Geography
Natural resources include copper, mahogany forests, shrimp, hydropower.
CIA 2026
Data as of May 5, 2026
Panama
North AmericaHidden Gem
Most people overlook Panama's strength in fb merchant ships. See what other surprises Panama has in store.
Most people overlook Panama's strength in fb merchant ships. Ranking #3 with 8,174, it's an overlooked achiever. See what other surprises Panama has in store.
9.0, -80.0 - North America
Area
75K km²
Pop.
4.54M
Stats
123
Reality brief
Panama is a country in North America with a population of 4.54M and an area of 75,417 km². Life expectancy is 79.6 years.
Short factual summary generated from the same country data used in game rounds.
Core numbers
Stats worth knowing
Fast scan first, deep dive later.
Life Expectancy
79.6 years#61globally
Average number of years a newborn would be expected to live if current mortality patterns stayed the same, from Our World in Data.
GDP Per Capita
$36,426.01#60globally
GDP per person adjusted for purchasing power in constant 2017 international dollars, from Our World in Data using the latest available country values in TerraBrawl.
Human Development Index
0.84#59globally
Composite 0-1 index of life expectancy, education, and income, from Our World in Data using the latest available country values in TerraBrawl.
GDP Per Capita (PPP)
$41,369.42#62globally
GDP per person, adjusted for purchasing power parity (PPP) so costs of living are comparable across countries.
University Enrollment Rate
53.7%#71globally
Total university and college enrollment as a percentage of the typical college-age population.
Country briefing
Grounded facts about Panama
A quick real-world briefing before you dive deeper into rankings, surprises, and matchups.
Culture
Major languages include Spanish (official), Indigenous languages (including Ngabere (Guaymi), Buglere, Kuna, and more.
CIA 2026
Identity
Formal name: Republic of Panama.
CIA 2026
Cities
Cities in Panama
Browse this country's cities before City Detective asks you to guess.
Top stats
Where They Stand Out
The strongest source-backed stats before the deeper data table.
Merchant Fleet Size
8.2K#3globallyTop stat
Number of merchant marine ships from the frozen public-domain CIA World Factbook snapshot.
Inequality (Gini)
49.7#4globallyTop stat
A measure of income inequality where 0 means everyone earns the same and 100 means one person has everything.
Mobile Subscriptions (%)
157 per 100 people#29globallyTop stat
Mobile cellular subscriptions per 100 people, from World Bank Open Data.
Protected Land (%)
31.4%#31globallyTop stat
The percentage of land area designated as protected natural reserves or parks.
Beer Consumption
3.5 L/person/yr#32globally
Liters of beer consumed per person per year, from Our World in Data using the latest available country values in TerraBrawl.
Reality checks
Did You Know?
The stats that tend to surprise players in real rounds.
Only ranks #162 in smoking rate
#1625.2%Smoking Rate
The percentage of people aged 15 and older who use tobacco products.
Only ranks #128 in railway length
#12877 kmRailway Length
Total railway length from CIA World Factbook.
Keeps inflation rate unusually low
#1960.70%Inflation Rate
How much prices increased over the year, based on the cost of everyday goods and services.
Ranks #34 globally in forest coverage (%)
#3456.34%Forest Coverage (%)
The percentage of land covered by forests - natural or planted trees at least 5 meters tall (excludes orchards and urban parks).
Only ranks #159 in education spending (% gdp)
#1592.5% of GDPEducation Spending (% GDP)
Government education spending as a share of GDP, from World Bank Open Data.
Compared with the region
How Panama Compares
Country vs continent vs world averages
Panama
North America avg
World avg
GDP per Capita
GDP per person, adjusted for purchasing power parity (PPP) so costs of living are comparable across countries.
- Country
- $41,369.42
- Region avg
- $38,271.63
- World avg
- $31,844.55
Panama$41,369.42
North America$38,271.63
World$31,844.55
+30% above worldWB 2023
Life Expectancy
How many years a newborn can expect to live, based on current mortality rates.
- Country
- 79.6 years
- Region avg
- 75.5 years
- World avg
- 73.7 years
Panama79.6 years
North America75.5 years
World73.7 years
+8% above worldWB 2023
Human Development Index
Composite 0-1 index of life expectancy, education, and income, from Our World in Data using the latest available country values in TerraBrawl.
- Country
- 0.84
- Region avg
- 0.77
- World avg
- 0.74
Panama0.84
North America0.77
World0.74
+13% above worldOWID 2023
Internet Users
The percentage of people who have used the internet in the last 3 months.
- Country
- 78%
- Region avg
- 76.55%
- World avg
- 70.29%
Panama78%
North America76.55%
World70.29%
+11% above worldWB 2023
Think you can guess which countries rank higher?
Play this countryFactbook notes
About Panama
Country briefing
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.
Read the full Factbook note
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.
