Panama - Geography

Here, let us take a look at the Geography of Panama. 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. Mother's mean age at first birth is (), whereas, the Maternal mortality ratio is 50 deaths/100,000 live births (2020 est.)

Geographical data of Panama
Location Central America, bordering both the Caribbean Sea and the North Pacific Ocean, between Colombia and Costa Rica
Geographic coordinates 9 00 N, 80 00 W
Map references Central America and the Caribbean
Tarrain 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
Irrigated Land 407 sq km (2020)
Major rivers (by length in km)
Major aquifers
Land Boundaries 687 km
Border Countries Colombia 339 km; Costa Rica 348 km
Coastline 2,490 km
Climate tropical maritime; hot, humid, cloudy; prolonged rainy season (May to January), short dry season (January to May)
Area
Total Area
Land Area 74,340 sq km
Water Area 1,080 sq km
comparative Area slightly smaller than South Carolina
Maritime Claims
Territorial sea 12 nm
Contiguous zone 24 nm
Exclusive economic zone 200 nm or edge of continental margin
Elevations
Highest point Volcan Baru 3,475 m
Lowest point Pacific Ocean 0 m
Mean elevation 360 m
Land Use
Agricultural land 30.5% (2018 est.)
Agricultural land: arable land arable land: 7.3% (2018 est.)
Agricultural land: permanent crops permanent crops: 2.5% (2018 est.)
Agricultural land: permanent pasture permanent pasture: 20.7% (2018 est.)
Forest 43.6% (2018 est.)
Other 25.9% (2018 est.)
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

People and Society

In Panama, the different Ethnic groups are such that we have: 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.)

Population
Pop growth rate 1.48% (2024 est.)
Birth rate 17.4 births/1,000 population (2024 est.)
Death rate 5.7 deaths/1,000 population (2024 est.)
Health expenditure 9.7% of GDP (2020)
Physicians Density
Hospital bed Density 2.3 beds/1,000 population (2016)
Total fertility rate 2.35 children born/woman (2024 est.)
Gross reproduction rate 1.14 (2024 est.)
Contraceptive prevalence rate 50.8% (2014/15)
Est married women (ages 15-49) 58.6% (2023 est.)
Literacy age 15 and over can read and write
Education expenditures 3.9% of GDP (2020 est.)
Net Migration rate 3 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2024 est.)
Nationality Panamanian | Panamanian(s)
Languages
Religions Evangelical 55%, Roman Catholic 33.4%, none 10.1%, unspecified 1.5% (2023 est.)
Age Structure
0-14 years 25% (male 574,336/female 544,180)
15-64 years 64.8% (male 1,465,907/female 1,433,023)
65 years and over 10.1% (2024 est.) (male 211,014/female 241,781)
Dependency Ratios
Total dependency ratio 53.8
Youth dependency ratio 40.6
Elderly dependency ratio 13.2
Potential support ratio 7.6 (2021 est.)
Median Age
Total 31.5 years (2024 est.)
Male 31 years
Female 31.9 years
Urbanization
Urban population 69.5% of total population (2023)
Rate of urbanization 1.92% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)
Major urban areas (Pop) 1.977 million PANAMA CITY (capital) (2023).
Sex Ratio
At birth 1.06 male(s)/female
0-14 years 1.06 male(s)/female
15-64 years 1.02 male(s)/female
65 years and over 0.87 male(s)/female
Total population 1.02 male(s)/female (2024 est.)
Infant Motality
Total 14.2 deaths/1,000 live births (2024 est.)
Male 15.4 deaths/1,000 live births
Female 12.9 deaths/1,000 live births
Life Expectancy at birth
Total population 79.2 years (2024 est.)
Male 76.4 years
Female 82.2 years
Drinking Water Sources
Improved: urban urban: 100% of population
Improved: rural rural: 88.1% of population
Improved: total total: 96.2% of population
Unimproved: urban urban: 0% of population
Unimproved: rural rural: 11.9% of population
Unimproved: total total: 3.8% of population (2020 est.)
Sanitation facility acess
Improved: urban urban: 95.5% of population
Improved: rural rural: 69.1% of population
Improved: total total: 87.2% of population
Unimproved: urban urban: 4.5% of population
Unimproved: rural rural: 30.9% of population
Unimproved: total total: 12.8% of population (2020 est.)
Major Infectious diseases
Degree of risk intermediate (2023)
Food or waterborne diseases bacterial diarrhea
Vectorborne diseases dengue fever
Alcohol consumption per capita
Total 6.54 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Beer 5.29 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Wine 0.02 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Spirits 1.2 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Other alcohols 0.02 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Tobacco use
Total 5% (2020 est.)
Male 7.7% (2020 est.)
Female 2.2% (2020 est.)
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.

All Important Facts about Panama

Want to know more about Panama? Check all different factbooks for Panama below.

Panama is found in Central America