01
Physical geography
Interior mostly steep, rugged mountains with dissected, upland plains; coastal plains with rolling hills.
Local timePanama City ·
North America / Central America · Card 027
Panama
Panama is a country in Central America. Its capital is Panama City.
Find Panama
● Capital · Gold highlights this card’s area.
Map: Natural Earth. Boundaries show geographic context, not a position on sovereignty. Small islands may use enlarged markers.
Map: Natural Earth. Boundaries show geographic context, not a position on sovereignty. Small islands may use enlarged markers.
At a glance
- Capital
- Panama City
- Languages
- Spanish
- Currency
- Panamanian balboa (PAB) & US dollar (USD)
- Population
- 4.6 million2025 · World Bank
- Area
- 75,417 km²29,118.65 square miles
- Independence
- 1903from Colombia
Panama in context
North America and its surrounding regions. The dot marks Panama City; the mapped territory is highlighted in gold.
Natural Earth · locator mapGeography & languages
02
Languages
Languages used in public life include Spanish.
03
Location
Central America, bordering both the Caribbean Sea and the North Pacific Ocean, between Colombia and Costa Rica.
Flag
Divided into four equal rectangles; one of the top quadrants is white (left side) with a five-pointed blue star in the center, and the other is plain red; one of the bottom quadrants is plain blue (left side), and the other is white with a five-pointed red star in the center
History & independence
Panama broke with Spain in 1821 and joined Gran Colombia. It separated from Colombia in 1903 with US support. The Panama Canal opened in 1914 under US control. Treaties signed in 1977 led to the transfer of the canal to Panama at the end of 1999.
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Panama separates from Colombia
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The Panama Canal opens
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Full control of the canal transfers to Panama
Economy
Main activities
Canal operations, ports, logistics, finance, commerce and tourism are major activities. Services dominate the economy. Canal traffic depends on global trade and the water needed to operate its locks.
Industry and production
Canal services, ports, warehousing, finance, wholesale trade and tourism are major activities.
Population & economic trends
Dated World Bank observations. Population uses selected years; real GDP uses all available annual observations.
Population, 1970–2025
Millions of people4.62025 · millions of people
Population estimates may be revised. Selected years are shown.
Sources: World Bank · Population
View data table
| Year | People | Millions of people |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 1,513,070 | 1.513 |
| 1980 | 1,957,534 | 1.958 |
| 1990 | 2,455,583 | 2.456 |
| 2000 | 3,010,369 | 3.010 |
| 2010 | 3,628,535 | 3.629 |
| 2020 | 4,293,261 | 4.293 |
| 2025 | 4,571,189 | 4.571 |
Real GDP, 1990–2025
Billions of constant 2015 US dollars80.72025 · billions of constant 2015 US dollars
Constant prices adjust for inflation. This is total economic output, not current-dollar GDP or income per person. Missing years are left as gaps.
Sources: World Bank · Real GDP
View data table
| Year | Constant 2015 US$ | Billions of constant 2015 US dollars |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 11,857,417,979 | 11.857 |
| 1991 | 12,974,268,895 | 12.974 |
| 1992 | 14,038,376,851 | 14.038 |
| 1993 | 14,804,274,862 | 14.804 |
| 1994 | 15,226,218,483 | 15.226 |
| 1995 | 15,492,932,940 | 15.493 |
| 1996 | 16,124,998,545 | 16.125 |
| 1997 | 17,368,081,133 | 17.368 |
| 1998 | 18,824,824,096 | 18.825 |
| 1999 | 19,805,907,259 | 19.806 |
| 2000 | 20,639,538,981 | 20.640 |
| 2001 | 20,835,595,644 | 20.836 |
| 2002 | 21,358,328,178 | 21.358 |
| 2003 | 22,446,932,329 | 22.447 |
| 2004 | 24,282,115,702 | 24.282 |
| 2005 | 26,291,748,117 | 26.292 |
| 2006 | 28,883,388,489 | 28.883 |
| 2007 | 32,682,439,460 | 32.682 |
| 2008 | 36,015,209,193 | 36.015 |
| 2009 | 36,595,725,406 | 36.596 |
| 2010 | 38,818,327,826 | 38.818 |
| 2011 | 43,441,154,828 | 43.441 |
| 2012 | 47,623,362,287 | 47.623 |
| 2013 | 50,635,232,251 | 50.635 |
| 2014 | 52,977,523,790 | 52.978 |
| 2015 | 55,767,806,100 | 55.768 |
| 2016 | 58,317,491,836 | 58.317 |
| 2017 | 61,667,283,244 | 61.667 |
| 2018 | 64,083,556,966 | 64.084 |
| 2019 | 66,072,040,232 | 66.072 |
| 2020 | 54,297,264,369 | 54.297 |
| 2021 | 63,238,394,459 | 63.238 |
| 2022 | 70,219,029,319 | 70.219 |
| 2023 | 75,251,163,819 | 75.251 |
| 2024 | 77,318,946,519 | 77.319 |
| 2025 | 80,682,556,211 | 80.683 |
Human development
The Human Development Index combines health, education and income. Scores range from 0 to 1.
HDI · 20230.839Very High human developmentRank 59 of 193 · 2025 report
Human Development Index over time
19900.672
20000.718
20100.775
20200.808
20230.839
79.6 yearsLife expectancy at birth
10.8 yearsMean schooling, adults aged 25+
The latest values refer to 2023. All historical scores use the same report edition. HDI does not describe every aspect of inequality or quality of life.
Sources: UNDP · Human Development Report 2025
Government
A presidential republic with an elected President and a single-chamber National Assembly.
Knowledge check
Three questions about Panama.
QUESTION 1 OF 3
In which year did this event occur in Panama: Panama separates from Colombia?
Sources & notes
Sources: CIA World Factbook · archived profile
Prepared 24 September 2026. World Bank series: SP.POP.TOTL (persons) and NY.GDP.MKTP.KD (constant 2015 US dollars); downloaded 24 September 2026, provider update 13 July 2026. UNDP values use the 2025 report and 2023 observation year. These are dated statistical snapshots, not live population or economic counters.
Maps use Natural Earth geographic data. Background geography, flag descriptions and selected historical facts use archived public-domain CIA World Factbook profiles, supplemented by the sources linked above. The Factbook is no longer updated; dated statistics here come from the separately named providers.