces (provincias singular - provincia) and 3 indigenous regions* (comarcas); Bocas del Toro Chiriqui Cocle Colon Darien Embera-Wounaan* Herrera Guna Yala* Los Santos Ngobe-Bugle* Panama Panama Oeste Veraguas

Dependent areas

Independence: 3 November 1903 (from Colombia; became independent from Spain on 28 November 1821)

National holiday: Independence Day (Separation Day) 3 November (1903)

Constitution: several previous; latest effective 11 October 1972; amended several times last in 2004 (2016)

Legal system: civil law system; judicial review of legislative acts in the Supreme Court of Justice

International law organization participation: accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations; accepts ICCt jurisdiction

Citizenship
Citizenship by birth: yes
Citizenship by descent: yes
Dual citizenship recognized: no
Residency requirement for naturalization: 5 years

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch
Chief of state: President Juan Carlos VARELA ; Vice President Isabel de SAINT MALO de Alvarado (since 1 July 2014); note - the president is both chief of state and head of government
Head of government: President Juan Carlos VARELA ; Vice President Isabel de SAINT MALO de Alvarado (since 1 July 2014)
Cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president
Electionsappointments: 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 4 May 2014 ; election last held on 4 May 2014 (next to be held in 2019)
Election results: Juan Carlos VARELA elected president; percent of vote - Juan Carlos VARELA 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
Elections: last held on 4 May 2014
Election results: percent of vote by party - CD 33.7% PRD 31.5% Panamenista Party 20% MOLIRENA 7.2% PP 3.3% other 1% Independent 3%; seats by party - PRD 30 CD 25 Panamenista 12 MOLIRENA 2 PP 1 independent 1
Note: an alliance between the Panamenista Party and Democratic Revolutionary Party fractured after the 2014 election but a loose coalition composed of Panamenista and moderate PRD and CD legislators generally work together to support the president’s agenda

Judicial branch
Highest court: Supreme Court of Justice or Corte Suprema de Justicia
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 ; municipal courts; electoral family maritime and adolescent courts

Political parties and leaders:

Democratic Change or CD [Ricardo MARTINELLI Berrocal]
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 [Milton C. HENRIQUEZ] (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 Emanuel Arturo GONZALEZ-REVILLA Lince
In the us chancery: 2,862 McGill Terrace NW Washington DC 20,007
In the us telephone: [1] 483-1407
In the us FAX: [1] 483-8,413
In the us consulate general: Atlanta Houston Miami New Orleans New York Philadelphia Tampa Washington DC
From the us chief of mission: Ambassador John D. FEELEY
From the us embassy: Edificio 783 Avenida Demetrio Basilio Lakas Panama Apartado Postal 0816-2,561 Zona 5 Panama City
From the us mailing address: American Embassy Panama Unit 0945 APO AA 34,002; American Embassy Panama 9,100 Panama City PL Washington DC 20,521-9,100
From the us telephone: [507] 317-5,000
From the us FAX: [507] 317-5,568

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 symbols: harpy eagle; national colors: blue white red

National anthem
Name: 'Himno Istmeno'
Lyrics and music: Jeronimo DE LA OSSA/Santos A. JORGE
Note: adopted 1925

National heritage

Panama - Economy 2017

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Economy 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 will more than double 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.

Real gdp purchasing power parity:

$92.81 billion (2016 est.)
$87.38 billion (2015 est.)
$81.73 billion (2014 est.)

Note: data are in 2016 dollars
Rank: 86

Real gdp growth rate:

4.9% (2016 est.)
5.8% (2015 est.)
6.1% (2014 est.)

Rank: 38

Real gdp per capita:

$23,000 (2016 est.)
$22,300 (2015 est.)
$21,400 (2014 est.)

Note: data are in 2016 dollars
Rank: 81

Gross national saving:

40.6% of GDP (2016 est.)
39.3% of GDP (2015 est.)
33.4% of GDP (2014 est.)

