Panama has had a very stable growth rate for some time and stays in line with larger countries like Brazil. By 2020, the population is projected to reach 4,040,000.
The annual growth rate in Panama is very much on track with that of the world at large, with the population growing 1.53% as of 2019. The country has seen reasonable, positive migration since 1995 and the birth rate is also very near to the worldwide average with 2.51 children being born to the average woman in the Panama. This rate of growth is very healthy and sustainable.
The rate of growth in Panama is expected to slow down in the years to come, but the population will continue to grow. Current projections believe that the rate of growth in Panama will peak at 1.56% in 2020, before declining toward 0.71% in 2050. If these numbers are to be believed, the population in Panama will be close to 4,299,330 in 2020, 4,884,311 in 2030, 5,399,082 in 2040, and 5,827,106 by 2050.
| Panama Population (as of 11/19/2024) | 4,537,416 |
| Last UN Estimate (July 1, 2024) | 4,515,580 |
| Births per Day | 196 |
| Deaths per Day | 61 |
| Migrations per Day | 18 |
| Net Change per Day | 154 |
| Population Change Since Jan. 1 | 49,896 |
Net increase of 1 person every 9.35 minutes
Population estimates based on interpolation of data from World Population Prospects
| One birth every 7.35 minutes | |
| One death every 23.6 minutes | |
| One immigrant every 80 minutes | |
| Net gain of one person every 9.35 minutes |
City | 2024 Pop. |
|---|---|
| Panama | 408,168 |
| San Miguelito | 321,501 |
| Juan Diaz | 100,636 |
| David | 81,957 |
| Arraijan | 76,815 |
| Colon | 76,643 |
| Las Cumbres | 69,102 |
| La Chorrera | 61,232 |
| Pedregal | 51,641 |
| Tocumen | 50,844 |
The Central American country of Panama is in the narrowest strip of land that connects the Americas, The Cordillera de Talamanca is a mountain range in Panama that divides North from South America. The Caribbean Sea is to the North, the Pacific Ocean is to the South, and it shares borders with Costa Rica and Columbia. The total surface area is 29,157 square miles (75,517 square kilometers), making Panama the 119th largest country in the world. Very close to the equator, the climate in Panama is tropical and much of the country is covered in swamps and rainforests. The 2017 population of Panama was 4.099 million people, giving the country a population density of 141 people per square mile (54 people per square kilometer), which ranks 122nd in the world.
Just over two-thirds of the people living in Panama reside in or around major metropolitan areas, and several significant cities reflect these numbers. The largest city is the nation's capital, Panama City, located at the entrance of the Panama Canal by the Pacific Ocean. Nearly one million people live in Panama City, which is known for its architecture, culture, and being a destination for tourists. The next largest city is port city San Miguelito with 315,000 people. Other notable metro areas with populations around 100,000 include Tocumen, David, and Colon.
Year | Population | Change | Density (/km²) | Population Rank | Density Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 4,515,580 | 1.29% | 61 | 129 | 152 |
| 2023 | 4,458,760 | 1.36% | 60 | 129 | 152 |
| 2020 | 4,293,260 | 1.38% | 58 | 129 | 152 |
| 2019 | 4,234,700 | 1.6% | 57 | 129 | 152 |
| 2018 | 4,167,860 | 1.69% | 56 | 129 | 152 |
| 2017 | 4,098,710 | 1.73% | 55 | 129 | 151 |
| 2015 | 3,960,040 | 1.76% | 53 | 129 | 151 |
| 2010 | 3,628,540 | 1.84% | 49 | 131 | 153 |
| 2005 | 3,313,030 | 1.93% | 45 | 131 | 154 |
| 2000 | 3,010,370 | 2.02% | 40 | 134 | 157 |
| 1995 | 2,724,560 | 2.1% | 37 | 132 | 158 |
| 1990 | 2,455,580 | 2.21% | 33 | 132 | 160 |
| 1985 | 2,200,920 | 2.37% | 30 | 134 | 158 |
| 1980 | 1,957,530 | 2.47% | 26 | 133 | 155 |
| 1975 | 1,732,390 | 2.74% | 23 | 135 | 155 |
| 1970 | 1,513,070 | 2.94% | 20 | 135 | 155 |
| 1965 | 1,308,840 | 3.06% | 18 | 134 | 157 |
| 1960 | 1,126,000 | 2.84% | 15 | 136 | 156 |
