This is a demography of the population of Panama including population density, ethnicity, education level, health of the populace, economic status, religious affiliations, and other aspects of the population. Panama's 2020 census has been postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic but the government are currently assessing additional implications. They are evaluating the preparatory processes that can begin now, such as procurement.
Population size and structure
Panama's population was people in , compared to 860,000 in 1950. The proportion of the population aged below 15 in 2010 was 29%. 64.5% of the population were aged between 15 and 65, with 6.6% of the population being 65 years or older.
Structure of the population Total population (x 1000)Proportionaged 0–14(%)Proportionaged 15–64(%)Proportionaged 65+(%) 1950 86040.255.74.1 1955 98341.854.14.1 19601 13642.952.84.3 19651 31943.851.84.4 19701 52643.951.84.3 19751 75442.852.84.4 19801 99040.455.04.6 19852 23337.657.64.7 19902 48735.259.95.0 19952 75733.361.55.2 20003 05531.862.65.5 20053 36630.463.75.9 20103 67829.064.56.6 20154 08028.164.67.3
Age groupMaleFemaleTotal% Total 1 934 264 1 916 471 3 850 735 100 0-4 187 797 179 822 367 619 9.55 5-9 184 487 176 909 361 396 9.39 10-14 180 579 173 379 353 958 9,19 15-19 170 895 164 639 335 534 8,71 20-24 160 414 155 878 316 292 8.21 25-29 154 493 150 986 305 479 7.93 30-34 147 618 144 488 292 106 7.59 35-39 140 942 138 936 279 878 7.27 40-44 130 725 130 042 260 767 6.77 45-49 113 877 114 213 228 090 5.92 50-54 96 564 98 076 194 640 5.05 55-59 76 084 78 641 154 725 4.02 60-64 58 974 62 105 121 079 3.14 65-69 45 360 48 700 94 060 2.44 70-74 33 839 37 313 71 152 1.85 75-79 23 622 27 020 50 642 1.32 80-84 14 944 17 956 32 900 0.85 85-89 8 174 10 458 18 632 0.48 90-94 3 573 4 938 8 511 0,22 95-99 1 119 1 678 2 797 0.07 100+ 184 294 478 0.01Age groupMaleFemaleTotalPercent 0-14 552 863 530 110 1 082 973 28.12 15-64 1 250 586 1 238 004 2 488 590 64.63 65+ 130 815 148 357 279 172 7.25
Age groupMaleFemaleTotal% Total 2 173 761 2 163 645 4 337 406 100 0–4 188 707 180 605 369 312 8.51 5–9 188 786 180 836 369 622 8.52 10–14 186 177 178 516 364 693 8.41 15–19 184 931 177 805 362 736 8.36 20–24 179 023 173 354 352 377 8.12 25–29 166 836 163 323 330 159 7.61 30–34 158 793 156 785 315 578 7.28 35–39 152 777 150 905 303 682 7.00 40–44 145 734 144 050 289 784 6.68 45–49 136 697 136 413 273 110 6.30 50–54 121 428 122 735 244 163 5.63 55–59 102 281 105 070 207 351 4.78 60–64 82 346 86 597 168 943 3.90 65-69 61 869 67 091 128 960 2.97 70-74 45 329 50 809 96 138 2.22 75-79 31 963 37 293 69 256 1.60 80-84 20 693 25 375 46 068 1.06 85-89 11 689 15 209 26 898 0.62 90-94 5 433 7 528 12 961 0.30 95-99 1 894 2 777 4 671 0.11 100+ 375 569 944 0.02Age groupMaleFemaleTotalPercent 0–14 563 670 539 957 1 103 627 25.44 15–64 1 430 846 1 417 037 2 847 883 65.66 65+ 179 245 206 651 385 896 8.90
2020 Statistics
Age GroupMaleFemaleTotal%Total2,144,8022,133,6984,278,50010085+18,48324,81843,3011.0180-8419,87124,31344,1841.0375-8030,77335,84166,6141.5670-7543,59048,77592,3652.1665-6959,35164,385123,7362.8960-6478,84082,999161,8393.7855-5999,474102,273201,7474.7250-54118,116119,439237,5555.5545-49134,702134,564269,2666.2940-44144,249142,660286,9096.7135-39151,334149,273300,6077.0330-34157,658155,574313,2327.3225-29164,397161,047325,4447.6120-24176,772171,243348,0158.1315-19184,134177,065361,1998.4410-14185,734178,125363,8598.505-9188,401180,480368,8818.620-4188,923180,824369,7478.64
Age GroupMale. in 1000sFemale in 1000s% of total % Males of total Males% Females of total FemalesTotal85+ 80-8475-8070-7565-6960-6455-5950-5445-4940-4435-3930-3425-2920-2415-1910-145-90-4
Population distribution Source:
More than half the population lives in the Panama City-Colón metropolitan corridor.