Rank: 8

Gdp composition by end use
Household consumption: 48.8%
Government consumption: 10.2%
Investment in fixed capital: 42.8%
Investment in inventories: 3.4%
Exports of goods and services: 50.8%
Imports of goods and services: -55.9%

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 2.5%
Industry: 15.5%
Services: 76.7%

Agriculture products: bananas rice corn coffee sugarcane vegetables; livestock; shrimp

Industries: construction brewing cement and other construction materials sugar milling

Industrial production growth rate: 6.3% (2016 est.)
Rank: 32

Labor force: 1.61 million
Note: shortage of skilled labor but an oversupply of unskilled labor
Rank: 130
By occupation agriculture: 17%
By occupation industry: 18.6%
By occupation services: 64.4%

Unemployment rate:

5.5% (2016 est.)
4.5% (2015 est.)

Rank: 63

Youth unemployment

Population below poverty line: 23% (2015 est.)

Gini index

Household income or consumption by percentage share
Lowest 10: 1.1%
Highest 10: 38.9%

Distribution of family income gini index:

50.7 (2014 est.)
56.1 (2003)

Rank: 14

Budget
Revenues: $11.61 billion
Expenditures: $12.67 billion
Surplus or deficit: -1.9% of GDP (2016 est.)
Surplus or deficit rank: 86

Taxes and other revenues: 21.1% of GDP (2016 est.)
Rank: 141

Public debt:

38.6% of GDP (2016 est.)
39% of GDP (2015 est.)

Rank: 138

Revenue

Fiscal year: calendar year

Inflation rate consumer prices:

0.7% (2016 est.)
0.1% (2015 est.)

Rank: 77

Central bank discount rate

Commercial bank prime lending rate:

7.53% (31 December 2016 est.)
7.46% (31 December 2015 est.)

Rank: 110

Stock of narrow money:

$8.249 billion (31 December 2016 est.)
$8.215 billion (31 December 2015 est.)

Rank: 87

Stock of broad money:

$38.14 billion (31 December 2016 est.)
$36.19 billion (31 December 2015 est.)

Rank: 73

Stock of domestic credit:

$46.41 billion (31 December 2016 est.)
$42.98 billion (31 December 2015 est.)

Rank: 67

Market value of publicly traded shares:

$12.54 billion (31 December 2012 est.)
$10.68 billion (31 December 2011 est.)
$8.348 billion (31 December 2010 est.)

Rank: 70

Current account balance:

$-3.151 billion (2016 est.)
$-3.809 billion (2015 est.)

Rank: 162

Exports:

$14.7 billion (2016 est.)
$15.93 billion (2015 est.)

Note: includes the Colon Free Zone
Rank: 73
Commodities: fruit and nuts fish iron and steel waste wood
Partners: US 21.4% Netherlands 15.2% Costa Rica 6% China 5.6% (2016)

Imports:

$22.08 billion (2016 est.)
$22.48 billion (2015 est.)

Note: includes the Colon Free Zone
Rank: 67
Commodities: fuels machinery vehicles iron and steel rods pharmaceuticals
Partners: US 25.7% China 9.2% Mexico 5.3% (2016)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:

$3.878 billion (31 December 2016 est.)
$3.378 billion (31 December 2015 est.)

Rank: 98

Debt external:

$83.81 billion (31 December 2016 est.)
$87.72 billion (31 December 2015 est.)

Rank: 55

Stock of direct foreign investment at home:

$50.62 billion (31 December 2016 est.)
$44.64 billion (31 December 2015 est.)

Rank: 57

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad:

$10.71 billion (31 December 2016 est.)
$9.792 billion (31 December 2015 est.)

Rank: 60

Exchange rates:

balboas (PAB) per US dollar -
1 (2016 est.)
1 (2015 est.)
1 (2014 est.)
1 (2013 est.)
1 (2012 est.)