| 1955 | 978,962 | 2.6% | 13 | 137 | 157 |
Year | Population | Change | Density (/km²) | Population Rank | Density Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 4,515,580 | 1.29% | 61 | 129 | 152 |
| 2025 | 4,571,190 | 1.26% | 61 | 129 | 152 |
| 2030 | 4,833,860 | 1.12% | 65 | 129 | 152 |
| 2035 | 5,072,260 | 0.97% | 68 | 129 | 150 |
| 2040 | 5,286,590 | 0.83% | 71 | 128 | 150 |
| 2045 | 5,473,280 | 0.7% | 74 | 126 | 148 |
| 2050 | 5,630,680 | 0.57% | 76 | 125 | 147 |
| 2055 | 5,757,100 | 0.45% | 77 | 124 | 145 |
| 2060 | 5,855,660 | 0.34% | 79 | 123 | 144 |
| 2065 | 5,930,330 | 0.25% | 80 | 120 | 142 |
| 2070 | 5,984,210 | 0.18% | 80 | 120 | 143 |
| 2075 | 6,017,720 | 0.11% | 81 | 119 | 142 |
| 2080 | 6,029,730 | 0.04% | 81 | 117 | 141 |
| 2085 | 6,021,450 | -0.03% | 81 | 119 | 139 |
| 2090 | 5,996,320 | -0.08% | 81 | 119 | 139 |
| 2095 | 5,957,000 | -0.13% | 80 | 118 | 137 |
30.1
Total
29.6
Male
30.5
Female
There are people over age 18 in Panama.
Year | Date |
|---|---|
| 2020 | 2020 |
| 2010 | 16 May 2010 |
| 2000 | 14 May 2000 |
| 1990 | 13 May 1990 |
Panama is the southernmost country in Central America, first explored and settled by the Spanish in the 16th century. It has the 3rd largest economy in Central America with revenue from its canal tolls representing a large percentage of its GDP. At the last census in 2013, Panama had a population of 3,661,868.
Panama's population is 70% mestizo (white and Amerindian), 14% Amerindian and mixed (West Indian), 10% white and 6% Amerindian. The Amerindian population of Panama includes seven major indigenous peoples, including the Bri Bri and Ngabe.
More than 50% of the population lives in the Panama City-Colón metropolitan region, which includes many cities. The urban population is more than 70%, which is the highest in all of Central America. According to the 2010 census, just over 12% of the population is indigenous.
The large West Indian population of Panama owes its presence to the efforts in the 19th and 20th century to construct the Panama Canal, with 3/4 of the workforce representing Afro Caribbean migrants from the West Indians.
The country of Panama is fairly religiously diverse, although the majority of citizen practice some form of Christianity. According to a survey carried out in 2015, 63.2% of people are Catholic, 25% are Protestant, 1.3% are Adventists, 1.4% are Jehovah's Witnesses, 0.6% are Mormon, 0.4% are Buddhist, 0.1% are Jewish, and the remaining 8% claim no faith. The constitution allows for freedom of religion with a few stipulations, but Panama is generally considered a religiously tolerant nation.
The services sector, including banking, commerce, and tourism, accounts for 80% of the GDP in Panama. Main industries in Panama include the manufacturing of various goods like textiles, adhesives, airplane parts, and cement. Agricultural exports from Panama include bananas. shrimp. coffee, sugar, and cotton. Taxation in Panama only applies to income gained within Panama's borders, so technically a person from Panama could find a way to earn income in another country without being taxed for it.
The land known as Panama was originally inhabited by the Cuna, Choco, and Guaymi indigenous people before the Spanish began to settle the area in the early 1500s. Panama became independent of Spain in 1821, joining the confederacy of Gran Colombia along with Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, Peru, and Bolivia. France attempts to build the Panama Canal, connecting the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans in the 1880s, but was unsuccessful due to unforeseen costs and the deaths of more than 20,000 people working on it.
Panama gained its full independence in 1903 and completed the canal on its own in 1914. In the late 1980s and early 1990s, the United States accused the leadership in Panama of being involved in drug smuggling, eventually invading the country and replacing Manual Noriega with Guillermo Endara.