ProvinceCapital cityPopulation (census 2000)Population (census 2010)Population (census 2023)Bocas del Toro Bocas del Toro89,269 125,461159,228CocléPenonomé202,461 233,788 268,264Colón Colón204,208 241,928 281,956ChiriquíDavid368,790 416,873 471,071DariénLa Palma40,264 48,37854,235HerreraChitré102,465 109,955122,071Los SantosLas Tablas83,495 89,59298,466PanamáCiudad de Panamá1,388,357 1,713,0701,439,575Panamá Oeste Province 653,665VeraguasSantiago209,076 226,991259,791ComarcaCapital cityPopulationEmberá-WounaanUnión Choco8,246 10,001 12,358Kuna de MadugandíN/DN/D N/DKuna Yala El Porvenir32,446 33,10932,016Kuna de WargandíN/DN/D N/DNgäbe-BugléBuabidi110,080 156,747 212,084
Vital statistics
UN estimates Registration of vital events (especially deaths) was in Panama not complete until the end of the 20th century. The Population Departement of the United Nations prepared the following estimates.
PeriodLive birthsper yearDeathsper yearNatural changeper yearCBR*CDR*NC*TFR*IMR*Life expectancy totalLife expectancy malesLife expectancy females 1950-1955 38 000 11 000 27 00041.412.029.55.769256.855.957.8 1955-1960 44 000 11 000 33 00041.710.631.15.878059.558.660.5 1960-1965 50 000 11 000 39 00040.99.231.65.796862.161.163.3 1965-1970 55 000 12 000 44 00038.88.130.75.415864.363.265.6 1970-1975 59 000 11 000 48 00036.17.029.24.884866.765.168.5 1975-1980 61 000 11 000 50 00032.55.926.64.193969.267.271.5 1980-1985 62 000 11 000 51 00029.55.424.13.633471.068.673.7 1985-1990 64 000 12 000 53 00027.35.122.33.242972.469.675.4 1990-1995 67 000 13 000 54 00025.54.920.62.962673.670.876.5 1995-2000 71 000 14 000 57 00024.64.819.82.872474.672.277.2 * CBR = crude birth rate (per 1000); CDR = crude death rate (per 1000); NC = natural change (per 1000); IMR = infant mortality rate per 1000 births; TFR = total fertility rate (number of children per woman)
Registered births and deaths
YearPopulationLive birthsDeathsNatural increaseCrude birth rateCrude death rateRate of natural increaseCrude migration rateTFR 1952 901,302 29,013 6,791 22,222 36.0 8.4 27.6 1953 924,969 31,428 7,638 23,790 37.9 9.2 28.7 -2.5 1954 949,975 33,521 7,511 26,010 39.3 8.8 30.5 -3.8 1955 976,284 34,592 8,059 26,533 39.4 9.2 30.2 -3 1956 1,003,903 35,582 8,352 27,230 39.3 9.2 30.1 -2.4 1957 1,032,904 37,743 8,656 29,087 40.5 9.3 31.2 -3 1958 1,063,318 37,733 8,364 29,369 39.3 8.7 30.6 -1.9 1959 1,095,201 40,296 8,959 31,337 40.8 9.1 31.7 -2.5 1960 1,128,327 42,359 8,827 33,532 39.9 8.3 31.6 -1.9 5.25 1961 1,162,672 44,207 8,851 35,356 40.4 8.1 32.3 -2.5 1962 1,198,369 46,274 8,239 38,035 41.1 7.3 33.8 -3.9 1963 1,235,291 46,656 9,239 37,417 40.2 8.0 32.2 -2.9 1964 1,273,250 47,419 8,743 38,676 39.6 7.3 32.3 -3.2 1965 1,312,121 48,377 9,035 39,342 39.2 7.3 31.9 -2.9 5.19 1966 1,351,853 49,394 9,184 40,210 38.9 7.2 31.7 -2.8 1967 1,392,459 50,795 8,938 41,857 38.8 6.8 32.0 -3.3 1968 1,434,024 52,489 9,568 42,921 38.9 7.1 31.8 -3.3 1969 1,476,580 52,799 9,791 43,008 38.0 7.0 31.0 -2.6 1970 1,519,923 53,287 10,225 43,062 37.1 7.1 30.0 -1.5 5.04 1971 1,563,870 54,948 9,857 45,091 37.2 6.7 30.5 -2.3 1972 1,608,308 54,910 9,076 45,834 36.0 6.0 30.0 -2.2 1973 1,653,083 52,091 9,161 42,930 33.2 5.8 27.4 -0.1 1974 1,698,053 52,772 9,001 43,771 32. 6 5.6 27.0 -0.2 1975 1,743,069 53,790 8,683 45,107 32.3 5.2 27.1 -0.8 4.25 1976 1,788,186 53,002 8,564 44,438 30.8 5.0 25.8 -0.1 1977 1,833,581 52,722 8,036 44,686 29.8 4.5 25.3 -0.2 1978 1,879,377 53,040 7,555 45,485 29.1 4.1 25.0 -0.5 1979 1,925,621 52,919 8,192 44,727 28.2 4.4 23.8 0.1 1980 1,972,462 52,626 7,959 44,667 26.9 4.1 22.8 0.5 3.44 1981 2,019,865 53,873 7,976 45,897 26.9 4.0 22.9 0.9 1982 2,067,647 54,491 8,142 46,349 26.7 4.0 22.7 0.7 1983 2,115,781 55,222 8,499 46,723 26.4 4.1 22.3 0.6 1984 2,164,281 56,659 8,250 48,409 26.5 3.9 22.6 -0.1 1985 2,213,209 58,038 8,991 49,047 26.6 4.1 22.5 -0.4 3.20 1986 2,262,571 57,655 8,942 48,713 25.9 4.0 21.9 -0.2 1987 2,312,359 57,647 9,105 48,542 25.3 4.0 21.3 0 1988 2,362,523 58,459 9,382 49,077 25.2 4.0 21.2 -0.2 1989 2,413,043 59,069 9,557 49,512 25.1 4.1 21.0 -0.3 1990 2,463,727 59,904 9,799 50,105 25.0 4.1 20.9 -0.6 2.88 1991 2,514,940 60,080 9,683 50,397 24.6 4.0 20.6 0.5 1992 2,567,277 59,905 10,143 49,762 24.1 4.1 20.0 1 1993 2,620,647 59,191 10,669 48,522 23.3 4.2 19.1 1.6 1994 2,675,038 59,947 10,983 48,964 23.2 4.3 18.9 1.6 1995 2,730,591 61,939 11,032 50,907 23.5 4.2 19.3 1 2.72 1996 2,787,492 63,401 11,161 52,240 23.7 4.2 19.5 0.8 1997 2,846,042 68,009 12,179 55,830 25.0 4.5 20.5 -0.3 1998 2,905,965 62,351 11,824 50,527 22.6 4.3 18.3 1.9 1999 2,966,362 64,248 11,938 52,310 22.9 4.2 18.7 1.3 2000 3,026,993 64,839 11,841 52,998 22.7 4.1 18.6 1.3 2.67 2001 3,086,251 63,900 12,442 51,458 21.3 4.1 17.2 2.6 2.51 2002 3,144,898 61,671 12,428 49,243 20.2 4.1 16.1 3.5 2.39 2003 3,203,629 61,753 13,248 48,505 19.8 4.3 15.5 3.8 2.37 2004 3,262,502 62,743 13,475 49,268 19.8 4.2 15.6 3.3 2.38 2005 3,321,578 63,645 14,180 49,465 19.7 4.4 15.3 3.3 2.39 2006 3,380,985 65,764 14,358 51,406 20.0 4.4 15.6 2.7 2.44 2007 3,440,991 67,364 14,775 52,589 19.4 4.3 15.1 2.8 2.48 2008 3,501,700 68,759 15,115 53,644 19.4 4.3 15.1 2.5 2.51 2009 3,563,355 68,364 15,498 52,866 19.0 4.3 14.7 2.5 2.47 2010 3,626,670 67,955 16,542 51,413 18.6 4.5 14.1 2.8 2.43 2011 3,692,023 73,292 16,367 