Panama - Energy 2017

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Coal

Petroleum
Petroleum total petroleum production: 0 bbl/day (2016 est.)
Petroleum total petroleum production rank: 182
Crude oil exports: 0 bbl/day (2014 est.)
Crude oil exports rank: 176
Crude oil imports: 0 bbl/day (2014 est.)
Crude oil imports rank: 177
Crude oil proven reserves: 0 bbl (1 January 2017)
Crude oil proven reserves rank: 180

Crude oil

Refined petroleum
Products production: 0 bbl/day (2014 est.)
Products production rank: 187
Products consumption: 144,000 bbl/day (2015 est.)
Products consumption rank: 70
Products exports: 66.08 bbl/day (2014 est.)
Products exports rank: 124
Products imports: 131,000 bbl/day (2014 est.)
Products imports rank: 50

Natural gas
Production: 0 m³ (2013 est.)
Production rank: 184
Consumption: 0 m³ (2013 est.)
Consumption rank: 123
Exports: 0 m³ (2013 est.)
Exports rank: 167
Imports: 0 m³ (2013 est.)
Imports rank: 175
Proven reserves: 0 m³ (1 January 2014 es)
Proven reserves rank: 185

Carbon dioxide emissions
From consumption of energy: 17 million Mt (2013 est.)
From consumption of energy rank: 86

Energy consumption per capita

Panama - Communication 2017

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Telephones
Fixed lines total subscriptions: 641,688
Fixed lines subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 17
Fixed lines rank: 92
Mobile cellular total: 6,977,701
Mobile cellular subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 188
Mobile cellular rank: 110

Telephone system
General assessment: domestic and international facilities well-developed
Domestic: mobile-cellular telephone subscribership has increased rapidly
International: country code - 507; landing point for the Americas Region Caribbean Ring System the MAYA-1 and PAN-AM 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 (2015)

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 (2007)

Internet
Country code: .pa
Users total: 2,000,833
Users percent of population: 54.0%
Users rank: 105

Broadband fixed subscriptions

Panama - Military 2017

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Military expenditures

Military and security forces

Military service age and obligation

Space program

Terrorist groups

Panama - Transportation 2017

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National air transport system
Number of registered air carriers: 4
Inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers: 103
Annual passenger traffic on registered air carriers: 12,018,103
Annual freight traffic on registered air carriers: 121,567,075 mt-km

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix: HP (2016)

Airports: 117 (2013)
Rank: 49
With paved runways total: 57
With paved runways over 3047 m: 1
With paved runways 2438 to 3047 m: 3
With paved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 3
With paved runways 914 to 1523 m: 20
With paved runways under 914 m: 30
With unpaved runways total: 60
With unpaved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 1
With unpaved runways 914 to 1523 m: 8
With unpaved runways under 914 m: 51

Heliports: 3 (2013)

Pipelines: oil 128 km (2013)

Railways
Total: 77 km
Standard gauge: 77 km 1.435-m gauge
Rank: 129

Roadways
Total: 15,137 km
Paved: 6,351 km
Unpaved: 8,786 km
Rank: 123

Waterways: 800 km (includes the 82-km Panama Canal that is being widened) (2011)
Rank: 72

Merchant marine
Total: 6,413
By type: barge carrier 1 bulk carrier 2,525 cargo 1115 carrier 27 chemical tanker 588 combination ore/oil 1 container 742 liquefied gas 205 passenger 42 passenger/cargo 51 petroleum tanker 545 refrigerated cargo 191 roll on/roll off 87 specialized tanker 3 vehicle carrier 290
Foreign owned: 5,157
Registered in other countries: 1 (2010)
Rank: 1

Ports and terminals
Major seaport: Balboa Colon Cristobal
Container port: Balboa (3,078,000) Colon (2,765,000) Manzanillo (1,821,000) (2015)

Panama - Transnational issues 2017

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Disputes international: organized illegal narcotics operations in Colombia operate within the remote border region with Panama

Refugees and internally displaced persons
Refugees: 15,614 (Colombia) (2016)

Illicit drugs
Rank: li>a href='../rankorder/rankorderguide.html'>Guide to Country Comparisons: major cocaine transshipment point and primary money-laundering center for narcotics revenue; money-laundering activity is especially heavy in the Colon Free Zone; offshore financial center; negligible signs of coca cultivation; monitoring of financial transactions is improving; official corruption remains a major problem

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