Demographics of Panama

Demographic developments in Panama.

By November 2022 Panama has a census population plus 4 million

inhabitants. This makes it one of the least populated countries in the American continent. Between 1950 and 2022 the population went from 839,000 inhabitants to almost 4.3 million inhabitants. More than 75% of Panamanians live in urban areas and half live in Panama City, it is known that the population is increasing more and more.

Population dynamics

Between 1970 and 1990, the population grew at a rate of 2.4%. Later, between 1990 and 2000, it would grow 2.0%, and then it would grow on average 1.8% between 2000 and 2008. The demographic growth of Panama has been very important throughout the XXI century. With low overall mortality. For its part, life expectancy at birth increased from 65 years in 1970 to about 76 in 2008, according to UNICEF.

Urban growth

Between the 1960s and 1990s, Panama went from being a country with a larger rural population to one with a majority urban population. Between 1960 and 1990 the urban population grew at a rate of 3% per year, to then increase to 4% per year between 1990 and 2000.

Most populated entities

Most of the Panamanian population is concentrated in the province of Panama, which in 2010 inhabited 1,663,913 of the 3,322,576 Panamanians, followed by the province of Chiriquí, where 409,821 people live. As for districts, the most populated is Panama, which has more than 894,565 inhabitants. The most populated cities of the Republic of Panama are:

• Panama
• San Miguelito
• Arraiján
• Columbus
• The Chorrera
• David
• Santiago de Veraguas
• Chitré
• Penonome
• Changuinola
• Chepo
• Puerto Armuelles
• The Tables

Among other cities or towns.

The following is a map of Panama with the population of each province and region:

Province	Capital	Surface	Population (Censo 2010)	Men	Women	Housing	Bocasdel Toro Coclé Columbus Chiriqui Darién Herrera The Saints Panama Panama Veraguas Guna Yala Emberá-Wounaan Emberá-Wounaan NasoTjër Di Ngäbe-Buglé Madugandí Wargandí
Bocas del Toro	Bocas del Toro	4.643.9 km2	121.952	63.088	58.864	28.948
Coclé	Penonome	4.927 km2	228.676	116.927	111.749	72.840
Columbus	Columbus	4.868.4 km2	232.748	117.721	115.027	73.445
Chiriqui	David	6.547.7 km2	409.821	208.186	201.635	134.033
Darién	La Palma	11.896.5 km2	46.951	25.764	21.187	15.310
Herrera	Chitré	2,340.7 km2	107.911	54.447	53.464	39.861
The Saints	The Tables	3.804.6 km2	88.487	45.170	43.317	38.999
Panama	Panama	11.670.92 km2	1.663.913	826.933	836.980	537.666
Veraguas	Santiago	10.629.6 km2	226.641	118.027	108.614	74.092
Comarca	Capital	Surface	Population (2)	Men	Women	Housing
Guna Yala	The future	2,340.7 km2	31.577	14.981	16.596	5.662
Emberá-Wounaan	Chocó Union	4.383.5 km2	9.544	5.148	4.396	2.411
Ngäbe-Buglé	Llano Tugrí	6.968 km2	154.355	76.176	78.179	32.941
Total	Panama	78,200 km2	3.322.576	1.672.568	1.650.008	1.056.208

• Comparison of the population and housing of Panama according to the 2000 and 2010 census:

Religion

Panamanians enjoy a constitutional right to religious freedom and not required. Panama is primarily Catholic (76%), although Protestantism is also practiced, which is home to about 15% of the population. In addition, religions such as Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, Baha'i Faith and Judaism are practiced. Judaism for its part has had a strong growth rate, which is considered the highest in the world, after Israel. It is also estimated that a certain percentage practices animistic beliefs such as Santeria. There are a large number of Catholic churches but also a collection of synagogues, mosques and Anglican churches.

Language

The majority of the population speaks Spanish, which is the national language of the country. English, according to some unofficial sources, is spoken by a certain part of the population. , while Creole English from the Caribbean is spoken by about 14% of the population, according to other sources.

Ethnic groups

Panama is one of the most ethnically diverse countries in the world. Its population is made up of mestizos, mulattoes, blacks, whites, indigenous people and of varied ethnic origins such as Chinese, Hindus, Jews, Spanish, Americans, Colombians, Italians, Argentines, Greeks, French, Arabs, Dominicans, Chileans, among others. Eight indigenous groups inhabit Panama: Ngäbe, Guna, Emberá, Buglé, Wounaan, Bribri, Téribe and Bokota.

Ethnic distribution

The following is a table made according to the estimates of ethnic distribution carried out by the Mexican academic Francisco Lizcano Fernández in 2005. These figures are not without controversy, since they do not necessarily coincide with the official information from Panama:

Migration

Emigration abroad

The following table shows the number of Panamanians residing abroad. The figures come from the database of the International Organization for Migration (IOM), correspond to 2015 and do not include illegal emigrants. It is estimated that more than 90% of migrants from Panama are legal.

Panameños on the outside

Country	Population abroad estimated	Percentage of population	Major target countries
Panama	142.678	3.50%	United States, Costa Rica, Spain, Canada, United Kingdom, Germany, Italy

Immigration from abroad

The following table shows the number of foreigners residing in Panama. The figures come from the International Organization for Migration (IOM) database, correspond to 2015 and do not include illegal immigrants.

Foreigners in Panama

Country	Estimated foreign population	Percentage of population	Principal countries
Panama	549.890	12.5%	Colombia, China, Venezuela, United States, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic

Life expectancy

In 2007, life expectancy in Panama reached 76 years according to the WHO, for 2007 it was 75.8 years according to UN data. According to the WHO, Panamanians have a life expectancy of 78 years, which is the third best in Latin America. For their part, Panamanians have a life expectancy of 74 years, the second highest in Latin America.

During the XXI century, the Panamanian population is expected to undergo an aging process, with the increase in the population of the third Age. The following table shows this process, figures in millions of people.[1]

Indicators of quality of life

* Household poverty