56,925 19.7 4.4 15.3 1.3 2.47 2012 3,759,498 75,486 17,350 58,136 19.9 4.6 15.3 1.5 2.51 2013 3,829,455 73,804 17,767 56,037 19.2 4.6 14.6 1.8 2.43 2014 3,901,544 75,183 18,171 57,012 19.2 4.6 14.6 1.4 2.45 2015 3,975,949 75,901 18,182 57,719 19.1 4.6 14.5 1.1 2.45 2016 4,052,058 75,184 18,882 56,302 18.6 4.7 13.9 1.4 2.42 2017 4,128,000 76,166 19,482 56,684 18.6 4.8 13.8 1.1 2.40 2018 4,201,112 76,863 19,720 57,143 18.5 4.7 13.7 0.8 2.40 2019 4,269,777 72,456 20,049 52,407 17.2 4.8 12.4 1.8 2.24 2020 4,331,049 69,945 25,151 44,794 16.1 5.8 10.3 3.6 2.14 2021 4,385,682 66,498 24,663 41,835 15.2 5.6 9.5 4 2.02 2022 4,440,735 63,920 22,860 41,060 14.4 5.1 9.2 3.9 1.92 2023 4,496,166 59,907 21,735 38,172 13.3 4.8 8.5 4.3 1.85 2024 4,548,681 59,729 23,206 36,523 13.1 5.1 8.0 4.5 1.72 2025 4,598,365 55,340 19,719 35,621 12.0 4.3 7.8 1.6 (p)=preliminary data
Ethnic groups
The culture, customs, and language of Panama are predominantly Caribbean Spanish. In 2010 the population was 65% Mestizo (mixed European and Amerindian), 12.3% Native Panamanians, 9.2% black, 6.8% mulattoes, and 6.7% white. According to the 2023 census 17.2% of the population were native Panamanians, 31.7% was of (part) African descent, while the remainder (51%) were mestizo (mixed European and Amerindian) and whites.https://www.inec.gob.pa Instituto Nacional de Estadistica y Censo (INEC)
Indigenous Panamanians + Population of Panama according to ethnic group Ethnicgroup Census 1990 Census 2000 Census 2010 Census 2023 Number % Number % Number % Number %Amerindian194,2698.3285,23110.0417,55912.3698,11417.2Non-indigenous2,135,06091.72,553,94690.02,988,25487.73,366,66682.8 Total 2,329,329 2,839,177 3,405,813 4,064,780
European Panamanians European Panamanians or Caucasian ethnic groups in Panama include Spanish, British and Irish, Dutch, French, Germans, Italians, Portuguese, Poles, Russians or Ukrainians (a large number are Jews), Greeks, and Americans.
Asian Panamanians Panama has a considerable population of Asian origin; in particular those of Chinese and West Asian (Lebanese, Palestinian, and Syrian) origin. The first Chinese immigrated to Panama from southern China in the 19th century to help build the Panama Railroad. There followed several waves of immigrants, especially after the 1970s, when the ensuing decades saw up to 80,000 immigrants from all over China. At least 50,000 Panamanians are ethnically Chinese, though some estimates count as many as 135,000. Most of the Chinese population reside in the province of Chiriquí. Some studies suggest that almost 1 million Panamanians have at least one Chinese ancestor.
African Panamanians