Geography & Climate6 facts
- 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
- Natural Resources
- copper, mahogany forests, shrimp, hydropower
- Natural Hazards
- occasional severe storms and forest fires in the Darien area
- Size Comparison
- slightly smaller than South Carolina
People & Culture4 facts
- Languages
- 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)
- Religions
- Evangelical 55%, Roman Catholic 33.4%, none 10.1%, unspecified 1.5% (2023 est.)
- Ethnic Groups
- 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.)
- Major Cities
- 1.977 million PANAMA CITY (capital) (2023)
Government & History10 facts
- Government Type
- presidential republic
- Capital
- Panama City
- Capital Coordinates
- 8 58 N, 79 32 W
- Capital Timezone
- UTC-5 (same time as Washington, DC, during Standard Time)
- Official Name
- Republic of Panama
- Name Origin
- origin is unclear; may come from a Guarani word meaning "place of many fish"
- Independence
- 3 November 1903 (from Colombia); 28 November 1821 (from Spain)
- National Symbols
- harpy eagle
- National Anthem
- "Himno Istmeno" (Isthmus Hymn)
- UNESCO Heritage
- 6 (3 cultural, 3 natural)
Economy & Trade7 facts
- Overview
- 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
- Industries
- construction, brewing, cement and other construction materials, sugar milling
- Agricultural Products
- sugarcane, rice, bananas, oranges, oil palm fruit, chicken, plantains, maize, milk, pineapples (2023)
- Export Partners
- China 25%, Japan 10%, USA 6%, Thailand 5%, Costa Rica 5% (2023)
- Export Commodities
- copper ore, ships, refined petroleum, bananas, fish (2023)
- Import Partners
- USA 15%, Colombia 13%, China 13%, Ecuador 13%, Japan 11% (2023)
- Import Commodities
- crude petroleum, ships, refined petroleum, nitrogen compounds, cars (2023)
Infrastructure & Defense3 facts
- Military Forces
- no regular military forces Ministry of Public Security: National Police (Policía Nacional, PN), National Aeronaval Service (Servicio Nacional Aeronaval, SENAN), National Border Service (Servicio Nacional de Fronteras, SENAFRONT) (2025)
- Energy Mix
- 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.)
- 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)
Source:World Factbook archive 2026
Data vault
Deep Dive
Every tracked stat, grouped for fast scanning.
Infrastructure3 statsBest: #3
Society & Equality2 statsBest: #4
Technology3 statsBest: #29
Environment9 statsBest: #31
Protected Land (%)
Forest Coverage (%)
Forest Area
Renewable Energy (%)
Total CO2 Emissions
Irrigated Land
394 km²#113
CO2 Per Capita
Electricity Access (%)
Air Pollution (PM2.5)
Health & Survival9 statsBest: #32
Obesity Rate
Life Expectancy
Health Spending (% GDP)
Doctors (per 1,000)
Child Mortality
Infant Mortality
Hospital Beds (per 1,000)
Suicide Rate
Smoking Rate
Lifestyle5 statsBest: #32
Education & Future6 statsBest: #48
Land & Sea4 statsBest: #49
Coastline Length
2.5K km#49
Highest Elevation
3.5K m#54
Land Border Length
687 km#131
Lowest Elevation
0 m#155
Wealth & Economy10 statsBest: #51
Youth Unemployment Rate
GDP Per Capita
GDP Per Capita (PPP)
FDI Inflows (% GDP)
GDP (Nominal)
Unemployment Rate
GDP Growth Rate
Government Debt (% GDP)
High-Tech Exports (%)
Inflation Rate
Demographics12 statsBest: #58
Teen Birth Rate
Fertility Rate
Birth Rate
Youth Population (%)
Elderly Population (%)
Urban Population (%)
Land Area
Population
Median Age
Dependency Ratio
Population Density
Death Rate
Military & Defense1 statsBest: #89
Armed Forces Personnel
Energy1 statsBest: #95
Electric Generating Capacity
4.49M kW#95
Keep exploring
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Panama
#61 in Life Expectancy
Average number of years a newborn would be expected to live if current mortality patterns stayed the same, from Our World in Data.
Top 25% globally
79.6 years
Frequently Asked Questions about Panama
What is the population of Panama?
Panama has a population of 4.54M, ranking #128 globally by population.
What continent is Panama in?
Panama is located in North America. It has an area of 75,417 km².
What is the life expectancy in Panama?
Life expectancy in Panama is 79.6 years, ranking #54 globally.
What is the GDP per capita of Panama?
Panama's GDP per capita (PPP) is $41,369.42, ranking #62 globally.
What is Panama known for in global statistics?
Panama ranks particularly high in Life Expectancy (#61), Life Expectancy (#54), GDP Per Capita (#60).
What is Panama's Human Development Index?
Panama has an HDI of 0.839, ranking #59 globally. The HDI combines life expectancy, education, and income indicators.
How densely populated is Panama?
Panama has a population density of 60.1 people per km², ranking #142 globally.